Just One More….

I’ve been on a plant-buying spree lately (watch for a jungle post coming soon). I love plants, and as with all hobbies, I tend to go a bit overboard when on a stocking/buying spree, and then sort of level out as I realize my time, budget and energy for the “projects” (plants, fish, yarn, drafts….) has either waned or is needed elsewhere.

But there’s always that “itch” to get “just one more”, and I always thought it was a “collector” mentality, until I was reading through a thread on the fish-keeping forum I mostly lurk on. One of the members, responding to a thread on the desire to get another tank after finishing the last one as a project, said (and I’m paraphrasing, obviously) that the “itch” is curiosity, which is a very good thing. I think that’s a very reasonable assessment, and people tend to deal with it either by slowing down and learning more about what they already have (turning it into a longer “project”), or they get another project to work on and either find a balance eventually or…not.

I find that if I force myself to slow down and really focus on learning everything I can about what I already have, I tend not to get so “itchy” about getting new things. With fish, it’s improving the setups I currently have, and ensuring the health of my current wet pets. Aquariums are something that tend to turn over every few years too, depending on what occupants they have, so going more slowly means I’ll be ready to re-scape and switch things around as fish reach the end of their natural life spans. I have four tanks at the moment, and I thought I wanted more for awhile, but focusing on making sure life is good for my current fish and plants has cooled my desire to add anything. I do want to get a larger tank to *replace* the 40 gallon next year, but it will be a replacement, not an addition. And it will fit on the stand I have now, so space isn’t an issue.

It’s easier to let that itch take over with plants, because I buy them all small (I have to remind myself they will eventually get bigger if I’m growing them “right”). I used to want to own *everything*, but this time, I’ve been pretty picky about what I’ll spend money and time on. I know myself, and I know my interest in plant care waxes and wanes, and during the waning season, needy plants are likely to perish. So with the exception of a few, my plants are mainly succulents and cacti, or hardy tropicals. Those few that aren’t, I give the best chance of survival by keeping them in places that are easy to get to when I’m doing aquarium maintenance, so I have to make an effort *not* to just give them a quick drink when I’m cleaning tanks (and several are sharing aquarium lights with the fish, which is handy). Work smarter, not harder, I say.

In any case, it’s time to slow way down on the plant buying, too. My house and office are pretty full, and I’ve decided to focus on learning as much about the plants I have as possible, and work on good cultivation practices to get everything growing as well as I possibly can. Watering, pruning, repotting, and dividing all remind me that I only have so much time and energy for such things, so focusing on what I have is satisfying enough on its own.

That’s not to say I can’t replace a plant if I lose one, of course. That’s reasonable, right?

One in, one out. That’s another thing I’ve found helps “scratch the itch” while keeping things manageable. Want a new plant? One has to leave. Want new fish? Gotta wait until the one (or a group) dies (I mean technically, I could trade them in at the local fish shop, but I’m not that person – an animal comes into the house, it’s here for life).  The only thing I haven’t been doing that with is books, and really, I should do that too. There are plenty of books on my shelves I’ll never read again, and really don’t need to keep around. And yarn…well, I’m on a “no buy” restriction until I use up a fair amount of what I already have.

Do you get “itchy” when it comes to all the fun things available in your hobby/hobbies? How do you scratch that itch? Use up what you have first/wait until something dies? Keep to the “one in/one out” rule? Or just keep stocking those shelves and cabinets, hoping someday it will all sort itself out?

Writing News

I have been trying (and failing) to get back into the daily writing habit. It’s not going well. I want to write, I have ideas and plots and stories that need to be written, but actually making the time to do it just isn’t happening. My dear friend Carol pointed out that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – November) is coming up, and while I certainly don’t need another novel sitting around awaiting revisions, I have several that need to be rewritten, and obviously one that needs to be finished. I’m not super-keen on starting with something I’m in the middle of, because that isn’t really the “spirit” of the exercise (note: others can do as they wish with no judgement from me, this is just my own thing), but a complete rewrite of something I’ve been meaning to do anyways…I think I might be able to talk myself into that.

Until then, I will continue working on Magpie Shiny and the next DBV story as I can, and I’m also working on getting the DBV collection into print in time for Halloween.

Recommendation(s)

Are you a fish-keeper (or do you want to be)? Check out Tropical Fish Forums. There’s an amazing amount of knowledge there, and a great community too. I lurk, mostly, but more because I don’t have the time or energy to post often. If I did though, I’d definitely be more active. It’s a great place to hang out and chat about all things fishy (and aquascaping, too)!