JINXED

When I want to clarify an idea, I often go to Google on the Internet. There I can usually find confirmation, sometimes with examples. Today I wanted to learn the meaning of the title word, and this entry came up: "A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is: --A sort of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to large numbers of minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck; ---A person afflicted with a similar curse, who, while not directly subject to a series of misfortunes, seems to attract them to anyone in his general area. ---An object that brings bad luck. ---A common slang term used when two people say the same thing at the same time (said as a game amongst the young). ---The superstition is sometimes used when talking about a future event with too much confidence. ---A statement like "We're sure to win the contest!" can be seen as a jinx by tempting fate. After such a statement, failure would be ironic. For the human mind, the irony makes it all the more likely. This therefore brings bad luck: it is a "jinx". The event itself is referred to as "jinxed"." wikipedia.com

Taking care not to break the tiny branches, I "undressed" the little tree and piled the lights, garland, and ornaments in three little heaps to be added to the boxes of regular Christmas ornaments. This had to be done very slowly; the red birds were fastened onto the tree with small wire clips, and pulling on them would cause a branch to be lost. Finally I had totally denuded the little bush, and beyond a doubt it was still alive. When I emailed my sister-in-law to thank her for the gift, she was surprised that it was doing so well. She commented that "Those things don't usually last beyond the holidays, and it must be my gardening skills that were prolonging its life!" That may be true, because the tree is now nearly a foot taller than when it arrived here. A foot! The branches are reaching out with little ball-like things on the end which will become new branches. Their lighter shade of green attests to that! Placing it on the window sill of the kitchen window must have been a good choice, since my husband could reach behind him from his seat at the breakfast table and pour in a glass of water.

I was not so fortunate with the jade plant that I brought home from a cousin's wedding two summers ago. It was given to me in a flower pot, and I quickly placed it in another container that matched the red curtains in the kitchen. To help me remember to water it regularly, I placed it on the counter next to the sink. After a few days I found several leaves nearby, and my first thought was that the transplant was causing a trauma in the plant's adaptation to its new home. But the next day there were more whole leaves in the sink, and the stem looked shorter, too. What was happening?

Then by chance I rolled into the kitchen to get something and saw---SANCHEZ! He was my son's Siamese cat that had been passed along to me when my son was between homes after college. Sanchez (clearly not an appropriate name for an oriental feline) had an appetite for greenery and the jade plant was a perfect salad choice. I chased the cat off the counter, disposed of his ill-gotten meal, and put the poor plant back behind some protective objects that would allow light, but not Sanchez, to access it. I thought.

Next morning I was beginning to add the sweetener to my husband's coffee when I looked across the sink to add some water to the jade plant and OH NO! IT WAS CHEWED! This was not a few fallen leaves. This was an all out feasting! The parts of the plant that held the leaves were maliciously munched. If this marauding were maintained, the plant that symbolized good luck would be out of luck! How could I rescue it? There was no other location that would ensure its safety. This house has hot air heat, which is a very dry heat and the plants need a higher level of humidity. The office, next to the computers, printers, and other machines, stays warm all day. The dining room has no flat surfaces that would be safe from the Siamese. Our bedroom has protected the roses I received on Valentine's Day, but they did not require watering and have dried in perfect form with our door kept closed. But closing the door to save the roses would subject the jade plant to excessive heat. On the final day of plant disaster, the poor thing had been eaten right down to the roots. There was nothing left to revive, so I said "goodbye" and put the remains into the trash.