Old Jar Head, glad you are still here with us. They say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger but I call BS on that.
As for my black thumb lately, I don't know what it is. I think the aloe vera was in the wrong soil, should have used something with more sand...it is after all a succulent. The spearmint seeds were a fluke I think, if I had dug a hole in the yard, they might have germinated, or they may not have, I'll never know. After I transplanted the catnip and it started to die, I read on the instructions (good to note here that it's best the read the instructions BEFORE you plant a new plant) that it didn't like direct sun, and well, I put it on the back patio, the place that's hotter than 47 hells with full western sun and no shade, by the time I realized, it was baked and not in a good way!
I think my peace lily will be okay, I'll trim the brown leaves off, and just keep doing what I've been doing. I've had the plant for 6 years, brought it back from one leaf like I said, and hauled it from one house, to my friend's house and then to my sister's house before we bought this house....it's pretty hardy.
It does seem like something's going on though. The passion flowers were germinated in the house, then put in soil in a pot to grow larger on the front porch, south facing. Once they got crowded I got them something to climb on and planted them in the SAME soil they had been growing in and they died. But, I can't work in the yard like I used to, and might have half-assed it, even though I really, really wanted those flowers!
I got two more plants (different kinds) today to plant in the yard, for the pollinators and I will see if they die too...if they do then I give up. At least on the outside plants...our soil around here isn't great although our house is built on what was an old cotton field.
I'm dumping all the soil that is in the house, from the failed cannabis plant, ungerminated seeds and catnip and starting new. I also have a suspicion that me having my son's picture hanging over the grow area is a jinx. He was super straight, taught by Officer Nipper to Just Say NO and turn your parents in if they smoked marijuana. So I'm going to move his picture to another place, even though I know he'd want me to be happy and having medicine without narcotics makes me happy. I'm not usually superstitious but there's too much going on not to be.