Planting time...aka The Season of Frustration
Every year I try to make some sort of effort in planting flowers and plants around the house. I buy all sorts of nifty items to try and help me in my endeavors. Every year I start with good intentions.
Every year I fail because I lose interest.
There is an aspect of planting that is fun. Digging in the dirt....working with your hands. Putting something in the ground that is supposed to grow into something of wonder and amazement.
Problem is it takes too long and I am not a patient woman. What I planted in May quickly becomes forgotten by June. I also can't tell the difference between a plant or a weed or a tree sprouting in the middle of my weeds. I do not have the green thumb....or even a green hangnail. I do believe I have a touch similar to plant fungi and mites.
It doesn't matter what comes into my house or out of it....if it has roots it will DIE....it will be a long and painful death, too. I have killed every plant imaginable, even the ones they say an idiot can grow. Clearly they were underestimating my capacity for idiocy because that spider plant died in 2 weeks. I am the Terminator for plants. Oh sure, they can put up a fight, but I will be back to kill them.
My mother, grandmothers, cousins, and aunt area GREAT gardeners. I sit in awe of their ability to grow things. Clearly there is a gene in my family to be a friend to plants. I don't have it, though. I believe I can hear plants shake in their containers every time I get near them in the nurseries. I believe they have a secret society where meet at night and they hold up my picture as someone to fear. They tell their seedlings at night to be careful and eat all their manure or the Karina will get them and their roots will wither and die.
Technically, this shouldn't bother me....on a scale of things to worry about this, it should not rank too high.
But it does.
This is what I know about nature. Squirrels will lose their nuts. They will find a nut and bury it for future use. They are a bit...well...squirrelly because there is no way they will remember where all of their nuts are hidden. Some of the nuts they bury and they don't dig up start to grow and turn into trees.
What does this have to do with my gardening skills?
I lack the basic skills that even a SQUIRREL has to make things grow. I have the bigger brain, opposable thumbs, and I remember where I plant my nuts....and seeds. And yet when I put any seed in the ground I can't make it grow. A squirrel, who doesn't have enough sense to get out of the way of a car, can plant a forest.
So really, it's my ego that is outraged at this. Parts of my brain are telling me it isn't worth the worry and I should let it go.
Except I can't. In 10 min. I'm going to get up and go out and try to plant somethings. They will die....I know this. But I'll be danged if I'm going to let those little nut lovers beat me at this game...
I will plant something....it will grow....and I will beat the squirrels at their own game! I will show them I have the same abilities they do.....to be able to plant my nuts and make them GROW! Today the garden....tomorrow balancing on telephone wires!
Okay, maybe that last part was going too far, but you get the idea.
Wish me luck....
Every year I fail because I lose interest.
There is an aspect of planting that is fun. Digging in the dirt....working with your hands. Putting something in the ground that is supposed to grow into something of wonder and amazement.
Problem is it takes too long and I am not a patient woman. What I planted in May quickly becomes forgotten by June. I also can't tell the difference between a plant or a weed or a tree sprouting in the middle of my weeds. I do not have the green thumb....or even a green hangnail. I do believe I have a touch similar to plant fungi and mites.
It doesn't matter what comes into my house or out of it....if it has roots it will DIE....it will be a long and painful death, too. I have killed every plant imaginable, even the ones they say an idiot can grow. Clearly they were underestimating my capacity for idiocy because that spider plant died in 2 weeks. I am the Terminator for plants. Oh sure, they can put up a fight, but I will be back to kill them.
My mother, grandmothers, cousins, and aunt area GREAT gardeners. I sit in awe of their ability to grow things. Clearly there is a gene in my family to be a friend to plants. I don't have it, though. I believe I can hear plants shake in their containers every time I get near them in the nurseries. I believe they have a secret society where meet at night and they hold up my picture as someone to fear. They tell their seedlings at night to be careful and eat all their manure or the Karina will get them and their roots will wither and die.
Technically, this shouldn't bother me....on a scale of things to worry about this, it should not rank too high.
But it does.
This is what I know about nature. Squirrels will lose their nuts. They will find a nut and bury it for future use. They are a bit...well...squirrelly because there is no way they will remember where all of their nuts are hidden. Some of the nuts they bury and they don't dig up start to grow and turn into trees.
What does this have to do with my gardening skills?
I lack the basic skills that even a SQUIRREL has to make things grow. I have the bigger brain, opposable thumbs, and I remember where I plant my nuts....and seeds. And yet when I put any seed in the ground I can't make it grow. A squirrel, who doesn't have enough sense to get out of the way of a car, can plant a forest.
So really, it's my ego that is outraged at this. Parts of my brain are telling me it isn't worth the worry and I should let it go.
Except I can't. In 10 min. I'm going to get up and go out and try to plant somethings. They will die....I know this. But I'll be danged if I'm going to let those little nut lovers beat me at this game...
I will plant something....it will grow....and I will beat the squirrels at their own game! I will show them I have the same abilities they do.....to be able to plant my nuts and make them GROW! Today the garden....tomorrow balancing on telephone wires!
Okay, maybe that last part was going too far, but you get the idea.
Wish me luck....
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