Harping on Houseplants

Over the past month or so, while waiting for the weather to warm up (and stay warmed up), I have given a great deal of attention to my houseplants. As such, most have been repotted, fertilized, and / or repositioned in different areas of the house. The goal? To maximize their health and encourage growth.

Apparently, I'm not just obsessed with my own houseplants. I've also started noticing indoor plants at businesses I visit. Just the other day, for example, I saw a beautiful plant on the counter at the Dr.'s office and suddenly, I had an overwhelming desire to reach over and grab a clipping or two.

Although I left the Dr.'s office empty-handed, I'm not bitter. And I'm sure once I start working in my garden and flower beds, my focus will shift from what is growing inside to what is growing outside. In the meantime, we'll see how the follow up appointment goes in a few weeks.

Return of The Wooden White Duck

He's back! The wooden white duck is once again sitting on the front porch, his long, white neck extended gracefully as he looks at the trees in the front yard and watches the flowers bloom (see blog from 09/12/18 - titled The White Wooden Duck).

Butterflies flit, bees buzz, and birds dart to and fro. Cars drive by, some slowing down ever so slightly. "Are you looking at me?" A rhetorical question? Maybe, maybe not. After all, white wooden ducks and porches are nothing new.

The weather is warm once again and the flowers are getting ready to bloom. And the duck? He sits contentedly on the front porch and watches the cars drive lazily up and down the street.

To Nurture or Not to Nurture

In the book Soar With Your Strengths (copyright 1992), Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson provide insight in regard to the act of nurturing:

"Nurturing is a strength that resembles the best kind of parenting. A manager or teacher gains satisfaction from the growth of employees or students . . .the nurturer can 'see' each increment of growth and expresses heartfelt warmth that enables employees to grow" (144).

When I read this passage, I immediately saw a connection between nurturers and gardeners. I feel that gardeners, like nurturers, experience a certain type of contentment when their gardens thrive, much like the joy an educator or boss feels when their students or employees succeed.

In your opinion:

>What are some similarities between nurturers and gardeners?

>Are nurturers better gardeners than non-nurturers? Why or why not?

Getting Ready to Get Dirty

 "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." - Margaret Atwood

The weather is warming up and I've been walking around outside, inspecting my existing flower beds, contemplating where to put new flower beds, and of course pondering how my gardens will grow.

I am revitalized at the thought of Spring and the idea of being covered in soil, sweat, and maybe even a few bugs. Indeed, your thoughts are duly noted Ms. Atwood.

Water Heaters and Wells

For months now, my water heater has been trying its best to stop working. The main symptoms? Leaking from the bottom of the tank and tepid water, even after we replaced the water heater elements. The solution? Purchase a new water heater.  

This small inconvenience created by my dying water heater brings to mind my grandparents. For most of their adult lives, they did not have indoor plumbing. Consequently, they had to draw water from a well to use for cooking, drinking, washing, and for watering my grandmother's plants and garden.

Their well house stood a few feet away from the gate that led to the main house. Each morning my grandmother would go to said well house and use the pulley to lower the long, metal well bucket down until it hit the surface of the water below. Once it was filled to capacity, she would pull it back up and flip a lever to empty the water from the bucket into the empty metal buckets she had brought with her from the house. The number of trips she made back and forth depended on how much water was needed for the day. When weather permitted, she'd store water on the front porch in huge, silver wash tubs and use it accordingly.

As kids, me and my sister took many a bath in those big wash tubs. Oftentimes, the water was too hot or too cold and we would lament as my grandmother tried her best to scrub us clean. Some mornings, however, when she was too busy or just tired of hearing us grumble, we got lucky and only had to suffer a quick wipe-down using a wash cloth, a bar of soap, and a pan of water she heated up on the stove top.

Did we appreciate the effort it took for her to actually get the water for all of those baths? Probably not. We were kids and we didn't like baths, regardless of where the water came from. Also, we were chronic complainers, which didn't help. But clean or dirty, gripes and all, my grandparents let us visit as often as we wanted and in the process, we created wonderful memories that will never wash away.

A Short Synopsis of a Garden

A garden is a patch of soil or dirt that contains plants in various stages of development. Thus, tomato plants may be propped up by wooden stakes or supported by wire cages. Vining plants such as pole beans, cucumbers, and sugar peas are wrapped around taut twine that runs from one side of the garden to the other, or they cling to a piece of wire fence while they grow. Onions, potatoes, and carrots are temporarily hidden underground, but properly placed plant markers remind the sower where they are. Hot pepper bushes, herbs, and flowers provide much needed patches of color and fragrance, and everything grows accordingly and at its own pace, including the gardener.  

Runners and Gardeners

I am a runner. Regardless of the weather, five days a week, often while it is still dark outside, I climb out of bed, lace up my shoes, and head out the door. I have run on treadmills, trails, tracks, sidewalks, in a parking garage, in the park, in the basement, and around a graveyard.  I've huffed my way up huge hills, fallen down a few smaller ones, and landed face-first on a sidewalk after tripping over a metal weather drain. And although I'm not terribly athletic, I am persistent, which has helped me maintain a running schedule for approximately fifteen years now.

I am also a gardener, and in my opinion, runners and gardeners have several things in common. First, both are committed to completing the task at hand. For runners, this means finishing their run, regardless of circumstances, i.e. inclement weather, schedule changes at work, pain and /or exhaustion. In the case of the gardener, it is a matter of sowing, reaping, and repeating as necessary, often amid the same circumstances.

Second, runners and gardeners always look at the big picture. They realize it takes not just one day of running or working in the garden to achieve their desired goals, but many, many days.

Finally, both the runner and the gardener are life-long learners, which means they are constantly looking for ways to improve their craft, and they learn from their mistakes (after I fell on that sidewalk, I learned to run AROUND the weather drain on subsequent runs). Consequently, they tweak a little here, try something new over there, all in an effort to obtain the best possible outcome.

So, whether you're a runner, a gardener, or a runner who gardens, actively pursue what you love to do. And remember, although pathways and gardens are frequently rough and rocky, they are also rewarding for those who have committed to finish the race.