TheBanyanTree: Amazing Stuff

[Pam North]

Last spring, while fighting off the effects of depression, my boss
suggested that I plant some flowers.

I was *not* a gardener.  When we were married, Todd wouldn't let me
even water his plants because I always seemed to be killing something.
 The first summer of our marriage he made a flower garden in front of
our house and planted two rose bushes and some flowers that grew and
grew and grew.  I even took pictures of the flowers because I was *so*
impressed with how awesome they were and the work that he'd done!

But I was no gardener.

Inadvertently, I ended up starting.  First, I admitted to my neighbors
how I hated the huge bush-tree beside my garage, and they told me,
'take it out' then!  Wow?!?!  I could really do that?!  Well, gee, I
guess I could.  And while I was at it, I could also take out those
stupid holly bushes by the front porch that were impossible to trim
and hurt to touch!  Then, being crazy, the kids and I took out ALL the
bushes in front of the house!  I didn't like anything and since HE was
gone, it was MINE to do with as I pleased!

It was *very* invigorating... enlightening... I dunno the right word. 
It was FREEING!  (Is that a word?!  Well, it's mine.)  I didn't have
to keep things the way they'd been, I could do it MY way.

And then I found myself with a whole lot of space and nothing there.

I started cleaning out a small spot beside the garage while I was
looking for a very small connecting rod for a windsock of Molly's. 
Before I was done, I had cleared out all kinds of small pieces of junk
and had a perfect area to plant something in.

So I went to the local Lowe's (who am I kidding?  In *this* town,
NOTHING is local, so I drove 20 miles...) and selected a miniature
rose plant and some petunia plants and came home and planted them.  I
saw it was good, and I wanted MORE!

So I planted flowers on the other side and then down the front of the
house and even planted some rose hedges where those stupid holly
hedges had been.  I was making the yard mine and I was having a great
time!!!!

Things were actually living, and *I* made it happen!!  My boss Sam was
right, it was *very* therapeutic!

In the fall, I had six pine trees that I HATED removed.  They are ugly
North Carolina pines, growing up hundreds of feet before the first
branch spreads its wings, and then only to grow needles and cones to
drop in my yard for the kids and I to rake!!  Good bye trees!!!  And
the yard was much more open.

Then winter set in and flowers died and got pulled up, the grass died
and it got cold and I went in the house and everything just vegged for
the winter.

And then it was spring again!

Time to get out there and get dirty; dig in the dirt and pull weeds,
and plant more stuff!

I was in 'conversation' with a few friends (one who is even MORE of a
novice than me!!!), when several different bushes and flowers were
suggested for different areas of my yard.  Among them, sun flowers and
morning glories.

When I walk onto my back porch, I have a great view of my neighbor's
backyard since our yards sort of form an 'L'.  I really *hate* they
view they have of my house, mostly because the paint is the most
gosh-awful color (repaint is in the works!) and the yard is boring.

And there's a piece of chain-length fence that isn't the most desirable either.

But now I had some great ideas, and I was back to Lowes and Wal-Mart
for flowers and bushes!

I some bushes here, bulbs there, and seeds wherever.  If you've been
in eastern North Carolina recently, you'd know that the weather is
warm and beautiful.  Monday thru Friday!!!!!!!!!!  The weekends get
cold and rainy and that ain't great for gardening!!  But meanwhile my
weeks are full of carting kids around and cheering at baseball games.

So yesterday, Friday, I came home from work and started mowing.  And
then edging and weed-wacking.  While I'm not crazy about mowing, I
*love* to edge and weed-wack!  I love the lines and neatness of it
all.

So there I was, edging down the length of chain fence and I got a
little carried away!  I dug into the dirt and removed all the grass!! 
Oh no!!  Oh YES!!  I had been trying to figure out just *how* I was
going to plant morning glories along the fence and not cut them down
when I edged, and I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to
have to dig a line a few inches wide all the way down to clear out the
grass.

But now I had my solution, by accident!  So I used that wacker and
ripped up grass all the way down the line!  I ended up with a row of
dirt about four or five inches wide that I could plant the morning
glories in!  Hooray!  So while I was outside and in the mood and the
weather was cooperating, I planted little round seeds, covered them
with dirt, and watered the whole bit.

My whole experience with seeds this year has been little round things.
 Tiny little dots that I almost couldn't get my fingers and nail
around to drop into the ground.

So doncha know I was a tad bit... nay!... I was *totally* surprised to
kneel down on another patch of grass near more dirt I had cleared,
tear open the package of seeds for sun flowers....

... and find *sunflower seeds*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know.  (And others of you may also!)  I ain't all that bright.  But
I was fully expecting to open the package and find little round seeds
inside.

Nope.  Sun flower seeds.

Well cripes!  I coulda got that at the mini-mart before a baseball game!!!

Okay, I *do* know that difference between the seeds you plant and the
seeds they spit.

Only 'cause my neighbors told me!  :-D

Pam