My Garden Interview - Part 4

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***
continued....

Q: Do you have anything you want others to know about you?

i'm amazed at all the yards in our suburban neighborhoods that have nothing but grass and a couple trees growing in them. My God, at least stick one tomato plant somewhere! Many people i know never go outdoors,

are scared silly of bugs, and we have actually met some who don't know where eggs come from! If they ever had to live off the land to survive, they'd be dead in a hurry! I'm sure even i would have trouble doing that, having been a "city girl" all my life, but i think i'd manage better than they would..

i make it a point to live as simply as i can in our normal American Midwestern life. i have a lot of things to do, but always try to just sit in the garden a few minutes, or walk to the park. If i see a hummingbird and want to stop and watch it, i do. It takes me about 45 minutes for a decent walk in the park, and if i can't find 45 minutes for myself, then i feel something's wrong with my life! i take all the

breaks and lunch hours and vacations i'm entitled to at my job. i feel that all of that is vital to my well-being. All the workaholics i know either have heart disease, or cancer, or diabetes - or have already died!

i try to be as environmentally "careful" as i can, too. i don't know why - i don't have children, so it's not because of my concern for my descendants having clean air to breathe! No, it's just something i feel i have to do for my OWN peace of mind. Don't get me wrong, i have a car, and gas heat, and central air conditioning, and a microwave and a computer - all the luxuries of modern life, but i don't abuse them. We use our central air maybe as

much as two weeks most years, when it's really necessary for sleeping. A lot of acquaintances put their air on the first 80 degree (F) day, and don't turn it off until Autumn! I walk if possible - i don't start the car to drive across the street! If i find a tiny spider in the house, do i call the exterminator? No. Either i gently take it outside, or the cats get it (!), or i leave it - especially in mosquito or gnat season, a couple of spiders in the house is a natural, self sustaining extermination system!

All anyone has to do is THINK a little to improve their lives and the planet.

 

Our current home has about a third of an acre, relatively large for a city lot, but it's conversely not enough and too much for me! One side of me would love several acres of a large, maybe partly wooded lot, but on the other hand, when i get home from an 8 hr workday, a huge area would be daunting! i already have areas that "get away " from me in the summer, mostly because i have my leaf castings to work on now, so even though i work outside, i still can't work ON the outside! My husband does the mowing and weeding (but only the recognizable weeds!), and enjoys the yard when it looks nice, but the work is not out of love, as it is with me. One time i complained to a friend of mine (who is a non

gardener married to a "plant nut" like me) that it would be nice if DH was as passionate about the plants as i was, but she said, "Yes, but then you would always be arguing about what plants to buy, and what location to plant them in, and in what configuration, etc. This way, you can do what you want without another person with different ideas getting

in your way." Well, i thought that was quite the wise thing to say, and ever since then, i don't really wish as much that i had married a horticulturalist !

My Garden Interview - Part 2

...A continuation of my hypothetical interview...

***i'm currently reading an older garden book titled, "Gardening From The Heart - Why Gardeners Garden" by Carol Olwell. The reason for this book is interesting, because, as she points out, gardening is hard work,

considered pretty much low grade manual labor, and is rarely lucrative -

so why do we do it? She compiles the story of many gardeners who were interviewed for this book. i am barely past the introduction, but i feel compelled to put into words how i myself came to be a gardener, and why....***

Q: Did anyone inspire you?

After living in an apartment for several years, surrounded by houseplants, we moved into a little house with a little yard, and i began to think beyond only houseplants and veggies. Flower boxes, hanging baskets, perennials...Around that time i met Adrian, my new boss at work. She wasn't a typical boss, she was full of fun and had a great laugh, as if she had just heard a dirty joke! She was fairly spiritual, believed in the paranormal,.. and gardened. When she talked about some of her plants, she would describe them in detail and with such excitement that i started to realize that i had that same passion, too, but had kept it inside because i hadn't realized that anyone else felt that way, and, evidently it released my inner "Plant Maniac"! i eventually acquired several plants from her, and still have them today, almost 20 years later. We lost touch, and i don't think Adrian ever knew what an influence she had on me - i didn't even know at the time,either! But i think of her -every year - when her Festiva Maxima Peony blooms in my yard.

Also, my husband's grandparents lived on a farm (a REAL one), and they were also a big inspiration to me during all of the years i was fortunate enough to share with them.

A start was all i needed, and soon the yard was filled with hundreds of plants, many grown from seed, and many shade loving plants (Our yard was 80% shade). i built a coldframe and an arbor using PVC pipe, we attached white vinyl lattice (when it was first available around here and pretty expensive!) to the chain link fence around the backyard, making it more

private, and ringed the beds in red and grey bricks.

My coldframe

It was a tiny yard, but a wonderful sanctuary, much more than i realized at the time.... When my husband was diagnosed one June with cancer at the age of 40, i think i was devastated even more than he was - we knew nothing about cancer, i just assumed i would be a widow in a short time! Having that garden to retreat to was the only thing that kept me sane! (By the way, we know a lot more about cancer these days -plus he is now 56 and is, i'm happy to say, still around to bother me!).

Me, Interrupted

Today i'm in the throes of a cancer scare. Normally, i don't like to be serious on my blogs, i'm making an exception today. This IS also a journal, more or less, and, while i also know that i have a pretty low following on this year old blog, hopefully someone will read this and can understand.

First of all, i'm a hypochondriac and have learned to recognize that. i have so far had brain tumors, heart disease, skin cancer, Lou Gehrig's (ALS), plus a few more i can't think of right now - all were in my head, but i even had symptoms - it's amazing what your mind can do to you physically! The Web is a godsend- most of the time i look up some symptoms and realize that i don't really have the disease (then the symptoms magically disappear!)

Then last year, a co worker of mine had been having stomach problems for awhile. She had only been there a year, was not a friendly person, so i did not yet know her very well and really never knew any details. But she was taking over the counter meds for it, eating Activia (the yogurt that's supposed to regulate your digestive system), stuff like that. Then she started to call in sick here and there, called me one day in early December and said her doctor was putting her in hospital to see what was wrong (she was in quite a bit of pain by then).

That was a Monday. The following Saturday she was dead.

Apparently it was cancer, and she had hardly any intestine left by the time they found out. She was about my age, too.

...Needed to stick something lighthearted in here - made ME laugh, anyway!

Keeping this background in mind, I had just mentioned to DH that i was glad I didn't need Activia, i have never had many problems like that (OK, years ago i had Irritable Bowel Syndrome- went on a low carbohydrate diet and stopped eating sugar, and it disappeared. Completely). Then, about a month ago, i became constipated - and it hasn't gone away! Yes, i could take laxatives and it would be better, but it doesn't change the fact that something is still not right. After about 3 weeks, i saw my doctor and am now setting up an appointment for a colonoscopy, because now, i'm scared silly that i have colon cancer. Now, the procedure itself does not concern me - if they would find cancer and would have to go through treatments (which i certainly don't want, but at least i would have a chance), that would be tolerable as well. No, i'm afraid of a situation like my co worker had - that it's found too late, or it would not be treatable and the doctors could not help me! My hubby has had Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma - twice since 1996 - but he has done very well and after going thru a LOT of various treatments, is currently fine. After all that, my greatest fear is that now I would end up with something that will "get" ME in a month! i'm really NOT constantly fretting about it - it's the times i wake up at 3 A.M. and start to think about it....

So if you could cross your fingers and send some good luck wishes my way, i'd be happy! And i'll pass along whatever the diagnosis ends up to be (hopefully just hypochondria!).