Our youngest daughter who is now a newly minted 8 year old. She has been longing to plant flowers ever since her 2nd grade class grew some in paper cups at school. But her dream has become a nightmare for me. I would have to help her. Okay, I have to confess I'm afraid my inbred death-ray glare that activates on the sight of anything green would render her little flower garden to ashes. Then she would be standing there with tears streaming down her little face asking:
"Why did you kill them, Mommy?"
I did NOT get my grandpa's green thumb gene. Pretty much everyone else in my family can grow things and I don't mean just grow, I mean GROW. Like with prize winning flowers or tomatoes and such. ::Hanging head in shame:: I am SUCH a failure in this department. And it isn't as if I haven't tried. I have books on gardening that tell you how easy it is. I have books with beautiful pictures that show which plants grow in what climate. I have the tools of the trade. Trowels, claw rakes, weed pullers, knee pads, and darn it I even have the GLOVES. But believe me, plants take one look at me and drop dead of fright!
Needless to say we have been putting this off but yesterday we were waiting in the Dr.'s office for our turn and she has recently added a LARGE geranium that has obviously come from somewhere other than a greenhouse nursery. Erin zoomed in on it the moment we walked through the door.
Needless to say we have been putting this off but yesterday we were waiting in the Dr.'s office for our turn and she has recently added a LARGE geranium that has obviously come from somewhere other than a greenhouse nursery. Erin zoomed in on it the moment we walked through the door.
She smelled the flowers. "Mommy, don't they smell wonderful?"
(I don't particularly care for the smell but they were not overpowering.) "Yes, honey."
"Mommy, you have to feel the flowers! They are soooooo soft."
Silence. (Which is unusual for my chatterbox) So I look up from magazine and she is staring at the plant.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
I could tell she was really longing to adopt it and take it home. It then occurred to me to get her a house plant she could put in her bedroom window.
"Why don't we go and buy a plant for your room? Then you could learn how to take care of one before we get a entire garden?"
Her face lights up like a Christmas Tree.
I had to add here that she would have to be responsible for it. She would have to learn how much to water it and to not overdo it. She would have to talk to it. I remember this part from my sister Suzanne, who has the greenest thumb, second only to our Grandpa.
I had to add here that she would have to be responsible for it. She would have to learn how much to water it and to not overdo it. She would have to talk to it. I remember this part from my sister Suzanne, who has the greenest thumb, second only to our Grandpa.
"Talk to it? Why?"
"Plants liked to be talked to. It's a scientifically proven fact." I told her.
Erin looked at the office plant and asked, "What do you say to it?"
"Just tell it about your day. Talk about how we went to the mall and got your nails painted. Tell it what color. Tell it what you had for lunch."
"OK"
So she starts talking to this plant. I went back to reading the magazine but I'm listening with half an ear because she is sitting on the floor right next to my chair.
"I got my nails painted today. See. It is called Electric Pink. I also have flowers on two of them. The flowers are white. I had cheese pizza for lunch. You have very pretty pink flowers. Some of you are babies. Some of you are teenagers. Some of you are Mommies and Daddies. And Uncles, and grandparents and....."
I'm smiling at this. She is pointing all over the plant as she talks. But then she suddenly turns to me and whispers,
"OK"
So she starts talking to this plant. I went back to reading the magazine but I'm listening with half an ear because she is sitting on the floor right next to my chair.
"I got my nails painted today. See. It is called Electric Pink. I also have flowers on two of them. The flowers are white. I had cheese pizza for lunch. You have very pretty pink flowers. Some of you are babies. Some of you are teenagers. Some of you are Mommies and Daddies. And Uncles, and grandparents and....."
I'm smiling at this. She is pointing all over the plant as she talks. But then she suddenly turns to me and whispers,
"Mom, what do I call the really old ones? The ones with all the wrinkled petals? I don't want to hurt their feelings."
That took me a minute.
I whispered back, "They are called mature."
"OK", she says to me and then turns to the plant again. "And some of you are really mature."
She continued on for a few more minutes but but this time I am really trying not to start laughing. I guess I am still in the Mommy category and not the mature or really mature category in her eyes. Ah, that made my day.
QOTD: "Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk to my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite." Bertrand Russell, British, 3rd Earl Russell, philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, socialist, pacifist and social critic (1872-1970) [In 1950, Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought.]
(Originally posted 29 July 2006)
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Contents from normal neural synapsis goes here....
Should unnatural neural synapsis occur? Take one cherry chocolate Hershey Kiss and carry on.
Should NO neural synapsis occur? Take two full strength chocolate Hershey Kisses and
try again in the morning.