A Most-Perfect Holiday

Was that not just the best Fourth of July ever? It was at my house. Early on I decided that on July 4 I would do just what I wanted to. My kids are grown, and oh heck, my grandkids are grown up too. And they were all off doing their own family celebrations. But I decided to stay at home, and do exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to work in my yard, planting flowers, building flower beds, etc. Strange how we semi- and completely-retired persons take up these new hobbies never thought much of before passing that retiree-age birthday. Me? I’ve decided to plant things. I have no idea why. Even growing up on the farm, I did not have a green thumb. Dad had a green thumb, demonstrated by a huge garden every year. That gene jumped my generation and went straight to Darling Daughter, who can grow anything.

It occurs to me that, subconsciously, I have decided to take on a new challenge – overcoming my black thumb. It started out with a few potted flowers. There is one flower, called impatiens, which resists my unwanted ability to kill any growing thing. So I started off with a few of those. Then I moved on to tomatoes. Wanted some yellow ones. Couldn’t find just one yellow tomato plant and had to buy six, and five survived. Yay! Daughter helped with those, so my veggie plants are still growing strong. Have not seen any tomatoes yet though, hum.

I was on a roll. OK. What’s next? Started hanging out in the gardening departments of various stores. Hey, if Walmart doesn't have it maybe the home improvement stores will. For weeks you could find me roaming around Lowe’s, or Home Depot, or other such places.  And before you knew it, I had loads of pretty little plants, lots and lots of pretty little plants. I tenderly take those pretty little plants home with me, talking to them all the time. They say talking to your plants helps them grow. To overcome my black thumb, I’ll try anything. So do NOT point me out to any passing psychiatrist because I’m talking to a drooping petunia. Never could convince a petunia to keep on keeping on. In one memorable instance, a hanging basket of petunias, purchased by me and hung on the porch, was dead the next day. I don’t like petunias.

So I searched for sturdier plants, then brought them home, set them on the porch, and stared at them. Was sure they would keel over any minute, and didn't want to waste any extra time before I had to lay my flowers under the ground, not in the ground as planned. Darling Daughter got a little concerned though. “What are you going to do with those hostas?” she inquired on one visit. “Plant them,” I responded. “When?” she wanted to know. “They’ve been sitting on the porch for a month.” I came back, “I’m gonna plant them right over there in the front yard.” You can’t get by Darling Daughter. “Today’s a good day to do that,” she offered, and she planted those hostas. And they are ALL alive. I knew there was a trick to this. You have to convince your friends and relatives that they have to help you out, kind of like a reverse Tom Sawyer thing.

I didn’t realize you had to douse the garden soil till it was muddy, or that you have to get down in that mud and get dirty all over, or that you had to wear knee-high rubbers boots when planting stuff. I know it now cause Darling Daughter did all of the above. Eww! That’s an awfully dirty hobby.

Never mind, I’m going to grow stuff in my retirement. So on July 4 I planted, and planted, and planted. Yes, I admit it, I got dirty. And terribly muscle sore cause you got to get up and down and up and down and up and down. Oh well, it’s a new challenge, right? Ouch! The good news is all those plants are STILL ALIVE! Wow! OK. I will admit Darling Daughter has saved my new plants – mums, marigolds, zinnias, etc. – on a couple occasions because I did not know that all those newly-planted plants had to be watered, not once a week, but daily. Well no wonder they had keeled over and were laying on top the ground looking wilty. But Darling Daughter saved them, and me. And wonder of wonder, all that planting I did on the Fourth of July has been successful. It was a perfect day. Oops. Then a local store put ALL their plants on sale. I got a pickup load full, and so did Darling Daughter. Oh no! Darling Daughter said she has to plant her own garden, and I’m on my own. OK black thumb turning green, get busy!