Gardening lessons........

pansys and johnny jump ups! i love those! they're jes so doggoned Happy lookin!

literally: whenever i see them, i simply cannot help but smile. like lil growin things jes happy to show their pretty lil faces.

a MN neighbor introduced me to them. i'd actually never known what they were before her taking me in hand. yes, that was at the very beginning of my tentative steps into gardening.
i'd ask questions, and with a grin spreadin across her face, she'd patiently explain this or that to me. i asked a lotta questions. and yes, she did a lotta grinnin.
we'd started a small garden..... less than 5' X 8'. heck, i didna know what i was doin. figured that'd be enough.....cuz EveryOne knows what zuccini(sp) grows like. and i figured all else would do the same. i jes knew that, that lil tiny plot would nourish us for a Whole Season. her garden? it was huge! a good 50' X 150'. wal now, she also fed her grown daughter's families and some neighbors. i thought i had it all figured out.
she said, "so this is your garden."
i said, "yep." feelin proud as punch.
she said, "you gonna grow enough for your family, eh?"
i said, "sure thing."
she grinned.
as she was walking back toward her house, i followed, "this isn't enough garden???"
she kept on walkin and grinnin. "best teacher in the world is....experience."
oy..... immediately, i knew lessons were headin my way.

I showed her the lil bag of teeny tiny round onions. the bag said they were onion seeds.
"you're gonna grow onions too, huh?"
excitedly i'd replied, "ohhhh yeahhhh. we love onions."
she grinned.
i said, "apparently you put 'em in the ground and while growing, they multiply...like daylilies."
"how many you spose you'll be getting??"
with great seriousness, i said, "ohh, 'bout 50 lbs worth."
she grinned.
oh oh.......

we went 'on assignment'. Ruby said, "don't youi worry none. i'll watch your garden for you."
we were out there workin our arses off. then, the job was done, and we came home.

Putting things away, that first day home, there was a knock at the door. I opened to find darlin Ruby standing there grinnin, "welcome home." and she handed me a medium sized brown paper bag...with it's top rolled down. near all the way down.
she said, "here's yer 50 lbs of onions."
i looked at her. nary an expression. ahhh. i opened the bag and looked inside.
dang. nearly 5 lbs of onions. smellin good. and felt a rush of pride. my onions.
"k. honey, are the rest still in the garden?"
she said, "nope. that it. Those are your onions. ain't no more."
oy....... crushed. all that work. him diggin. me plantin. him waterin. me watchin.
"i need more seed?"
she said, "honey, a lot more seed." and she grinned.

ahhh, experience. she knew that i hadn't a clue about anything remotely called gardening. brussel sprouts ... all twelve plants barely made 4 meals. and critters had eaten most of the rest.

BUT....... the apple tree produced in it's second year. and the grapes did in their first year.....tiny lil grapes, but they Were grapes. and a whole bunch tart too. oh oh. wrong kind. but i was learnin.

Ruby, what a gracious and patient teacher. she never told me i was doing a something 'wrong'. under her mentorship, i learned.....listen to her rather than tell her what I Am Gonna Do. cuz she jes didn't function like that. for her, if a person had a thing in their mind to do.....lettem do it. they'll learn.

i'd realized that she did with me what i'd long been doin with my children: employing the Law of Natural Consequences (or, trial and error).

i miss that dear lady. and i know she'd be right proud of what i've learned. And i know she's grinnin.