My new friend Skeeter and her husband, the Saint visited me recently. We had met only once before but had so much in common that a visit was a definite go. What an enjoyable afternoon talking and listening to one another-and I didn't even have to go out shopping as they came over! After the afternoon I got to thinking about people. You see, after this one afternoon I feel like I've known Skeeter and the Saint for many, many years. Isn't it funny how you can meet some people and just have an instant connection and then others you never do truly know them? Anyone who reads the Leaf's blogs is probably familiar with Skeeter and I want to say you all know her! She is exactly what comes through on the blogs; kind, caring, funny, interesting, talented and honest. I wish everyone could be like this, so easy to get to know and like.
So I started thinking about plants and people. I always have this way of equating my dogs with my children. (Be patient it will all become clear soon) Some of you will be mortified but most of you will understand what I am saying. You see pets are very easy to know and love as they truly adore their masters with no help at all. They never sass and they never are ungrateful for all their masters do. By no way am I saying my four children are ungrateful but they have all had their rebellious stage and with a newly minted teenager at home, I can attest I sometimes prefer my dogs over him! So comparing plants and people is only taking the simile one step further.
I wondered if with plants what you see is what you get. Sometimes people are like this and sometimes not. Looks can be very deceiving. No way are plants always what they seem! Anyone who has planted a cute little Norway Spruce five feet from their front door will know what I am talking about. Ten years later that cute little small tree is a gigantic door blocking pain in the ***. So what do we do when we purchase new plants? Hopefully we have in mind what type of plant we are purchasing, and if not, we research it. I always research plants in my garden. I do not stop at just one source and instead read gardening books and at least half a dozen websites. Inevitably the websites all seem to vary just a little. Therefore, when reading several I can get an average of what the plant will actually become.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could research people on the web? I know you can but I am not talking about those kinds of websites. I am thinking a "People Database" type of website. One that if I were of the mind I could type in "Skeeter" and go directly to research on Skeeter. The people database research would say; (Plant Database comparison is in italics)
Type personality: (Habit) Warm, caring individual who plays well with others and is very adaptable.
Talents: (Foliage and Fruit) Artistic, funny, creative which can light up any environment for the long-term.
Background: (Site Requirements) Grew up in a warm home, loves family and pets and performs best around like environment.
Uses: (Companion Plant with) Good lifelong friend for a variety of personalities so plant anywhere!
Growth: (Growth Rate) Loves challenge, new ideas and perspectives and grows quickly.
What do you think about a people database? Good idea or what? This way we can immediately look and see what makes up a person and it would of course, have to be verifiable and researched extensively by powers other than people-therefore a people database would never work. People are funny because we all have different views, needs, perspectives and thoughts. That is what makes people unique. Sigh, I guess I will stick with meeting and talking with people and research only plants.
One site I use often to research new plants is found at http://davesgarden.com/. I really like this website because gardeners can evaluate the plant based on their own observations. It is not a "one size fits all" database. I myself have left evaluations of plants I grow in my garden. I think maybe we have plant databases because plants are not as easy to get to know as people. Sometimes it takes several years for the true plant to come through and most people can be figured out rather quickly.
Skeeter and the Saint it was very nice visiting with you both and getting to know you both! Have a safe trip back home.
in the garden....
Skeeter had a close encounter with a Camel. I darn near choked to death on my Fruit Loops when I saw that picture on the Pet People Blog.
ReplyDeleteSo now I am thinking, about Camel furtilizer. Is it worth a trip to the Zoo for some "good stuff"?
How come dog poop won't do? We all have plenty of that!
Ginger
Hi Ginger,
ReplyDeleteI saw that "bad" picture of Skeeter too. It looked like she was having fun. Good thing you DIDN'T choke to death on that fruit loop or Skeeter would have felt really, really badly.
I did a little reseach on camel manure and found out some interesting things. Since camels are plant eating animals, their manure is perfectly safe and will work in the home garden. I wouldn't advise a trip to the zoo just to get some though because there are so many other alternatives close by. Some local stables will load you up with horse or cow manure if you drop off a trailer for them. I have done that before. There is a stable out here on what is now known as Woodlawn Rd and I am sure many more stables around the region will be more than happy to get rid of their excess "fertilizer".
I also found out camel manure comes out so dry that it can be used for fuel. The dry droppings are an adaptive feature to help camels survive dry, hot areas. Camels are a multi-dimensional animal and very useful to humans. I thought that was interesting. I saw quite a few camels in Iraq and Saudi-most of them dead on the side of the road. Probably due to automobile accidents in much the same way our deer perish here in Tennessee.
As far as dog poop I also have plenty of that and I can tell you it does a good job of fertilizing my lawn. It is organic and will rot so you could probably put it in a compost if you were of the mind. I don't use dog poop in my gardens because it is so stinky and messy and not worth the trouble. Using dog or cat manure is not recommended because dogs and cats are not plant eating animals and may carry parasites that could be harmful to humans. Worms come to mind-yuck!
You know what would probably work really well in the garden if you did want to go to the zoo for manure? Elephant manure. I bet Nashville has a lot of it too. I will have to check it out one day...soon.
Camel fertilizer! How funny... He was a very friendly camel and I enjoyed feeding him... Our next door neighbor has horses and has offered their fertilizer to us at any time. Even though the Saint and I have scooped for her at times, we are yet to bring the smelly stuff into our yard. We may this winter though just to see what will happen with the help of horsey poo….
ReplyDeleteTina that was a sweet Blog you posted about us! Although I think you went a bit overboard with the compliment but then again, who does not enjoy a compliment! Thanks for your kind words…
You sure have a way to place a lot of stuff in such small gardens! I was totally impressed with all you have done to the yard in the short time you have lived there. You must have tons of energy in your body! Now I gaze into my yard and see so much emptiness. We truly enjoyed the hospitality you extended to us while on our visit to your gardens and house. The brownies were yummy and your zoo of animals was so much fun to play with! The Saint is still talking about BJ and his ball but he really wanted to bring the little one, Link, home with us… Soon you may see your babies posted with the Pet People so keep checking in on us over there too….
I enjoyed your visit too. I was amazed at Link. I have never seen him act that way. He may just have gotten into that nice new car and left without me! I like to think he would've looked back but I am not sure!:(
ReplyDeleteGlad you are back.