When Being a Responsible Adult Sounds Good on Paper…

It started with a trip to the hardware store in town. I bought a succulent and named him Tobyn. Well, after a while i thought Tobyn looked a little lonely, so i made a decision to go back to the hardware store and get Tobyn a couple friends…more tiny succulents in decorative stoneware cups. I had no trouble finding Tobyn some friends.

This one i named Sarah. Its long twisty arms intrigued me and i decided upon it right away.

This one my sister dubbed Luella. It’s housed in a glass tear drop on a string. What’s not to love? It made a nice addition to the shower. I knotted the string and then zip tied it in place.

This one was dying so they put it in the discount bin for 1 $ and when i went through the line the cashier said, “Oh, i think i have something back here that you’re gonna like and its only one dollar. She brought ike out and i could see it just hadn’t been misted in forever and was dehydrated so i paid the one dollar, took it home, sprayed it, and ike is now doing just fine.

If i had stopped there and driven home with the 3 succulents it probably would have been a shorter story and i might not have to turn in my adulting card. Truthfully, plants are pretty much like cocaine to me and i should probably have a designated person along to hold the credit card during these trips to the hardware store garden section. Not that i would listen.

I did not stop with the succulents alone. In fact, i was drawn immediately to a bunch of what i knew to be loquat trees from their distinctive lengthy leaves. The trees were taller than me and they were all listed at 24.98. What a deal for a tree that large! I picked the tallest healthy-looking, well-balanced tree i could find among the bunch and carried it to the cashier while the cold front blowing in threatened to bend the branches and trunk. I pressed the tree to my torso and held the trunk against the support stick, trying to shield it from the merciless wind that was toppling and thrashing its brothers back at the display. I had gotten there just as the wind picked up and the front arrived. It was a shame but all those beautiful trees would likely be ruined within the hour if the employees didn’t either lash them together or bring them in. I had to fold the seats down to fit the tree in the car and carefully place the leaves against the seats to keep them from tearing. Once i got a full loquat tree into the car i returned to the store where i was greeted with tomato plants. The cherry tomato plants already had tomatoes growing on them. I wanted one so badly. I actually talked myself out of it 3 separate times before i talked myself into it with the little tiny voice that said, “Go on…do it…you should! Just think of how good those sun-kissed tomatoes will taste when they’re ripe.” I bought a cherry tomato plant. Then…oh yeah, there’s more. I found chocolate mint, dill, basil…i was trying to figure out how i was going to get all these new things in the well house on cold nights when i already had two types of rosemary, chives, and an aloe vera plant in there around the well pump. It was time to go home and try it.

I did get the plants in the well house but the loquat tree wouldn’t fit. So it went in my living room. At this point i was formulating a plan for how i was going to keep everything alive through the rest of winter. The plants would be put in the well house and the tree in the house during cold days and in the yard surrounded by fencing on warmer days.

So, during the first bit of free time i got i cut some fencing and wrapped it around the loquat tree to keep the deer away. Then i went to check on the other fruit trees.

The white powder would be diatomaceous earth. I had been sprinkling copious amounts of it on each leaf of the trees to keep the thousands of grasshoppers from eating the branches bare.

The meyer lemon tree was putting out new leaves and some buds that would later become flowers. I hoped the flowers would get pollinated and the africanized bees would create some lemons.

The pomegranate tree had literally 4 leaves on 1 branch all winter. I thought i’d killed it and then one day i looked into the tree box and saw all these tiny little leaves poking out of the once bare twigs.

I rigged some things up mcgyver style. I used the fencing to make a protective ring around the loquat tree and the cherry tomato plant. Then i used the replacement door that had come with one of the dog crates to section off the part of the porch that held the herbs, keeping them away from the deer. I then cut a piece of fencing into a lid for the tomato plant cage and secured it with a key ring and two clips to hold keys on. The lid could be removed easily on one side by unclipping it in order to pick tomatoes.

One of my former patients was a jewelry maker. She had made me a bracelet from tiny plastic beads in thanks for the exercises i had put her through each day. I was flattered but not sure when i would ever wear it. I didn’t tend to dress up much. However, i did need wire, and the bracelet was made of wire. The hardware store was a 30 minute drive. One had to make use of what they had. I used the bracelet to secure the little gate against the porch railing. It was the prettiest gate latch i had ever seen.

So now everyone should be all caught up on why i can’t be left alone in a hardware store. I will come home with plants and there will more than likely be a 7 1/2 foot tree in the living room.