Re: Why garden?

Pam,
Obviously gardening and reading are not mutually exclusive.  This was just
one area of different concentrations I chose to explain to my sister.  I
personally am not a good reader, in part I think, because my sisters are
both voracious readers.  I was never able to compete with them on any level
so I often unconsciously chose to generally do the opposite of their
interests.  And so, to my detriment, I am a slow reader; consequently it
takes just too much time to read a book and I have so much else I want to
DO.  Books on tape were a real boon for me as I could listen while doing
something else.  My library, which is huge compared to my sister Pat's (and
miniscule compared to my sister Maureen's) is 80% reference material.

Kitty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pam Evans" <gardenqueen@gmail.com>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2005 7:54 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Why garden?


> That's the truth. I got my gardening thing from mother and Nana, her
mother.
> No doubt about that. But I love to read too. I just do most of it in the
> winter. Or in bits & pieces on the porch in between moving the hose.
>
> On 10/19/05, james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> > Gosh. Quite a challenge.
> >
> > Can't imagine where to start, except to say that anyone who knowing
> > equates Birdseye's accomplishment with edible food has a serious
> > problem with attention-deficiency or denial. I've even known chain
> > smokers, for god's sake, who thought frozen was a very poor substitute
> > for fresh.
> >
> >
> > On Oct 19, 2005, at 6:44 PM, kmrsy@netzero.net wrote:
> >
> > > My sister sent me this quote and her following question:
> > >
> > > "Unless you've managed to plant pizza, gardening is a royal waste of
> > > time in my book. There's nothing quite like spending a humid afternoon
> > > waltzing a tiller through a quarter-acre of rocks and innocent worms,
> > > as
> > > I recently did, to make you appreciate the genius of Clarence Birdseye
> > > (the man who perfected, if that's the right word, frozen vegetables).
> > > And think about it: when's the last time you caught a bunch of
> > > freeloading rabbits in your grocer's freezer case?"
> > >
> > >
> > > [From my sister]So how on earth are you and I related? I can't
> > > imagine two more disparate views on a subject, can you?
> > >
> > > My reply to my non-gardening sister:
> > >
> > > Think about mom and dad. Ok, they weren't related, but that's where we
> > > get things from. In so many ways I was closer to Mom and you to Dad,
> > > but
> > > there are parts of them in each of us. I hate to admit this but I
think
> > > I got the inclination from Dad.
> > >
> > >
> > > Mom liked to sit and read, so do you. Dad liked to do things, to make
> > > something from something else; so do I. That's not to say we don't
each
> > > have some of the other. You spend more time improving your mind and
> > > building your knowledge, while I spend more on my canvas. You develop
a
> > > certain pleasure and accomplishment out of completing a puzzle while I
> > > find that to be nice - but then it's done, over, nothing concrete to
> > > show for it. I get that feeling of accomplishment from watching
> > > something grow from the connections I built for it. It pays me back
> > > every day. The hard work is worth it (besides - if it weren't for that
> > > I
> > > might get no exercise at all) It has given me a connectedness both to
> > > my
> > > home and to friends on the internet, something I sorely lacked without
> > > it. Note, too that the writer was talking about vegetable gardening. I
> > > don't grow food. I am an ornamental gardener and there is a huge
> > > difference. Were it not for gardening I would feel so lost in this
> > > world
> > > as I did before I found it. You don't know how good it can feel at the
> > > end of a day of tilling and rock moving to fall into the adirondack
and
> > > survey your accomplishments and like what you see and think, "I did
> > > that." Of course, you can say that about your kids, but that was a
team
> > > effort. This is all me. I don't know if that clears anything up, but
> > > that's how it is.
> > >
> > >
> > > [To Chat]Thought some of you might be able to relate.
> > >
> > > Kitty
> > >
> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> > > message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT
> > >
> > >
> > Island Jim
> > Southwest Florida
> > 27.0 N, 82.4 W
> > Hardiness Zone 10
> > Heat Zone 10
> > Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
> > Maximum 100 F [38 C]
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> > To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> > message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Pam Evans
> Kemp TX
> zone 8A
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index