Can We Talk 2

Missed Chances

         Sometimes I think I missed opportunity to learn things when I was younger. Like horticulture for one. I putter around with my plants and have discovered by accident mostly that I can maintain a few things in pots year after year, like certain varieties of begonias, hanging petunias, chives, and sage. I am lousy with rosemary no matter what I try. I save the seeds from miniature marigolds and cone flowers, label, and plant every spring. Now I have read that you can keep the cone flowers in the ground and not replant. Maybe next year.

         I mainly grow weeds and invasive vines. They choke out my butterfly bushes, irises and trees. The deer eat crocus, tulips, hostas, gladiolas, and vegetables. Groundhogs like vegetables, too. Squirrels like tomatoes in pots that grow near railings. They hang upside down from the rails and eat. They don't bother daffodils, basil, or peonies. Peonies spread quickly after a few years and get too crowded. I can't seem to dig them up without destroying them.

         I've also loved old black and white movies. Now after decades of watching, I've discovered there are college majors in cinema and film history. How did I miss that? I could have been in heaven, watching films and taking notes. Reading about them, the directors, and the actors is a thrill for me. No one wants to hear me talk about it, however. I could have worked for the Library of Congress or TCM and loved it.

         I'm not artistic, but I wish I had some drawing lessons when I was younger. I could have been sketching with Bob Ross. I could illustrate my own children's book. It would only be a hobby, but what fun! There are some old people who meet weekly at my church who paint. They're excellent and far too advanced for any novice to join. I can't do my needle crafts any longer because of hand cramps. There's unfinished projects now; I can't add art attempts to it.

         I console myself with my daily visits with my plants. I talk to them, but nothing personal. I water them and trim them and pull the weeds that are inevitable in outdoor pots. The flower beds are more time consuming and frustrating. Mother Nature insists on running things her way.