Yesterday, one of my commenters, Wingnut on the Loose, suggested I had been taking liberties with my readers by writing about foolish things like growing a spine, crossing the road, and eating cold pizza and Junior Mints on New Year’s Eve. Feedback is a powerful thing. Although the nature of “blogging” (if there is any nature to it at all) lends itself to self-disclosure and taking liberties with words, I want to bring my Sunday’s best to the blogosphere and give my readers what they want.
One of my friends, not a blog commenter, has suggested to me in private correspondence that there is a lack of a powerful voice in the gardening sector. She thinks I might be better served by writing more “how to” columns with practical tips. I couldn’t help but laugh when she said “I see you as the Julia Child of gardening, dispensing advice and good practice to the enthusiastic but untutored.”
Ever sensitive, I did cry a few big tears when I realized I was not giving my people what they wanted. Would they rebel and leave me? I ended up taking a very long walk to the Hampton Victory Garden, searching for the last pieces of kale in a desert of snow.
The garden is just a memory now, but I was able to rustle up a whole bag of kale. Silent and stoic, the kale said nothing about the blog.
Here’s some practical advice for all the enthusiastic but untutored gardeners out there:
Take some baby steps and inventory your seed stash today.
We’ll meet here again in a week; how about next Wednesday? Feel free to report the results of your inventory in the comments. Next week, I’ll dispense more gardening advice. I can’t guarantee what I’ll write between now and then.
Clown time is over.
Julie-Ann Baumer 
I’m trying to figure out how Elvis Costello got tagged to this post…
I suspect that I’ll have nothing more to report in a week than that the basil I’ve been trying to nurse along has died.
Julie-Ann, I think you should not heed the advice of the person who said that you are not serving your readers well. I enjoy your style of writing as well as your topics.
Having said that, I think you might also include some of your gardening expertise since you are the “Julia Child of gardening”.
Keep up the good work. Mary
Hi, Mary!
Thank you for the comment.
I’m sure it’s all part of some master plan to help me work on my spine strengthening.
One of my plans for 2013 is finding the right balance between gardening, story telling, and silliness.
Bon Appetit!
Big tears mean nothing
You can count them as they fall
Big tears mean nothing
When you’re lying in your coffin
–Elvis Costello, 1978
Ah, thanks. Mean ole’ Julie wouldn’t tell us (wink).
Okay, I transplanted the basil into soil with real worms! from the garden out back, deep pot more than 6″ wide, scattered the surviving plants well. Daughter wanted mint at the grocery today so we bought a plant and she’ll be transplanting that tomorrow. Getting them plenty of water is no problem, but getting them plenty of light at this latitude is a challenge, they spend a lot of time under fluoroscents.
But seeds? Not a one.
Tiny steps!