Exertion, Endeavor, Zeal and Diligence

I started this blog in an effort to reconnect - to an old love and a new love - and to document the journey. One of my first pleasures is reading. Growing up I read voraciously and have found that now I seldom pic up a book that is not of practical use or work related. Reading for reading sake is seldom.

On the converse side I have a thriving thirst for gardening and living green. I am energized by seeing progress in my gardening skills and eager to build a life based on leaving as little impact on the world as possible.

Yogic practice harmonizes energy in opposition: rooting to the ground you have the strength to rise and reach to the sky. By doing so you truly experience yourself in the moment. So, with an approach akin to the yogi, I stretch from the past to the future: rediscovering what I once loved - reading - and exploring what I am growing to love - eco-conscious gardening. Exertion, endeavor, zeal and diligence have all been associated with yogic philosophy. In such a spirit I proceed.

The Journey: Black to Green Thumb

No that isn't a Zlot in my planter pot. Although my Kalanchoe may look like a plant from Dr. Suess, it is a very sad looking, yet determined, little plant. I have given it many "haircuts" to try and prune it and it looks all the more wild and unruly.

I wish it were the only plant in my care that resembled the Dr. Suess' whimsical landscape. Unfortunately, my little Zlot has a buddy. An unfortunate desert rose, which has seen me through three moves and several attempts to balance the right amount of water and sunlight. It goes through a somewhat annual molting phase, where the sad plant sheds all but one lonely leaf. But the persistent little buddy has continued to grow: the result being a rather odd looking whimsical plant. Like many of the Who's from Whoville it has a few little hairlike gatherings of leaves that are at the top of each branch.

Why do I share with you the story of my unique little friends? I desire to turn my Black thumb into a Green thumb, to grow plants that are well nourished without taxing the environment or my patience (to a large extent). So I begin my journey with my goal set: to live not quite like Tom Bombadil, but in the same spirit to have a beautiful garden that creates an oasis from the hectic world around me where I can enjoy the occasion recreational read.