Saturday, June 29, 2013

My Husband, the Gardener


Dean and I were dating. It was still a long distance relationship and I was in California for a few days. We were going to go away from Tahoe for a while because of business. As we were just about to walk out the door, Dean says, “will you water those plants, please, before we leave.” I almost said, “No.” Then I decided now was not the time to tell him I was not a plant person or a gardener or any other dig-in-the-dirt sort. If the relationship developed into anything more permanent, there would be time enough to let him know. So I watered the plants. 

The relationship did develop and at some point after moving to Tahoe, I told him if he wanted me to water the plants, they all had to be in one place. And so they are. And that is the extent of my gardening: watering a group of plants in the front hall. 

Dean, on the other hand, likes to garden. The mountains are hard places for growing and finally this year he has begun to gather some plants around him. He has mint, three tomato plants, some cilantro, and as of this afternoon a spinach plant for 50 cents in a pot from a yard sale. One of the tomato plants has produced several little tomatoes. One has been eaten. Yummy. I use mint every morning and afternoon in my tea and have a couple of fruit soup and dessert recipes for light summer fare that include mint. We are already enjoying Dean’s garden - and no I don’t water or do anything else. He is the gardener for which I am grateful. 


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