In which the hamster tells the First Tomato story. Again.
I know I've told this story before, but it's a positive story of growth and patience, it's been a long time since I last posted it on LiveJournal, and I still like telling it.
When I was living with my cousins in Racine, I asked if I could start a garden. The response, almost verbatim, was, "Yeah whatever, I have a black thumb. I kill plants. Nobody's ever done anything out there, at least since we've been living here, but you're welcome to try."
I broke ground that had not been turned in over ten years. I planted my seeds in the ground. I wanted to try growing from seed, because my dad always buys saplings. I learned why he buys plants rather than seeds, but I enjoyed the little bit of extra satisfaction, knowing that I raised the plant from seed to fruit.
And that first tomato... Fresh off the vine, the day after a rainstorm so it was juicy, ripened and warmed in the July sun... And it was my own garden. I don't mind gardening for my dad, but this was the first time the garden was mine rather than his. This was MY first tomato.
I couldn't wait to taste it. But... A tomato this awesome was just too good to keep to myself.
Nobody was home that day, I literally knocked on a random neighbor's door just so I could share that moment with someone else. It was too good to keep to myself. (I lucked out that the first people who answered were an older couple who appreciated theater. They were nice about sharing my moment of joy.)
And that first bite from my first tomato was every bit as juicy and sweet and succulent and delicious as I had hoped it would be.
When I was living with my cousins in Racine, I asked if I could start a garden. The response, almost verbatim, was, "Yeah whatever, I have a black thumb. I kill plants. Nobody's ever done anything out there, at least since we've been living here, but you're welcome to try."
I broke ground that had not been turned in over ten years. I planted my seeds in the ground. I wanted to try growing from seed, because my dad always buys saplings. I learned why he buys plants rather than seeds, but I enjoyed the little bit of extra satisfaction, knowing that I raised the plant from seed to fruit.
And that first tomato... Fresh off the vine, the day after a rainstorm so it was juicy, ripened and warmed in the July sun... And it was my own garden. I don't mind gardening for my dad, but this was the first time the garden was mine rather than his. This was MY first tomato.
I couldn't wait to taste it. But... A tomato this awesome was just too good to keep to myself.
Nobody was home that day, I literally knocked on a random neighbor's door just so I could share that moment with someone else. It was too good to keep to myself. (I lucked out that the first people who answered were an older couple who appreciated theater. They were nice about sharing my moment of joy.)
And that first bite from my first tomato was every bit as juicy and sweet and succulent and delicious as I had hoped it would be.