On gardening

As we all loaded the car to get to dance class, I checked out my planters by the garage.  "Bell peppers!" I said, "This one is growing bell peppers!" I skipped to the car.  "A bell pepper is growing!"

I sighed and twisted the key in the ignition. I had gardened for years and everything, without fail,ended up brown, wilted, and choking in the hot dry dirt.  Probably because I forgot to water it.  But this time, thanks in part to late summer storms, I had basil, oregano, and a few large green plants complete with a beautiful, budding bell pepper.

"What's it supposed to grow?" asked my nine-year old, his face lighting up.

"Bell peppers," I said, a bit confused by his question.

"Huh," he said, his face falling.  "Aren't pepper plants supposed to grow peppers?  Isn't that the point? I'd be more surprised if it was growing something else.  Like bananas.  Now that would be something to get excited about--a bell pepper plant growing bananas."


Clearly this kid does not understand my accomplishment--that I am not an automatic 007 for gardening as I previously thought.  I guess I will just have to delight in this pepper all by myself (until a squirrel comes along and digs it up, scattering the beautiful plant across the yard including aforementioned bell pepper, and then I will have to write a post about those darn squirrels and how I should invest in an air-soft rifle despite my convictions).