Sunday, July 4, 2010

A Flaw of Mine

I don't know if I've shared this bit about myself with you or not...but here it goes. I'm not a patient person. Patience and I have had this running battle for many years--all my life, in fact. I believe we were forced to live together as an evil experiment that is still being run. We don't get along very well at all. Sometimes I'll win a skirmish but mostly Patience wins. Think about it--how can constantly beat Patience at the patient game?!?!?! Every time I try to push forward or for progress or for anything--here comes Patience telling me "Just wait..." 

Here's an example of our dialogs:

Me: I need to go back to school. Now that I've made that decision, decided on my major course of study, I've decided I want to go for the Master's degree. In fact...let's skip all the crap courses and just head straight into the Master's program.

Patience: Be patient. You have to take those crap courses first...your Master's degree will come in time.

Me: I don't wanna wait! I'm 38 years old--I'll be--gee--I'll be like 40-something by that time...

Patience: That's why you need those crap courses--your inability to do some simple arithmetic proves you need the basic foundations first.

Me: I don't wanna wait--I'm a good student and I don't wanna be 45 years old before I get my Master's degree. So see? I can too do simple math if I have to!

Patience: Have patience. Start from the beginning and build your skills. Something tells me if you're really determined, you will get your Master's in record time...Have patience.

See what I mean? Ok--Patience was right--I was 43 when I graduated with my Master's degree. And Patience was right that I needed those crap courses to build the foundation of skills I needed. But still...

Anyway--now you know. I'm not a patient person. Remember the garden I wanted?  Dreamed about? Dreamed BIG about? I've been learning patience the hard way.  I planted the seeds and waited. The first signs of green were mostly weeds. I planted even more seeds, watered, weeded, and dangedit--WAITED. Impatience set in and I grabbed plants at the local box stores and planted them. And watched them get eaten by bugs and burned by  the drought because watering was restricted to once a week. 

I've been finally rewarded.  
 Zucchini plants mostly from seed. Yes--those are weeds I've got to pull. Again. 
Look what I spotted...a flowering zucchini. Woooooooooohoooooooo! There's still hope that these plants will produce actual fruits. Ok--vegetables. whatever...

 The pepper plants have buds on them! I'm so excited since they've been so difficult to keep alive. Yes--these are from plants I bought since the seeds never came up. I'm doing it differently next year. But still this is sooooooooooo exciting! I've visions of roasting peppers dancing in my head! 

My wax beans and my green beans are growing. I'm still waiting for the tomato plants to do something--anything!  The basils may have to be transplanted in the front yard where they have some shade. But I think I'm going to plant some pumpkin seeds and see how they do. Especially now that we've had lots of rain! 

Patience: I told you to just wait...Patience is rewarding! All you have to do is....

Me: Yeah, yeah, yeah--we've been through this already! And please don't say it!

Patience: ...have Patience.  

12 comments:

  1. Don't worry - There will be something for you to try. I realized it is more about expectations. My neighbors first told me - that's a waste of time to plant a garden - nothing will grow on this sandy soil. So ym expectations were low. And you should have seen their faces when I had piles of lettuce and tomatoes in my yard, and even broccoli. Small plants have been growing better for me that seeds, although the carrot-seeds we planted this year (and did not pull them out last autumn) are still making carrots today. So: Lower your expectations - and I guess, have a bit more patience :).

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  2. I think my patience speaks to me in the same voice and she is really annoying at times!

    Your garden is coming along nicely. =)

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  3. I will send you some of my patience....I some times have too much. Our garden is growing too with much TLC.....from Irv. :)

    Patience takes practic. It's never a given.

    Your garden looks wonderful. You will love picking the fruits/vegetables of your labor. :)

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  4. I totally agree with you on Patience! Our tomatoes have just started ripening. We got 4 very nice ones this morning. But my pickling cucumbers have not done a thing. Until day before yesterday. My husband pointed out 2 plants that have finally decided to make an appearance. I can't tell you how many seeds were planted. I am so hoping to at least enough to make some of Cherin's refrigerator pickles.

    Have a wonderful today and celebrate the USA!

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  5. Patience comes and goes with me. It's like she summers somewhere else! Most of the time I do pretty well, but sometimes I don't have the patience to wait on Patience! Garden's looking good. Things will start coming in all at once :)

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  6. Sounds like those beans should be ready pretty quick. I'm not very patient either but I'm getting better. Hang in there.

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  7. Patience is a difficult virtue to hold on to - I am not the best either! Sounds like you are pretty good with it though, even if you do rail against it! Very impressed with those veggies.

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  8. Though they say; "Patience is a virtue", in today's instant gratification world this virtue takes quite a beating. We tend to want things now, right this minute, or better yet how about yesterday ?

    Don't be surprised if later this summer you notice your pepper seeds sprouting. Last year my pepper seeds were the very last of my seeds to sprout, I had just about given up on them and was going to discard the seed starter peat pots when I noticed one tiny little sprout barely breaking the surface of the peat. Slowly, over the course of another two or three weeks they all eventually sprouted and we actually got a number of peppers from the mature plants. My daughter was told by a professional gardener that both tomato and pepper plants need some shade during the day and tend to burn in all day sun. Not sure if I believe that 100% as all the commercially grown fields of peppers and tomatoes seem to be planted out in full sun and don't have the advantage of having trees, awnings etc to partially shade them. However I could imagine your garden with bright, colorful beach umbrellas shading your pepper plants...what a happy, contented garden! :D

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  9. Yeah finally your hard work has been rewarded. I however do not have the patience for gardening let along keeping the weeds out of the flower bed and rock garden. I'm thinking some weed b gone is in order and then some morning when they least expect it, I'll pull them all up. The weeds that is.

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  10. I think your Patience and my Patience are the same voice. Ugh. I HATE waiting, but have learned, begrudgingly, that good things come to those who wait.

    hang in there girl

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  11. Hi Cath, don't worry too much about being patient, just think about all the other great qualities that you have instead!!! For ex, I love the way you express yourself, you write very well you lucky woman!

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  12. I have NO patience at all! But I was also one of those "older students", too! AND an avid gardener before I got pregnant and then discovered beads -- we're a lot alike, methinks!

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