Diary Of A Wannabe Gardener

Have you ever thought about the various ways that people judge one another and how a person may see others in their own mind? Could there be someone somewhere trying to decide whether you are a beautiful gracious rose or a defensive prickly pear? That is exactly how the main character in my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, Samantha Black, judges people.

Samantha, a stay at home mom, is at war with the weeds in her flower garden. She has suffered yearly defeats, but knows that this is the year of her victory. Her thumb may not be green, but she is green with envy as she views breathtaking landscapes of various Mississippi gardens. She pinches money from the household funds behind her husband's back, to achieve her goal of a perfect garden. Sam's family become reluctant participants in her yearly war against the weeds. She will not allow herself to entertain the idea that she is actually a gardener until she has created the "perfect" flower garden. Even when the family omen of the death birds comes to her house, Sam keeps her focus on her garden; her soul. Sam chronicles the garden murders, the revolts and injustices of nature, and her determination to overcome old wives tales in her yearlong diary. Family and community bonds are formed and strengthened in the oddest way as Sam's "perfect" flower garden comes to life.

Dorothy Guyton, author.

PLEASE buy my book, Diary of a Wannabe Gardener, on amazon.com while you await the first signs of spring. Also, like, share, comment, and follow me on all my social media sites.

Are You Woke Yet?

 

    Being 'WOKE' has become a red meat word in politics. It connotates having ideas, opinions, views, perspective, ideology, that goes against historically accepted American understandings of history and the American way of life. To be 'Woke' may cause you to be ridiculed.

    By definintion, WOKE is the past tense of WAKE. The definition of wake is to emerge or cause to emerge from a state of sleep; stop sleeping. Simple definition right? It is also a noun: a watch or vigil held beside the body of someone who has died, sometimes accompanied by ritual observances including eating and drinking. So, people who are now WOKE or accused of being woke, are emerging from a state of sleep or holding vigil over something that has died. Why is this a bad thing?

    While sitting on my porch this rainy day, my thoughts went to the future. The future of my garden. Several plants have emerged from the ground this April, but not all of them have shown their faces and I'm wondering; are they dead or if they just haven't WOKE up yet? Am I rushing the Spring time window in which the Earth awakens? I thought how long does the 'awakening' process take?

    Of course, if you know me, I related the awakening Earth to humans. Do we and should we have an awakening? Is it a natural course of life to be, in some form or fashion, reborn, renewed, awakened into a new season of what is old and expected and yet filled with the new. 

    Many plants in the garden return each year bigger and better. These same reliable plants, at times, need to be divided because they have grown too big for the space. The divisions can be replanted in another spot in the garden to grow big and strong, or shared with friends, or thrown away because it's time in the garden is over and another space for it can't be found. Some plants, like my favored rose, needs pruning before the Spring season. Pruning keeps the rose from having weak stems, unwanted stems going in the wrong direction, and encourages more and larger blooms. The thing the gardener knows is, the plants in the garden are always changing.

    Some people also want to emerge 'differently' come Spring. Dieting and exercising is at a fever pitch trying to get the body beautiful for the following season. People 'decide' to get into shape, workout, get a new hairstyle, buy a new wardrobe, find romance, or something to make life better. They realized (woke to the opinion, fact), the body or look they had/have is not expressing who they REALLY are or hope to be. Maybe the mind seeks this also; rebirth, renewing. Seeing something OLD in a NEW way even though it is still the same thing. If I dieted (not likely), exercised (are you kidding?), changed my hairstyle (yeah, right lol), I would still be Dorothy. I would still be Dorothy, with a healthier, body you now see in a new light which may lead to you wanting to get to know me better (Heeyyyy. I'm not mad at you about it).

    In the garden world being WOKE is not a BAD thing. Why is being WOKE a bad thing in the human arena? A feeling of destruction is attatched to the Woke Culture.

    Woke Culture is defined as: an adjective derived from African American Venacular English (AAVE) meaning "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination." Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as sexism, and has also been used as shorthand for American Left ideas involving identity politics and social justice, such as the notion of white priveledge and slavery reparations for African Americans. Boo! Sounds scary huh? Racism. discrimination, sexism are the WEEDS of the garden. Funny though, many gardeners like the blooms of many weeds. To them, no plant is a weed. AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!

    But, the truth is, history has already recorded the American experience. It is available for all to research and know. But now, HISTORY is emerging bigger and bolder being seen in a new light. Some of history is weak and sprawling, occupying valuable space that can be used by something healthier. Some of history has grown bigger needing to leave it's confines and to be replanted to grow once more bigger and better, or shared with others to enjoy, and yes, even thrown away because it's time is over, there is no space for it's use. All of this is a PATTERN of existence. We, just as plants, must WAKE up and be WOKE.

    What is painful now in the process of waking up, is a beautiful and natural process experienced in nature. As humans, we hold ourselves above every created thing. Our mind refuse to grasps the concepts that we too are part of a universal pattern. We accept life and death, but AWAKENING, is threatening to us as HISTORY demonstrates from prior awakenings experienced. 

    So to be WOKE is an insult, but what is it to NOT be AWAKE? As I said earlier, maybe I'm rushing Spring. It's only April and the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers." Maybe I don't even know how long or even when the WOKE process in the garden actually begins or ends. But what I do know is, I don't begin it or end it. It has it's own rhythm defined as a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound. Awakenings REPEAT in nature and I strongly believe in humans. 

    Another thing about gardens is that the gardener is on the edge of their seat everyday waiting for the plants to wake up and show their true color and form while being woke. They never rail against what  the woke garden may bring. they are ready and waiting for it. They enjoy the newness that comes along WITH the old. Sure, there is an amount of adaptation that occurs in tthe garden, but even that is part of the gardeners journey where learning from experiences abound.

    Woke Culture may be something people recoil from for their own various reasons, but history documents the set in stone human experience is and always will be, times when people WOKE up, 

Spring Fever and Horny

 

       The weather is warming up and the earth is coming alive again. Even though Mother Nature has been struggling to shake off winter, there are signs that Spring is on the way.

     Along with the change in nature, there comes a change in people. We gardeners are on the edge of our seats waiting to get into our gardens and feel our rich garden soil on our hands once again. We tour our garden dailiy looking for signs of life of plants we enjoyed the previous year. The plans for addittions we are going to add to our garden fills us with anticipation and it's hard to wait till Spring is here to stay. 

    When I was growing up I would hear my grandmother say when her grandchildren were acting impish, sassy, or a little out of control that the "Sap was rising," The elders, the old heads, grey heads, knew that along with the earth waking up during Spring, so were certain things waking up in people.

    The warm weather gives permission for legs, toes, arms, breasts, and all body parts to be released from it's constricting cover of coats, hats, boots, gloves that had been hiding and protecting them from the cold of winter. There is a shedding of our caccoon, just like the caterpillar that emerges as a butterfly. Just like that newly formed butterfly, we want to spread our wings and fly. And just like the butterfly and other newly emerged insects, our thoughts turn to mating. This energy of wanting to mate or find a mate is what my grandma refered to as the "Sap is rising." In laymen's terms, people are HORNY. That energy of rebirth is felt in nature and in us.

    Everything is emerging and has the promise of beauty. Gardeners tour their gardens daily looking for what is breaking through the dirt. The promise of the plant and visions of it in it's mature state, delights the gardener. Emotions are affected and changed by the promises of Spring. We look forward to all of the 'What can BE' in the garden.

On that same note, people look forward to 'What can BE' in their lives too. Some have been on a diet since the start of the new year and can't wait to show off their new body. Others are seeing those transformed bodies and their chances of being their new love. There is definitely a stirring of GROWTH happening in the soil and in us to produce and to reproduce. The energy is tangible.

    So what is the true definition of Spring Fever? It is a restlessness and excitement felt at the beginning of Spring. It may also be accompanied by an increase in energy, vitality, and sexual appetite. As far as the friskiness of spring fever goes, the sudden urge to cruise for potential mates may stem from a hormonal rush. In men, increased levels of circulating testosterone have been documented in summertime, a rise that may begin in spring and the stimulation of ovulation in women. This hormone is well known to increase amorous feelings in both men and women. Serotonin seems to be a key player in the spring fever phenomenon. One study explores the possibility that sun stimulates serotonin production through your skin, which explains the urge to be outside as much as possible when it’s nice out.

     Some people refer to this anticipation as "spring fever," but it turns out the phenomenon has a less-than-sexy origin story. Way back in the 18th century, people used to get sick with scurvy around springtime, because they didn't have access to fresh fruits or vegetables all winter. People would end up deficient in vitamin C, which made their gums bleed, their joints ache, and they generally just felt unambitious. This seasonal illness was dubbed "spring disease" or "spring fever," and somehow the name stuck.

    So if your 'Sap is rising,' you're not alone. The sap is rising in the trees, flowers, birds, and the bees. A rebirth is happening with great and unknown potential. Get outside, show those toes, arms and legs and get those hands dirty. it's SPRING TIME! Enjoy the sun and enjoy nature and do what comes naturally in Spring, GROW.

    As always, you can visit and follow me on my Facebook page:Black People garden Too in Mississippi (15) Black People Garden Too in Mississippi | Facebook

    On Twitter: (1) Dorothy Guyton (@ndefenseofwomen) / Twitter

    On Instagram: Dorothy Guyton (@gift_of_god_2) | Instagram

I give presentations locally on gardening and you can book me for your church, gardening club, or library by contacting me here or on my Facebook page.