Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023 - 7

MILL CREEK STORIES
my mom exploded spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen
ceiling one summer.
I know. I will put in a garden. I can garden. I've gardened
before. I used to love gardening. I haven't touched
a hoe since my back operation, but I don't need to do a
huge, feed-the-family-over-winter garden. A small, manageable
garden, perfect for feeding two people over the
summer would be great.
Okay, what do I need? I don't have a prepared garden
plot. I don't have a tiller. That's okay. I can just do
gardening in containers. Container gardening is all the
rage among people who've had back operations. It's on
trend.
Anyone who has read this column before will know
what's coming next. I am not the type of person who
understands the words " small " or " manageable, " and
true to personality, I jumped into the deep end of the
pool instead of wading into this hobby slowly. I ordered
pretty, self-watering containers, enough seeds to blanket
an entire acre and assorted tools and garden wear, shiny
and cute.
Let's talk about my seed and plant choices. It seems
I like to choose plants based on the color of the fruit or
vegetable. I strive for planters that are stunning as well
as edible. That's how I ended up with four different cherry
tomatoes, all different, interesting colors, and not one
sandwich tomato in sight. What was I thinking? I chose
peppers based on how pretty the plant was and totally
neglected how spicy or edible they were. It looks like
a few of the peppers I planted could cauterize wounds
and may not be something I'll enjoy eating. They're gorgeous
though.
Why did I get blueberry bushes? I'm just giving the
starling population ammo to pummel my car with. How
many blueberries can two people eat in a week? At least
they freeze easily. Freezing is easier than canning in that I
haven't had an explosion, yet. If it's possible, it'll happen.
Quite frankly, I am embarrassed. I tried to be Miss
Lillian but the Molly in me was too strong. Unbridled
enthusiasm for something new overtook the slow, careful
approach and stomped all over it. All I can do is try
again.
This time though, instead of becoming Miss Lillian,
which turns out is too big a task for me, I will become
a Better Molly. Gardening should not suck $500 out of
my wallet every time I turn around. Gardening can be
cute while being efficient. Small and manageable. Small
and manageable. That's my motto. Everything must
have a purpose and a place. Oh my god, have y'all seen
these metal chicken sculptures? They're darling and I
need them.
Look away, Miss Lillian.
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Healing
Waters
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VisitBathCountyVA.com · #VisitBathCountyVA
MAY/JUNE 2023 7
http://www.VisitBathCountyVA.com
Blue Ridge Country May/June 2023

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