Sometimes I don't recognize the person looking back at me. I think: "Who is that old chick with bags under her eyes? She should catch up on her sleep and then maybe have some fun."
But even though the body has some miles on it, and life has lately given me some crushing disappointments, can I tell you something? I am always dreaming a little dream.
I get a few "big ideas" every day. I kind of toss them around and think of all the reasons they might not work and then usually throw them out of my brain due to their impracticability. Some of those have been: running a marathon, (the 5K almost killed me), becoming a foster parent (you have to give the kids back) and buying a little house in Tuscany (the buying part was a problem).
My daughter Abby says that these constant big ideas are the fault of my adult ADHD. She likes to diagnose things. My mom calls it "flight of ideas." She is trying to keep me on track. My friend J. calls in genius, but he also has ADHD and flight of ideas, so he perfectly understands.
For instance, right now he is considering making movie about the life of a cow.
So he doesn't see anything weird about my newest idea, which is to become a dahlia grower.
I am pretty convinced this is actually going to happen, because I have been tossing this idea around ever since I met Marvin the Dahlia Grower at a nearby farmers market several weeks ago and it is still in my brain just waiting for a reason to be thrown out.
Every Tuesday I drive about a half hour just to talk to Marvin and to see what beautiful dahlias he has brought to sell for 50 cents each. There is a white one with yellow striping on the petals, A pure white one as big as your outstretched hand and a cinnamon-colored one with tube-shaped petals that are the kind of perfect that makes you believe in God.
I have this whole dahlia-growing thing figured out. I already have a green thumb, so I know I can get them to grow.
I have signed up for two sunny community garden plots to grow my dahlias in.
I have researched all about growing dahlias on the amazing Internet.
I have placed dibs on some of my favorites of Marvin's dahlia tubers.
I have even found three flower shops that want to buy my dahlias.
My dahlia idea was still up there in my brain a couple of nights ago, just looking for a reason to get thrown out, when I noticed a gorgeous red dinner-plate sized flower growing in the front flower bed of a little ramshackle house while I was out for a drive.
I turned around and drove back to get a better look, pulled into the driveway hoping the owners didn't have an attack dog, and snapped a picture of that amazing flower.
And in that moment my idea turned into a dream.
You guessed it. That flower was a dahlia.
And you could have a thriving business selling the tubers which multiply quickly. In your climate you'd probably need to dig up the tubers and over-winter them, though. If you have slugs, like I do, they feast on the foilage. Just saying......
ReplyDeletemy dad was one of the most successful dahlia growers in the United States. His catalog "Bedford Dahlias" was international. He made a GREAT living growing and selling dahlias. We need to go visit him next week so you can get started on your dream.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what happens next!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this fun post. I say keep the photos coming as they add a lot. Besides some folks don't know a Dahlia from the Dalai Lama.
ReplyDeleteI once fell in love with Dahlias, too. A group of us were invited to the garden of a local dahlia lover and grower. What a plethora of color and sizes. I was smitten. I wanted them in my hunble garden, too. But I did get a hint that there was considerable labor involved in growing these beauties as I observed the rows and rows of stakes and wires, heard the owner talk about the de-budding procedure for the best blooms, as well as when he described the digging and storing procedure prior to each winter. (He closed down the whole dahlia growing hobby several years later).
I think falling in love with Dahlias and Daylilies is similar: so many beauties to choose from that it's easy to get carried away. So I would say grow some of these beauties, but let restraint be your muse.
Oops! So much for my proofreading. That should be "humble", of course.
ReplyDelete