Skip to main content

Will I ever be a plant-mom?

Over the last few years, we have tried growing, nurturing different plants and it has always ended up in a dried-up plant. As a child, I have always wanted to have a garden with loads of flowers, vegetables, and plants. I have always lived in apartments that leave little space for this wish to be fulfilled.  My maternal grandmother lived in a huge independent house with a garden behind the house where we would sit and sip coffee. It is no longer that glorious garden anymore, though it still has a wide variety of plants growing around. Sitting outside on the slightly wet grass having coffee, looking at flowers and the greenery is my absolute favourite memory of my childhood summer vacations. They were ironically spent in Delhi, which is super hot. We went from Chennai heat to Delhi heat to beat summer blues! Anyway, the point is -  my love for plants conflicts with the lack of maternal instincts for nurturing them.

My cousin recently started posting pictures of her plants and how she is falling in love with gardening. She regularly reuses discarded items to make pots to grow something new. With our Covid-19 lockdown extending, I picked up this hobby and mixed up all the potting soil, set up one pot to grow coriander, sprinkled some crushed seeds, watered it up, and left it to grow. The photo that you see here, is yesterday's peep from the soil. One is enough to motivate the obsessive behaviour, right? So next to coriander are some onions and green chilies. It will probably take a week to grow. Looking forward to seeing my progress. I have come this far in the past and given up. Now I need to see how well I can sustain this. Growth motivates more growth.  Two of my aunts are exceptional with their plants.  It will probably take years of patience and a much bigger space to get to 20% of their garden. Right now, I am a plant-mom wondering if I will continue to be one in the future too. Will I turn my back on them when my office-going resumes? Will my dedication to nurturing these plants diminish with time? Will the extreme heat kill them? Only time will tell. Probably a very good way to build my patience. Until next time, don't forget to water your plants.


Update: After 2 weeks, coriander is RIP.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The loss of a friend !

My Father-in-law was not the typical FIL who was distant and would not interact with his daughter-in-law. Well, initially he was like that and then he warmed up to my presence and opened up to me. Over the last few years, as we spent a lot of time together, as we were all living in the same home, he became my close friend, mentor, guide and my biggest cheerleader. He was born in Shimoga, grew up in Amrutur with his aunt, started his family in Sagara and eventually retired into Bangalore. 80+ years, he has had the most enviable life. Don't mistake it for a rosy life or a life with no issues or problems! He was one among 11 - 6 boys and 5 girls. He was the 2nd child and as his mother had more children, she needed help raising the kids and so she reached out to her sister in law to take care of him in Amruthur - a farmland. He grew up under the care of his aunt and love from his cousins, who were all girls. He would eat fresh food from the abundance of the farm and also drink milk so...
1 comment
Read more

It's been 5 years !

I still remember not being able to fall asleep on November 7th 2020. I usually crash and sleep almost the instant I decide to call it a day. But that day, I closed my eyes and was tossing and turning and I just could not sleep. It was almost 1 am the next day when I just about started to doze off when I got a call. A call that late into the night from a family member is always dreaded. I now knew why ! I was told that my Amma was not well and we needed to go to see her immediately. 5 minutes after we started, we heard the news that she was no more. The ride took 40 minutes and still felt like a terrible nightmare. Once I reached where she was, we decided to wait for a couple of more hours before informing our family and friends. At 4am, I started making the calls. Reiterating to each one that Amma was no more. It was the toughest to state it out loud like that when no one ever saw it coming. Just 12 hours back we were making plans of what sweets each of us would make for Deepavali. Sh...
3 comments
Read more

My Wheels!

  April, this year, my better half took me to a car showroom and we just ended up booking a car for myself on my birthday. Best gift ever! Though I made the transactions, him making the decision on the car and taking me there was very special. I had not pursued driving at all since I received my DL in 2004! Close to 20 years later, I have suddenly found confidence and the enthusiasm to drive. I learned in Chennai and often would take Appa's car, but it was his office car, so was always scared of any potential damage. Then my husband's car. His parents always used to worry about the tiniest damage on the car and that was excuse enough to not gain confidence in driving his car. So, a year back, I had decided I had to buy one for myself to gain confidence. I am now wondering why I didnt do it any sooner!  I am loving my new wheels and I love how I managed to drive 35 kilometers in just a day yesterday! It's a month since I got my new car and my confidence is high! This was als...
Post a Comment
Read more