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| Argiope aurantia, way past her prime, off the Web, with chamberbitter weed in the foreground |
In the midst of some volunteer work today, I had a lively, you might even say tit-for-tat, discussion with someone I'm not likely to associate with in the non-volunteer realm. Why should we be so far apart? Well, for starters, we come from opposite ends of the political spectrum. And what brought us two disparate souls together? Gardening, of course. We both have a passion for it, you see, though we sometimes find that passion difficult to reconcile with our diametrically opposed points of view. Or, maybe not. Death, you see, is the great equalizer. We dance around the subject, as delicately as we can. But there it is. You can't escape it, and neither can I. And so we joke and dance as long as we can-can. And then, we go our separate ways.
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| Punica granatum 'Nana' |
But we both embrace life. We hang onto it for all we're worth.
Gardening is indeed a great equalizer and a bond that can transcend barriers - even political ones.
ReplyDeleteI wish it was so with all the critters one encounters in the garden!! Presently, the white-faced hornets have become very aggressive. They'd make a great meal for your new friend.
ReplyDeleteI gave up vegetable gardening this summer. The constant challenge of weeding out the Wingnuts left me too tired for anything else.....
ReplyDeleteI think so too, Ms. Dorothy. If gardening were a required course for kids in school, maybe there wouldn't be so much ugly strife and disagreement among adults.
ReplyDeleteKaren, "Argie," as she was affectionately called, is no longer with us, but she did enjoy feasting on some wasps in her day. Stay safe and steer clear of those hornets!
TB, I've given up veggie gardening except in pots. Need to save the old back for doing massage work. I'm curious about Wingnuts. Are you referring to nutsedge?
Such a shame we have to all be so divided politically. It is interesting that so many of all different faiths, and all different parts along the political spectrum come to our blogs, and we can be "friends" without all of the hoopla that we all stir up in person. Just interesting. No wonder blogging is such a comfortable thing!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing better than gardening for enabling two very different people to find common ground. You may groan now, but I mean it.
ReplyDeleteJulie, sometimes I wonder if blogging can become too comfortable. A little disagreement can be a healthy thing, I've heard somewhere. As long as no personal attacks occur, that is. That's not healthy or productive.
ReplyDeleteI'm not groaning, Mr. Geo. I thought about that "common ground" concept after I posted, of course. After talking for a while, my fellow volunteer and I found that we had a lot more in common than we could have imagined, including a quirky sense of humor.
Differences make life fun--or at least challenging!
ReplyDeleteGardening and blogging brings together those of different views enjoying something in common. That is good as long as there is mutual respect and you cultivate that well on your blog and I imagine in real life too.
ReplyDeleteNow I am watching the fact of the great equalizer. My mother-in-law is now on the verge of her last sleep. The first shot is something poignant though I know it must be satisfied to have fulfilled its life.
ReplyDeleteShe was a great gardener. She always admired and loved the earth/soil to yield good harvest. Though she is really a hard act to follow, I respect her devotion, love to earth.