Hi Ada,

My dear friend, my posts here are so long and wordy that writing each of them is like writing a book. Is that close enough for you?

I appreciate that you think I should write a book. I am very flattered. Honestly, I am. I am both flattered and humbled. A book isn't going to happen though.

There are tens of thousands of gardening books out there, and I cannot imagine that I have anything to say about gardening that hasn't already been said 10,000 times, and probably much better than I could ever hope to say it.

I'm a contrarian too. In a horticultural world where the trend is towards larger multinational corporations, I like to seek out and support the small (heck, even tiny) seed companies.

In a horticultural world that gives us dazzling plants with flowers in types and colors that I am sure the Good Lord never intended us to have, with gene-splicing and GMOS, with crossing and outcrossing and all kinds of manipulation of genetic material....I seek out the old antique, pass-along varieties that my dad, grandmother, great-aunts and others grew.

In a horticultural world that promises bigger and better and brighter and fancier, I seek old and sturdy and reliable and dependable. No bells, no whistles, just good solid results.

In an agricultural world that promotes chemicals and unnatural fertilizers and fungicides and pesticides so strong you have to wear a mask and other protective gear in order to spray them, I seek natural solutions and good "predator" bugs to kill my "bad" bugs.

In a home landscape world that worships uniform green lawns so perfect that they look like astroturf, I prefer native grasses interspersed with native wildflowers, and the natural look it gives is preferable to me, but it would never work in a standard modern neighborhood with a Homeowner's Association and all their rules.

In a home landscape world that seeks to chase away ALL the bugs, I plant many plants to attract the desirable ones. And, even though I fight to keep the deer and bunnies from eating my veggie garden, I faithfully put out food and water for them every morning and every night so they can survive the hard winter times....and sometimes the hard summer drought times too.

I am obviously out-of-touch with modern trends and methods, and I could care less. The way I garden is not for everyone. I can't imagine who would want to read about it because sometimes I feel like I do everything wrong or backward....or, at least, I march to the beat of a different drummer.

If anything that I say here is helpful, then I am grateful to know that. Honestly, though, I am just an old dirt gardener, not an author. I love what I do, and I do it my way...but I would never try to tell anyone else that they "should" do it my way. Each of us has our own philosophy and our own style and we do what works for us. I learn from everybody on this forum and that is what I love about this gardening community. None of us has all the answers, but every single one of us has some of the answers. Maybe, together, we all could write a book.

Dawn

...And, that's exactly why I'd want to read your book! I read A LOT and have an appreciation for people who can express themselves with expertise AND authenticity. Still, book writing is not for everyone... I'm just glad you are so active on the forum - it's a privilege to share the experience of gardening with you, and with all the other folks here.

And as for a different drummer, I do too, LOL, so I'm glad for the company. We could probably start a band on this forum! :-)

Thanks again,
Ada

Dawn, you could do a book special for Oklahoma: like a reference work. Or, you'd be great for writing something like "Chicken Soup for the Gardener." (I wonder if that title is already taken?)

George

I think you should write a book too. And I love it when you write about your place. You are a natural.

Jess,

Thank you. What a sweet thing to say.

One day I need to write about all the wildlife we're feeding this winter because it is simply astounding. DH grumbles after every trip to the feed store, but he doesn't really mean it. He's just as soft-hearted as I am, and the wild critters are really, really hungry now.

Every day we have a rainbow of birds feeding in the yard and I make the cats stay inside until mid-morning so all the birds can get their fill before the cats go outside. In general, the cats seldom bother the birds, but I like giving the wild birds some 'safe' feeding time without having the birds sitting outside watching them.

And, the deer come even in the middle of the day to eat in the winter, and our Main Coon Cat, Fluffy, tries to chase them away. That is pretty hysterical. (We're easily amused here in the winter time and seeing a cat trying to herd deer is funny to us.)

Dawn