November 22nd, 2007
Cornucopia
A gift from Pam/Digging, this zexmenia is a reminder of the sharing nature of this community of gardeners. It’s a little droopy because I just planted it yesterday afternoon when tempertures hit a record high of 89F/31C before dropping to 37F/3C this morning.
Today Americans celebrate our national holiday of giving thanks. One symbol of this harvest festival is the cornucopia, the horn of plenty overflowing with the fruits of the harvest.
That first Thanksgiving, native Americans shared a bountiful harvest with European settlers who were starving. They also shared their knowledge of the American flora, teaching the settlers how to grow corn, squash, and beans. Sharing the harvest–sounds like garden bloggers.
I’m grateful that you’ve chosen to share your gardens with me through your photos and your writing on your own blogs and your comments left here. I’ve learned about stringing up tomatoes, the possible danger of pecan leaves, how to adapt a power drill into a bulb-hole digger, and where to look for locally grown food. More importantly, I get a chance to peek into your gardens, celebrate your successes, and suffer with you through your disappointments. I feel lucky to have gardening friends all over the world. And, largely thanks to the efforts of Pam/Digging (Austin’s Garden Blogger booster), I’ve met a lot of new gardeners right here in Austin. Not only do I always have a blast when we get together, but I’m often the recipient of wonderful passalong plants. Your generosity is my horn of plenty, the cornucopia running over. My garden truly grows because I know you.
Special thanks this year:
* Pam/Digging (for sharing plants and her clever garden designs and for getting the Austin Garden bloggers together)
* Annie in Austin (for sharing plants and knowledge and wisdom and heart–her writing is the tops and she’s just as wonderful person)
* Yolanda Elizabet @ Bliss (for pure inspiration and gentle humor)
* Carol @ May Dreams Gardens (for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Garden Bloggers Book Club)
* Stuart Robinson @ Gardening Tips ‘n’ Ideas (for the Gardening Blog Directory)
* Angelina @ Dustpan Alley (for exploring the politics of eating locally and sharing her adventures in canning and preserving and for writing that is brutally honest)
* Kathy Purdy @ Cold Climate Gardening (for giving me a thrill the day I read her “Today’s Gardening Quote” and saw she’d quoted me. It was great to finally meet in the flesh after years of knowing each other online.)
* Steve Mudge (who doesn’t have a blog, yet, but who usually leaves a comment)
* to all of the former lurkers who jumped into the conversation
by M Sinclair Stevens
November 22nd, 2007
And thank YOU, MSS, for inspiring me to start garden-blogging, for sharing so many seeds and blue bottles with me, and for your interest and enthusiasm as a fellow Austin gardener.
November 22nd, 2007
Aw shucks, MSS. Thank you so much and I’m thoroughly glad that you like it. Enjoy your Thanksgiving celebrations.
November 22nd, 2007
What a thoughtful post. Thank YOU for introducing me to Oxblood lilies and generously sharing some with me and for inspiring me with your gardening and garden blog.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
November 22nd, 2007
Yes, I thought your essay of thanks echoed my own feelings quite nicely. And I’m glad you read my gardening quotes. Now that they’ve moved to the bottom of the page, I wonder if anyone sees them.
November 22nd, 2007
I see that your garden cornucopia is truly running over. ;-)I’m happy to read that garden blogging gives you so much pleasure MSS! And it must be great to be able to meet up with each other. Pity I live too far away!
Thank you for your kind words!
I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
November 23rd, 2007
It’s been wonderful to be a part of the garden blogging cornucopia of plants, conversations, awe-inspiring garden photos, humor, shared experience and real-world meetings, but would there be such a harvest in Austin if you had not planted the seed of Zanthan Gardens?
Your long and patient cultivation of this blog made it bloom, and we were led one-by-one to your words as the color blue leads a bee to the blossom, where she revels in its richness before she takes the pollen on to pollinate another flower.
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving, my Pathfinder!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
November 23rd, 2007
I used to scoff at people who claimed to make friends on the internet and have since been shoving my foot in my mouth because I have made many friends in the blogging community. I do wish I could find more local gardeners, as you have, but I love having friends all over in different climates too.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving day!
November 24th, 2007
Thanks to you too for introducing me to Texas gardening and teaching me so much already!
November 25th, 2007
MSS, I enjoyed this wonderful post on friendship and gardening. What a joyful thanksgiving! I’m always lurking and learning. I feel blessed to have met you, Annie, and Pam.
I’m so glad you decided to de-lurk. It was great meeting you, too. Thanks for bringing Kathy over to spend the day with us. — mss
November 26th, 2007
I hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday. There is much to be thankful for and may I say thank you for sharing your gardening experiences with us? It is always enjoyable coming here … I like the idea that Annie, Pam and you know each other, meet and share plants. You are truly lucky for that – along with the other Austin garden bloggers too!
I’m very happy that blogging introduced me to other gardeners in Austin. I learn so much from them. We all have such different garden styles and approaches that it’s always interesting visiting their gardens online and, even better, in person. — mss