We returned from vacation to find many plants thriving in our garden, including some that we actually planted ourselves! Our dear friend Anne babysat the garden for us while we were gone, something she knows much more about than we do. Yesterday we spent a joyful, drizzly afternoon weeding, which I’ve discovered is one of my new favorite activities. Originally I was dreading weeding, because I had always heard it referred to with a groan as one of the lesser joys of gardening. Also, it seems to me that a muddy plot ought to be allowed to fill up with plants, no matter what their orientation or origination. But if the seeds I so hastily and lazily plopped into the ground are going to have any chance at life, they are going to need some room to grow. The best part of this task is attempting to discern the difference between one plant and another, especially when they are all so tiny and baby-like. I try to imagine the grown-up version of the plant and then look for a mini-version of that. This works for some plants, such as my favorite weed, the maple tree, pictured below.
For kale, however, I had to do an image search for seedlings. I believe I have positively identified at least one kale plant in our garden, as well as one fennel plant. I call this victory enough for me. The peas, on the other hand, have proclaimed their own victory and are ascending the lattice at a rapid rate.
The carrots are also peeking up in tiny rows (the only ones with any sense of order), and we’ve come to realize that there is an enormous grape vine draping over the back fence that would like to come be friends with our tomatoes, or at least use them for their support posts.
And so I’ve come to find myself taking a closer look at all the plants, big and small, around me, focusing on their distinguishing features. Meeting my garden plants in their fledgling form has moved my relationship with them from apathy and skepticism to sincere interest and encouragement. Funny how tiny, cute things will do that to us.
I also have come to a greater appreciation for the use of the word “weeding” within the context of a library. I am a reference assistant at a large public library and am currently studying for my Master’s in Library and Information Science. Librarianship is without a doubt my greatest passion. In a library context, “weeding” is a term used for sorting out books (or other items) to be removed from the collection. I am supporter of weeding and encourage all libraries to develop a strong weeding policy and plan which includes securing a useful and ecologically sound destination for all discarded items. One of the cool things about weeding a library is that it actually increases the number of books that get checked out. When old, outdated, or irrelevant materials are removed from shelves, the items that remain become more visible, attractive, and easier to find. They are free to attain their full potential, just like my one little kale plant will be when I clear away all the dandelion plants that look exactly like him.
Once again, the librarian in me cannot leave you without the recommendation of some awesome resources and websites. So here they are.
A great site for buying or selling books (portion of proceeds go to world literacy programs) : http://www.betterworldbooks.com/
An amazing book alteration artist: http://briandettmer.com/
Hilarious postings of books withdrawn from libraries: http://awfullibrarybooks.net/
Click on them. You know you want to.
Angie Gustafson 