Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Gardening in the absurd

In retrospect, I can put my finger on the precise moment when my adventure in gardening crossed into the realm of the absurd: I found myself using the garden hose to water a row of freshly-planted peppers while standing in the mud in the pouring rain.

"Sweetheart," I said to the resident gardening enthusiast, "Why am I watering the peppers in the rain?"

"Because the peppers need to be watered," he replied.

"But I don't."

"Don't what?"

"Need to be watered."

"But the peppers do."

So I watered the peppers and the rain watered me, and within me grew a fresh awareness that gardening is not entirely a rational pursuit. Rewarding, yes, but not entirely rational.

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