Ardent Love

Faith Is A Fine Invention
          By: Emily Dickinson

"Faith" is a fine invention

For gentlemen who see,

But Microscopes are prudent

In an emergency!

          Sometimes I sit outside and just follow my grandma around with my eyes. I see her going about so entertained in her garden chores, and I ask myself, how does she do it? How does she find the time to put so much passion and effort into something? How does she not give up, after seeing a flower die--or a root cut off by the vigorous wind. She complains about being tired and having to work for a living. She whines about her swollen ankles, and dismantled fingers due to arthritis. She says to me at times "All your life you have to work just to pay bills and be able to live." And it all makes sense, in her slurred Spanish I see her point. We all end up working, educated or not, to pay bills. Some have it easier then others based on wealthiness, but still life itself is not free. After all these complains she still goes and spends hours  outside taking care of her plants....but she never complains about that.
          I wanted to find a poem that could described my grandma's love for her garden in a different perspective. The poem above, "Faith Is A Fine Invention", by Emily Dickinson really hit the spot. This poem explains the faith of those who can see further past something they love. And though they have hope at all times, sometimes it is just a matter of looking closer that gets them through. In my grandma's perspective she adores her flowers with an ardent love, but sometimes she is let down when a plant does not come back up the next spring. When she goes to plant the seeds in autumn she puts down all her prayers and hopes into that piece of Earth so they can grow and sprout in the spring. But when this does not go as planned she looks down at that empty spot and finds a solution. She digs down and finds the seed already emerging with roots but not able to make it to the surface. Then she is determined to fix it, she replants it farther up or simply moves it to a location with more sunlight. And before you know it the flower sprouts and her heart is filled with joy and she brags on saying, "tengo buena mano"( I have a good hand-in terms of planting).
          In this short video that I recorded while following her around the garden I ask her, you really love your flowers don't you? And this was her response.

Video By Brenda Mena Oct 26, 2014

 

          This is the translation from Spanish to English of our conversation(read it fast):

"You love your flowers a lot don't you?"

"yes, wait who?"

"You."

"Oh me? Yeah. Wouldn't you love something that you like a lot?"

"Yea."

"Like for example you have a dress that you like a lot, a lot and you take care of it, and take care of it, and take care of it, and then you put it on, and take care of it again and then-- am I right? And then you say I'm not going to put it on that often so I won't ruin it."



          After that little adventure we went inside and she wanted me to look up 'how to prepare your garden for the winter' on line. On an article I found on ivillage.com there were several helpful tips on how to get your garden ready. The first was to pull up dying plants with any sign of infestation. You do not want insects spreading to nearby plants so bagging and getting rid of those dirty plants is the best solution. Second tip was to pare your perennials, which is just cutting back the plant to 4-6 inches tall. But this must be done after the first frost so you can assure that the energy in the upper plant has already dropped down to the roots to be stored for the winter. Third tip is to remove slimy leaves, this will help get rid of any bugs that need a winter home. But you must keep the dry leaves that have fallen off so they serve as food to enrich the soil. Fourth tip is to cover your soil with a layer of compost to enrich the soil and prevent it from depleting. Fifth, plant your spring bulbs in a depth that is 3 times their height. These are just 5 of the tips that my grandma felt useful for her as I read them out in Spanish. There were many more that can be found on the webpage.
          I hope this blog gave a better picture of my grandma's crazy personality and at the same time gave a lot of informational gardening tips. She seems great already doesn't she? But there is still so much more of her you haven't seen.

Works Cited



Steil, Jennifer. "How to Prepare Your Garden For Winter." ivillage.com. NBC Universal. 01 Sept. 2013.Web. 25 Oct. 2014.
Dickinson, Emily. "Faith Is A Fine Invention." Poet Seers. N.P. 1891. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.