Seeds

It was just one packet of seeds from eBay. Ordinary heirloom type Heavenly Blue Morning Glory seeds, not anything like the newer exotic hybrids. Just standard. I dropped them into the dirt without fanfare, they germinated within a few days and took off. Froze and died. I planted more, they germinated within a few days, took off like rockets, got hailed on flooded and died. I planted more from the same packet, they germinated within a few days, took off like rockets, continued to grow what a appeared to be nearly an inch a day, reached to the light from all sides, grew up sticks, across the tops of adjoining pots, over to the bottom of the balcony railing, crawled up the railing, grew across the railing in both directions, grew outward toward the sun, sagged and drooped, grew back up its own looped vine, grew across the balcony, back and forth doubling on itself, tripling, quadrupling across the confined space of the railing so that no railing remained uncovered to use for balance without smashing some vines in your hand. The entire mass bloomed across the whole balcony and produced seedpods at each transient bloom, dried to a brown crisp, and died.

The package of seeds produced uncounted thousands of seeds. Each pod has four seeds.

Far in excess of the original package.

I cannot just throw them away. Why, that would be wasteful.

They were packaged, say, 100 per ziplock, and labeled simply with magic marker, and distributed to the women I know and forced upon a few men who I don't know, simply to be a pain in the butt to them. A few mentioned they have no interest in plants, don't care for the nurturing, and have black thumbs, how discouraging! While others I notice make some kind of attempt at maintaining potted plants on their balcony. The whole place is mostly young people with no time or interest in this sort of thing.

Since then I learned a few things about bringing the jungle to Denver, which plant species work and which plants do not work. Which ones are easy with great return and which ones are difficult and with scant payoff.

Just coming back from the nursery with a cart of plants generates interest. "What are those bright green leaves?"

"Sweet potato. Here, take this."

One single sweet potato plant can give a girl untold boost in her plant growing confidence. They are very rewarding, while their broad spreading plainness creates a desire for additional colorful things that grow upward instead of downward.

Caladiums. That's the way to go around here. Their foliage is varied and colorful as exotic blooms.

Now the women ask me for more seeds. They discuss their success and their amazement and thrill from the previous year. They describe their intentions now that they know what happens. Collectively they're really excited with expectation for flower-filled season and satisfaction of knowing they're not so bad with plants.

I gave away three packets of hundreds of seeds each today. While in the office I asked why those two boxes of knives are still there. "What knives?"

"Those two boxes behind your monitor."

"What? Those? What are those?

"One is for Deena the other one is for Liz."

"I'm Liz."

"Jesus Christ. I didn't even recognize you. No fair changing your appearance so dramatically."

She opened her box of knives, they're cheap as hell but they look beautiful and they're well presented in their magnetic box. And I thought she was going to cry. She shut up for a moment. I'd say, speechless.

"Bo, I love the knife that you gave me. I wash it off each time separate from everything else, and put back in its box with its little plastic protectors and put it in its own special drawer. And I told everyone in my family, YOU JUST TOUCH THIS GODDAMN KNIFE AND I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! Ha ha ha ha ha, I have to be firm with my kids. It's my all-time favorite knife. I love it. Thank you."

"I have one and I don't love it. I didn't know the Japanese bevel only one side. It makes the knife turn inward on the down slice. Perfect for cutting the peel off oranges, but imperfect for everything else. That's why I got these. I think you'll like these a lot better."

Look. Inexpensive knives are like inexpensive flowering vine seeds. They spread joy way out of proportion to their cost. They're nearly free.

The variety of morning glory seeds is near endless. The ones that we're doing are blue.

I also bought the women oxalis triangularus bulbs that look like bullets. I want them to love them like I do. Best to have at least twenty.

And I also bought them random caladium bulbs because those are just flat extreme. They like the ones last year so much they brought their plants inside to keep them going long as possible. That changed their pattern responding to season and to warmth and to light. So they're learning, as I am.

I bought early this year, and bought extra like last year. They haven't arrived yet. The place doesn't ship them until weather allows. Right about now. There is no point to planting them until the dirt stays warm overnight. But the women are raring to go. It's fun.

I realized I can spread this a lot further. The women in the shops around here are used to me now. I can simply spring these on them without warning, little packages of these various bulbs and seeds, a lunch bag stuffed with caladium bulbs, oxalis triangularus, and morning glory seeds. Impose them. Compel the women to plant them and at least try to keep up with the care. And watch the joy bloom.