This is a story about a little girl named Mandy.
Unlike most little children, Mandy hated dirt! I mean, had NO desire to play in dirt, sandboxes, mud, etc... In fact when told she was going over to a certain friend's house to play (sorry, Kim) Mandy would throw a fit because she knew this friend would want to make mudpies and Mandy couldn't handle it.
Unlike most little children, Mandy hated dirt! I mean, had NO desire to play in dirt, sandboxes, mud, etc... In fact when told she was going over to a certain friend's house to play (sorry, Kim) Mandy would throw a fit because she knew this friend would want to make mudpies and Mandy couldn't handle it.
Fast forward a few years to Mandy's school years. Often asked to help her parents by weeding the garden, Mandy would pout and do it unwillingly because weeding entailed having her hands in the dirt, actually having to touch spiders and worms, and...heaven forbid, get her hands dirty. The obvious answer to this dilemna would be to wear gardening gloves, but Mandy's parents never gave her any and so she somehow was oblivious to their existence. (You'd think she would have thought of it, but I guess if you've never seen them, you could not know they exist. You'd also think her parents would have given her some, at least to end her boisterous pouting, but for some reason they never did).
Fast forward again to Mandy's late 20's. Finally the owner of a large yard and flower beds that require tending, Mandy buys said gardening gloves and spends all day Saturday weeding. Does she touch dirt, spiders, and worms? Yes... but she's wearing gloves- so she doesn't care! In fact, Mandy is surprised to find that she LOVES it! She could pull weeds and work in the dirt all day! She loves the feeling of helping something grow, of knowing that soon she will see the fruits of her toils in the form of multi-colored tulips, daffodils, roses, raspberries, herbs, and later hopefully some veggies!
Does Mandy's daughter share her childhood disdain for dirt? I'm going to say...no:
Is this sometimes hard for Mandy- watching her daughter play for hours in the dirt, becoming more & more covered with it- and even trying once or twice to put it in her mouth? A bit. But Mandy pauses, realizes it's only dirt, and resolves to let her daughter get as dirty as she wants...and then plunk her in a bath.
4 comments:
such a cute post mandy-- love the story you told. i pulled weeds yesterday too-- it is therapeutic!
hope you enjoy the nice weather today!
Mandy, that is so cute. I always try to work with gloves, but end up pulling them off so I can really get in there and feel it for myself with my bare hands. : )
Looks like Miss Leta Bug comes by these dirt genes from both sides of her family. Her great Grandma Dot LOVED to play in dirt and so does her Grandma Megan and all her great Aunts... Katie, Jenny and Mary.
i loved this post, mandy. it is so great to read about your joy in tending to your home and garden...very inspiring! good for you guys in making the most of the beautiful weather last weekend!
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