I'm a Little Bit Country...

...and a whole lot city girl. I'm afraid of most animals except ladybugs, kittens, and dogs that already know me. I grew up thinking that a garden was three tomato plants in the back yard and that a hike was walking the length of the Southern Hills Mall on my lunch break. Then I moved to Utah. Rural Utah.

Although I have lived here for fifteen years now, I am still astounded by nature. Deer walking through my backyard is always a cause for silent observation. Having to stop on the highway because a herd of majestic elk, taller than a car, is crossing never fails to thrill. The mountains out my back door humble me.

The past few years, to emulate all my country-folk neighbors, I have tried my hand at gardening. Each year I attempt to use more space than the year before, and try more of a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. Three tomato plants would be laughed at by neighbors and friends who have ripped up most of their yards to make gardens. I have twenty-four tomato plants this year and am slowly learning to bottle the excess. What excess? Ha! I eat tomatoes as fast as they can grow!

In addition to tomatoes, this year I have corn, broccoli, kale, green peppers, jalapenos, yellow peppers, pumpkin, cantaloupe, watermelon, green beans, radishes, carrots, peas, lettuce, onions ( I can't believe I just wrote that,) sunflowers, potatoes, dill, cilantro, peppermint, pineapple mint, and two varieties of baking beans. Whew! Makes a city girl exhausted just thinking about it.

This country girl wannabe was out watering her corn the other night. It's growing against my back fence and doesn't fall under the watering shadow that benefits my other "crops" so I was hosing it manually. It takes a while, so I had plenty of time to put on my country girl thinking cap and reason that I had better focus the spray toward the roots because the leaves might block the plant from getting any moisture.

Suddenly, I had a revelation!  (This is where all you pure-bred country folk can begin hootin' and hollerin' and squealing with derision.) The leaves are positioned in such a way that any moisture that falls on the leaves is channeled directly to the roots! What a mind-freaking brilliant design!

I had to run in and get my camera to share this astounding revelation with the world. I spent extra time watering that night just so I could watch rivulets of water make their way to the plant base. Fascinating, I tell ya.

Of course, I understand that by sharing this new-found knowledge, I am exposing my ignorance to the blogosphere. But you just wait to see what gardening trick I have in store for you tomorrow!