Friday, October 21, 2011

The Little Foster Boy Who Loved Seeds

Last weekend I was surprised by a 9-year-old foster respite boy—but it was a pleasant surprise. 
False Yucca Seeds, Hesperaloe parviflora.
Usually on Friday nights kids don't want to watch me sitting at the table sifting through seeds. Our kids are usually fairly emotional and like to have us right there with them, watching a program with them, or participating in their play.
Cardinal Flower Seeds, Lobelia cardinalis.
Last weekend I was left alone in the evening. It felt kind of odd and a twinge of guilt crept up, but then I squashed it because I liked being able to work quietly after dinner without any major interruptions.
False Freesia, Anomatheca laxa.
I was sorting and sorting and didn't notice when the room became silent.
My little helper hiding behind the lamp to preserve his anonymity. 
Then I felt his eyes on me and he drew nearer. There were a few questions about how to do it, and why I do it, and then he sat his toys down. He was mesmerized by the process and before I knew it he was sitting beside me sorting too.

And that was Friday night! Ahhhhh.....
Elms in the Park Blocks of Portland, Oregon.
Due to his anxiety issues, running errands for my upcoming trip required some planning, but all that really meant was that he needed park breaks in the city so that he could forget about all the people. Near Powell's he as able to run around in this playground in the park blocks. I admired the elm trees while he let it all out.
Licorice Ferns, Polypodium glycyrrhiza.
Before we left to go to the store I showed him how the epiphytic Licorice Fern grows on trees whenever possible in our area. He stood there on the sidewalk staring up at that tree for much longer than I'd expected.
This lily at a flower stall captivated my little weekend visitor. 
At the market in NW Portland we stopped to buy flowers for my daily Ikebana.
Pumpkin Stick Tree, Solanum integrifolium
I let him pick what he wanted for a Halloween theme and we talked about the flowers he really liked.
Monkshood, possibly Aconitum carmichaelii.
This was the first Monkshood he'd ever seen and he couldn't stop looking at it. He wanted to call it a Hoodie Flower and that made me laugh.
Once we were back home he posed with our purchases and then we started working on Halloween cookies. Until he left on Monday he continued to sort seeds with me and he asked me many questions. He opened up a lot during this time and when he left it was hard for me to say goodbye. Part of me felt ashamed though to have been so biased in my feelings for him just because he loved seeds but I totally fell for him.

I am currently still sorting outdoor plants before I take off for my next plant and seed hunting trip in California.
I wanted to post that I have many winners and losers and these are examples of each. Both are hard to find plants, but only one made it. The Dicentra would have made it if I hadn't neglected it, but so it goes...

10 comments:

  1. What a gift you were to each other :-)

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  2. This post absolutely made my day! That's so very cool...and really gives me hope for the future...sometimes I wonder where are the gardeners of the next generation are going to come from...now I know :-)

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  3. It's so sweet that he showed so much interest! I'm sure he appreciated all that you managed to teach him in the short time you had. It sounds like you both bonded. You are so good to do so much for the kids you take in, with your physical problems.

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  4. Alison, It isn't easy physically and I am still learning patience! Nowadays, nothing makes me happier than a quiet house on Sunday night.

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  5. What an impression you made on this young man and him on you!!!!

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  6. This is an awesome post. I was just reading it and felt compelled to share it on Twitter & Facebook right before you commented on my latest post. If you ever fall into the Twitter hole come by and hang out with us on Twitter on Weds evenings for #SeedChat We'd love to have you.

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  7. Wonderful! No doubt he got even more than you did from the time you spent together. Will you get to have him join you again?

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  8. I might get to, but I'm not sure! He was here one time before last April or May but it was the weekend when I fell and hit my head on a rock so we didn't get much bonding time during that visit. Hopefully he'll be back though...

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  9. Bless his little plant-loving soul.

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  10. Great post.Thanks for sharing such a useful information with us.

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