Chocolates and Teddy Bears

When it comes to Valentine’s day, there are only two camps – lovers and haters. I am a hater, have been my whole life. No, I’m not the person who generally hates everybody, walks under a black mopey cloud nor I’m somebody who thinks they will die alone and blame everybody around them for it.

The reason for my hating is very simple – in the whole lovey-dovey fuss around Valentine’s day everybody always forgets my birthday, which is two days after it. When I think about it, I’m actually super glad I wasn’t actually born on the 14th, that would really not be pleasant at all, being all negative about this particular day.

I thought finding my soul mate would change my stance, but it didn’t – I’m definitely one of those I-don’t-need-a-special-day-to-tell-him-I-love-him people. We do it every day, basically every hour, somehow we let the other person know we love them – yesterday it was me finding Dr Pink Cucumber’s stinky socks on my laptop – yes, he left them there on purpose, says he wanted me to know he was thinking about me, ehm. Men’s logic is a very mysterious and scary place, all I’m gonna say.

This Friday we are leaving for Egypt to dive (we heart protests – they make plane tickets cheap). What I caught myself doing yesterday was freaking out over the fact that I’m leaving my garden for a whole week for the first time (not to mention that we’ll be without our puppies – I’ll be bugging Dr Pink Cucumber the whole time with questions like ‘What do you think the puppies are doing?’ ‘Do you think they’ve made new friends at the kennels?’).

Dr Cucumber’s parents promised to come water it every other day, but I’m still really unhappy – all I can do is think about my poor little lonely garden, sitting there heartbroken and alone, crying. I spend so much time with it – I check it every day, plant this, replant that, take notes on what seedlings came out..and now nothing, no information, just two sad beings – me and the garden, so far away from each other.

And then I realized it’s going to be Valentine’s day and that made me feel even worse. So I’ve decided to pamper the garden – de-weed, add some extra gnu poop and mulch – that is my version of chocolates and teddy bears, garden style.

Yes, even us, the ‘cold-hearted’ anti-Valentine’s people feel for those who are left alone, with nobody to love them (oh so dramatic). I might be taking this whole gardening thing a little too serious some might say, but try spending so much time doing something that makes you extremely happy without falling in love with it.

So far I’m coping quite well with the I-don’t-want-to-leave-my-baby-garden-alone battle. We’ll see how it goes when we leave for Johannesburg on Friday – somebody might have to chain me to my seat. Ah but then I think about all the diving and all the plant-stealing opportunities and I’m excited!

Anyways, stay tuned for my tomorrow’s post – the war on cutworms has officially been waged!