gardening, Nature, Stories

I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation

51 Comments

I stopped at Bachmans early on Saturday morning to get a few tomato cages, in a hopefully not vain effort to keep Guinevere out of my lily garden. It took me quite some time to find a parking spot; it was amazing to me that so many people were there with so many uncertain weather weeks ahead of us. I made an offhand remark about how crowded it was when I was checking out.  The cashier nodded and said “People were lined up outside this morning when we opened.  It’s the Lily Society weekend.”

I purposed don’t keep track of this weekend because goodness knows I have enough lilies. In the looks department, irises are my favorite but in all the other departments (sturdiness, variety of color, quickness to spread), lilies take the cake.  And I have plenty.  Last summer my neighbor said “it looks like the lilies are having a color war in your yard”.

I almost turned back twice before I got to my car, thinking of the varieties, the colors, the low price.   Bachmans was in my rear-view mirror before long and I breathed a sigh of relief.

But I still have to get through Sunday!

What tempts you?

51 thoughts on “I Can Resist Everything Except Temptation”

  1. Rise and Cave to Temptation Baboons!

    Bachman’s is The Worst when it comes to temptation at the end of winter–the pansy bowl sitting on the front patio would be a living testament. I did, however, dial down the intensity of my response to Bachman’s Siren presentation by purchasing a pansy pack at $6.95 which I planted at home, rather than falling for the very expensive pre-planted pansy bowls which were skillfully marketed at either $21.95 or $26.95. What a mark-up! So I am feeling thrifty and self-righteous. And in a few weeks, as the tulips, irises, and peonies bloom, I will utterly lose interest in the modest pansies.

    Such is the power of sex in the botanical world, which we gleefully sow in our gardens for all to see. Plants are just so immodest. They display no self-control at all.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

  2. Shoes. I probably don’t need any more shoes, but I was at Target yesterday trying on all kinds of cute things to take on our trip. So far I haven’t bought any of them, but the day is yet young, and Target is not far from here..

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  3. CDs of folk music. The last Alison Krauss new music CD was ten years ago. She just put out Windy City. There’s a wonderful singer from Massachusetts who sounds like she never set foot outside of West Virginia. Lori McKenna has a beautifully written new CD called The Bird and the Rifle. Rhiannon Giddens is a beautiful woman who sings with amazing power. Her Freedom Highway will knock you back in your chair. One of the most consistently listenable voices of our time is Eliza Gilkyson. Last year she put out a great album called The Nocturne Diaries.

    My new favorite folk artist, Gretchen Peters, recently issued a sort of “best of” album called The Essential Gretchen Peters. She will tour a bit this year with Eliza Gilkyson and Mary Gauthier. Damn, that would be amazing! If you don’t know her stuff, here’s a sample:

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

        2. I assume the “it” you tried out is Gretchen Peters. Yes, she is special. A few of our best songwriters actually craft short stories or poems as they write songs, compressing a great deal of story telling into a small space. Peters is that kind of song writer. Examples of literate and compelling songs she wrote include Woman on the Wheel, Five Minutes, On a Bus to St Cloud, the Matador and many others.

          Liked by 1 person

  4. The nursery in Carlton sells every imaginable plant. I’m saved only because our cabin home is limited for interior plants as well as those i put out doors. I have a window box and an ancient wheelbarrow to fill each spring. But it is too early and I’m not yet home so the temptation is not there. However, the moment I return it will be. I’m limitied as they must be shad tolerant…only a couple of hours of direct sun so I usually repeat the impantiemt arrangements. They do give a lot of color. My “flower beds” are on there own….plants that survived my neglect when unable to garden…and some the birds planted. I’ve much color throughout the blooming seasons.

    My other temptation is good ice-cream. The only brand I buy in store is Hagen däs as it is the only one with basic ingredients….no gum etc added. I ususualy purchase vanilla bean….any of the extras and I’m likely to sit and consume more than a ‘serving’….and it’s always best consumed right from the container!

    When we make our move here I will be tempted by indoor plants as well as outdoor….depending on where we make home…

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply

      2. I love Ben & Jerries…but there are so many goodies in them that it’s difficult to put down! Those are the times when I can sit with the container and nearly finish!

        Like

        Reply

  5. The produce aisles at some stores are pretty irresistible to me. I’m especially tempted by the Asian markets because, in addition to being reasonably priced, they offer a selection of exotic greens and other items not reliably found in other markets. The Mississippi Market’s produce section is wonderful too, but pricey. I shop there only when I feel flush, and that doesn’t happen that often. But when I do, I find they have an excellent cheese selection that I have a hard time resisting. The Cheese Shop on Grand Avenue (near Snelling) is another great temptation if you’re prepared to splurge.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

        2. I notice that you carefully avoid telling us what it is. Are you holding out for some sort of commercial endorsement?

          Like

    2. Hey Chris, a question came up yesterday at Book Club. “When writing a book, do all writers have in the back of their mind – movie rights?” Since you are the published fiction writer in our midst, we thought we’d ask you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. I’m not a novelist, vs, but I think I can answer. If the lead male and female characters express admiration for each other’s character, the writer wasn’t thinking of movie rights. If they have sex, probably yes.

        If memory serves, the leads in Chris’s book did have sex!

        Like

        Reply

      3. I wouldn’t say all writers have movie rights in the backs of their minds. Probably only genre fiction writers who write similar stories to those that have made it to the big screen.

        Non-fiction? probably not. Experimental fiction that may not tell a story, or tells it in an “unusual way” (i.e.- incomprehensible to movie producers)? Probably not. Memoirists? Only if their story is intriguing enough and resonates with millions of people who might be enticed to watch the movie.

        I don’t necessarily THINK movie rights when I’m writing, and it’s not my ultimate goal when writing. But I DO envision movie scenes as I write. Helps me with settings, descriptions of surroundings and what characters may look like.

        Creative non-fiction? Since “Eat, Pray, Love” is the only recent movie of that genre that comes to mind, I’d say probably not since Hollywood doesn’t seem to be clamoring for those sorts of stories.

        And even though I graduated from HS with Joel Coen and maybe talked to Ethan Coen once or twice (two years behind Joel in school), we weren’t even remotely close to being friends, so I’d never pitch them Castle Danger based on such a tenuous and ancient relationship. But I’d certainly take their calls if they came across the book in some other way! 🙂

        Chris in O-town

        Like

        Reply

  7. I can’t resist the allure of Dutch bulbs and German bearded Iris. Husband and I have no more room for perennials but it is hard to not squeeze one more in.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I used to have that allure…looking through catelogues to find old bulbs to plant & naturalize the little woods and some in the rock beds…but moles & voles got to all 229 planted that year. The company sent me replacements and told me what to do to guard against the thieving critters. It was a lot of work but I followed instructions and planted the 229 replacements….THREE survived. From then on I planted no more bulbs.

      Like

      Reply

  8. Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam have the most spectacular display of spring flowers I have ever seen. In early May of 1962 when I was riding my bike from Basel to Copenhagen, I rode through parts of Holland just as the tulips fields were blooming. It’s a breathtaking display of color.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. what do i have s hard time resisting

    i feel that way about so many things and not that way at all about others

    potato chips are like booze cigarettes and pistachios
    i get started and it’s hard to stop

    i bought m&ms for easter last week and my wife put them in a bowl and i grab 10 every time i walk by
    i had 2 peanut butter jars get toward the bottom and be proclaimed dead by my son so i got out the silicone spatula and got every last wisp of peanut butter into a dish and that sits on the counter right next to the m&ms
    its amazing how immodest m&ms and peanut butter are together they just do one big orgy in my mouth multiple times a day
    i used to do it with chocolate chocolate chip ice cream and deal peanut butter then ice cream started kicking my ass so i had to stop
    i like sex and cigars that way and hope i never hit a point where they start kicking my bass and take the enjoyment out of it

    morning hot tubs are getting great with the birds and squirrels joining in

    i am tempted by a golf course on a perfect day
    i am tempted by a perfect day ( 10 a year to notice and put an x on)

    the power of a dream to lead me forward to my true desires

    the gift of friends to put my feet up and enjoy the moment instead of doing the hundred things on my to do list

    garlic cheese bread
    it hurts so good

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. I used to keep a detailed spreadsheet of where I was spending my money. I tracked everything. It was pretty instructive, and pointed out to me a lot of areas in which I was buying for the lifestyle I aspired to rather than the one I actually had. To this day, I try to remind myself where those weak spots are in my wall of frugality. If I’m not careful, I tend to overbuy things like fresh produce and kitchen gadgets, because I imagine having loads of time and energy to spend whipping up tasty creations in the kitchen. Or I buy container annuals in the spring, picturing myself going out every morning with a watering can tending the pretty blooms. I’m tempted by fresh flowers, even though I know the cats consider it their mission to knock over vases and chew on the greenery. And I’m always picking up books thinking I’ll have long weekends to lounge on the couch reading.

    Real life doesn’t look like I think it should in my imagination.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. would you like my drip irrigation components if i run into them
      there are two or three fistfuls of bubblers and tooka tooka sprinklers

      Like

      Reply

        1. drip irrigation is a series if hoses the size of your ring finger with offshoots going to individual plants and regions the bubblers leave puddles on a micro levels to water individual plant roots with cups not gallons of water per session and the tooka tooka sprinkler is a mini impulse sprinkler that sprinkles and sends a stream across the top of the berries and annuals without having to take out a watering can
          just set the water timer and it starts at 6 and is done at 630 with a mini measure dose of water rather than the usual deluge of overwatering to last the day and cover the whole area at hand

          Liked by 1 person

    2. I have found the library a wonderful way to deal with the temptation of cookbooks. I used to have several dozen cookbooks and I got rid of most of them when I realized that even if I tried one new recipe every day, I would never get to the end of all the cookbooks. Every once in a while I hear of a cookbook that sounds interesting and I order it from the library. Almost invariably it sits on the shelf untouched for three weeks until it is time to return it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to tim Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.