Colleen over at In the Garden Online has tagged me for a meme: to tell seven random things about me. I must admit, I'm pretty thrilled, since this is the first time I've been tagged. Colleen did such a nice job with her post, I'm not sure that I'll be able to measure up, but I'm going to give it the old college try.
At the end of the post are the seven people I've tagged, so keep reading!
1. Except for 8 months right after college graduation, I've lived my entire life in Minnesota. (And those 8 months were spent in Madison, Wisconsin, not exactly worlds apart from Minnesota.) I have friends and work colleagues spread around the country, and I hear a lot of jokes about the weather. Most people sincerely wonder why anyone would live here. I sometimes wonder, too, but then I spend a magical July day on a north-country lake, or take the dog for a walk after a 10" snowfall, or walk through a woods in full autumnal splendor, and I just know that this is the right place for me, right now. I've been lucky enough to travel extensively in the US and to several other countries, and the only other place I would live is the Big Island of Hawaii. Or maybe the mountains of Colorado. Or Santa Fe. Okay, there are some other places I would live, but I think I would need to win the lottery first, because what would summer be without spending as much time as possible on a lake in Minnesota?
2. I really hate sage as a seasoning, but I grow it in the garden. There's something about the smell and taste that makes me nauseous. Whenever a recipe calls for sage I substitute thyme. However, I grow it in the garden because I like the silvery leaves and lavender flowers.
3. I own my own business which focuses on software and technology
for the architectural, engineering and construction marketplace. I also
went to graduate school to study literature (specifically, 20th century
American fiction). While I was there I taught composition and was a
teaching assistant in various literature classes. Somehow, these two
experiences have more in common than you would think. In the end, being
a (good) boss is very similar to being a (good) college teacher - you
need to inspire, hold people accountable,and give them the tools they need while getting out of the way of the "real" work. You also must
let people make their own mistakes, show them how to fix those
mistakes, and let them go on their own way somewhere else if they continue to make
those mistakes.
4. Someday I want a little cabin on a lake or a river that I can decorate in a kitschy 1930's/40's style and surround with old-fashioned perennials.
5. Plants I feel I must have but don't - yet -are lilacs, roses, bridal wreath spirea, clematis, native woodland spring ephemerals, and an 8-10' pine tree that I can decorate with Christmas lights.
6. The garden book that has had the most influence on me is Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards, by Sara Stein. I've read it at least five times, and it changed the way I think about gardening and caring for our little patch of earth. Although I am not as much a purist as Stein (see #5 above - my most-coveted plants are mostly non-native), the idea that each one of us can help to rebuild some of the native biodiversity lost over a few centuries of agriculture and development is a powerful one.
7. I just realized this weekend that I haven't planted any basil or rosemary yet! What was I thinking? This huge oversight must be remedied before the week is out!
Here is the list of people I've tagged. I look forward to reading your posts!
Kathy at Cold Climate Gardening
El at Fast Grow the Weeds
Marc at Garden Desk
Kris at Gardens by the Lake
Ali at Henboggle
Deb at Sand Creek Almanac
Kim at A Study in Contrasts
Here are the rules:
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People
who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7
random facts as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and
list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment
for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to
read the blog.
I loved reading your 7 things! You know, now that you mention it, sage isn't exactly my favorite herb either, but I always grow it. It's just a pretty plant, and we can appreciate it as such :-)
I haven't read Noah's Garden, but it is on the (rather long...) Books I Want to Read list. And, yes, you MUST get a lilac! Don't even get me started...
Great list!
Posted by: Colleen | June 25, 2007 at 11:47 AM
Colleen's 7 random things all seemed to revolve around gardening, but I take it it doesn't have to be that way?
I duly acknowledge the tag, but it may be a while before I post on it. Just so you don't think I'm ignoring you.
Posted by: Kathy | June 25, 2007 at 08:35 PM
Lovely list! I don't know if I have 7 more things to share, but I could copy your entire #1 answer and just change the state names. :)
Posted by: Kim | June 25, 2007 at 09:24 PM
Hi Tracy
I got this tag a while back and the 7 Things were all kind of oddball things about yourself. I like the way you've answered your 7 things: random, yet revealing! And gardening as a theme; there's a load more than 7 things I could share. So I will try to do it today...thanks for thinking of me!
Posted by: El | June 26, 2007 at 07:34 AM
Hi Tracy - thanks for tagging me - I love your 7 things!! My parents are visiting, so may be a little while before I post a list (seems to be a common theme!). Pretty sure mine won't be as eloquently put as yours - very nice!
Posted by: kris | June 26, 2007 at 02:38 PM
Colleen: I'm not quite sure why I don't have a lilac yet. Actually, I am - I've been so uptight about getting the design for the area in which it will go "just right" that I haven't finished the design. However, I think I've got the basic idea and will be ready to start planting it this September. I just can't believe I've lived in this house almost 8 years without lilacs!
Kathy: You can make your 7 things whatever you like, and you can do it or not - it's up to you. So no, I don't think you're ignoring me - and if you did, that would be okay, too. :)
Kim: It's sort of cool to feel so "patriotic" about the community you're from, isn't it? I love having a deeply rooted sense of place.
El: I loved your list.
Kris: Whenever you have time, or if not, okay. Saw the pictures of your parents on your dock - looks like good time and margaritas were had by all!
Posted by: Tracy | June 26, 2007 at 06:05 PM
Thank You Tracy for picking me! I finally got my 7 things posted!
BTW, you have inspired me to get a copy of Noah's Garden to read.
Thanks again!
Posted by: Marc @ GardenDesk | June 28, 2007 at 10:13 PM
Thanks, Marc. I read your post - great! I'm also glad I could inspire you to read Noah's Garden. I hope you find it as cool as I did.
Posted by: Tracy | June 29, 2007 at 01:28 PM