A Love For Gardening

Seeing my neighbor across the way in his garden I walked over to the fence to talk
He has always offered good practical advice, especially about gardening

Those tomatoes are looking good, I said, to start a conversation

     “They could use a little more water, but it might rain Thursday.”

I small talked the rest of his garden ending back at “Those tomatoes are nice.”

     “They’re coming along good, but they’ve still got a little ways to go.”

I decided to drop the bomb. I said, I’m thinking about leaving my wife

     “A good garden doesn’t just happen by itself and it doesn’t happen overnight.”

I’ve finally had enough and I can’t take this anymore

     “The key to a good garden is being a good gardener.”

We don’t seem to get along anymore, kind of just fell out of love

     “You have to be willing to get dirty, get on your hands and knees, pull lots of weeds.”

It’s like she ignores me or is only tolerating me, she doesn’t act like she loves me

     “You have to know when to plant, when to water, and when to fertilize.”

I guess I have just given up on the whole thing, I’m done

     “You have to use a good pesticide so your crop can have a chance to grow and mature.”

 All we do is fuss and fight, I’m miserable

     “You have to work in a garden every day to develop healthy plants with strong roots.”

She doesn’t listen, I don’t know where we went wrong

     “You have to pick off the dead leaves and do a little pruning every once in a while.”

I think we’ve gone too far, I think it’s just over

     “You have to put stakes in the ground to support the plants so they don’t fall over.”

Have you got any advice for someone in my situation?

     “Plant on the low side of the chicken house, so it will stay fertilized every time it rains.”

You’re probably right, putting up with her crap will make me a stronger person in the end.
I should to go unpack my suitcase before she comes home

He just tipped his hat, shook his head and went back to hoeing