Today I Speak Of Salad Tongs and Salad Bongs.

I've always enjoyed being a stay at home mom to my kids. Now that they are grown and have their own lives, I really miss the time I used to spend with them. Never mind this "quality time" bullshit, I miss the "quantity time." The long afternoons spent just hanging out doing not much of anything, but having fun nonetheless.

The two youngest boys, 20 and 22, are still living at home and I approached one of them the other day with an idea. "Scott, we are both busy these days, but I'd like to be more intentional about making time to do things together. What do you think about us finding a hobby that we could share that would take up a couple of hours per week?" He thought about it for a second and said, "What did you have in mind, Mom?" I had already given this a great deal of thought and was ready with an answer. "Well, when I was young, MY mom loved to grow things. We always had beautiful house plants and flowers and a garden. She actually owned a flower shop before she got married. I think it would be fun for you and I to do some gardening together." Scott had a bit of a smirk on his face when I suggested that and I know why. I've NEVER had my mother's green thumb. I've killed every live plant that has ever attempted to live in my house. Even my silk plants die -- of dust. "Gardening? Really, mom. Ok, let's do it. Can I pick out the stuff we'll grow?, asked Scott. Thrilled that he came on board so easily, I agreed and off he went to Home Depot to find some seeds.

I must say that this has been one of my better ideas. I found myself running out to our sunroom every morning to see if anything had sprouted and both Scott and I watered and fertilized and composted and tended our little plants like they were babies. Scott was vegan for a while and worked in a raw food restaurant for a bit, so I wasn't surprised when he said he wanted to start out with some fancy varieties of lettuce. I thought that was a great idea, as lettuce is wonderful for salads and sandwiches and garnishes. The best part? Scott says that this variety of lettuce can be dried and smoked! Isn't science wonderful? He says they make beautiful glass salad bongs, just for this stuff. Before long, we had a beautiful garden full of the most beautiful "lettuce". I can't wait for it to be mature enough to eat. Or smoke. Mostly though, I've enjoyed spending time again with my youngest son. Most boys would not think it "cool" to hang out gardening with his mother, but Scott's enthusiasm for this new hobby surprised us all. I would have thought he'd be embarrassed by it, but he's actually brought his friends over and they've actually admired the fruits of our labor.

The moral of this story is this: It is never too late to reconnect with your kids in a meaningful way. I often read about how kids these days don't want to do anything unless there is something in it for them. Scott and I are living proof that this is not always the case. Attached is a photo of our first crop of a variety of greens called "Devil's Lettuce." I plan to make a salad from it next week for a dinner party I"m attending. Life is good.