There's competition and there's competion

When I was getting ready to build my greenhouse, I met Amanda Howard at TCC in a class about building greenhouses. She sat by me, both of us felt the teacher was more college oriented than practical and she was near Kiefer while I am near Sapulpa. We ended the class and went our separate ways. After I got my greenhouse up, I decided to roam around the Snake Farm because she said her husband was posting signs - found one, called her and I asked if I could come visit her greenhouse - then invited her to see mine. Chance class lead to 16 years of she and I setting up side-by-side in Sand Springs and all the other herb festivals. She and I help each other. I recommended she sell scented geraniums and that's been her mainstay. She's watered for me, I her - a real competition between friends just means we help put up tents together, discuss problems, etc. It accidentally lead to me buying a very expensive bonsai that I thought my husband had admired when it was hers - the bonsai story will be for another time.

My competition isn't the small greenhouses or the local small nurseries but the box stores - Ace Hardware, Lowe's, WalMart, and even though Southwood isn't in line with them and their lack of plant knowledge, that's a hard store to compete against.

Tim and Annette Riherd called me several years ago - I remember many long phone calls as I finally told Tim, Dang, start a farmers market in Owasso - coming to Jenks is stupid. Sharon Owen of Moonshadow Gardens in Muskogee and I exchange emails - and we seek similar and different spiritual paths. Cheree Tietz grew small gardens on my place for two summers - now she's on her own in a yard in Jenks - and OMG - she's done so well.

BUT, and this is a big BUT, there are people who do not have hearts and do not have souls who will come and slither up to you and will speak sweet words of Praise the Lord, God must have put you in my path and then shove knives into your back and into the backs of many other hardworking wanna be farmers.

I am in the midst of obtaining a grant for bee ownership. I am a bee idiot although I am not a great scaredy cat about them. Yesterday Della's little girl landed on my arm and I said gently, do not hurt me as she then flew off. We stood our ground and her and Carl dumped new bees on the ground and slowing put new bees above the old. Awesome. I am making an official statement here - the bees that will be obtained with the grant will belong to the farm but the true owner will be the lady who will care for them. Ultimately, if we are harmed in a wreck, Della Smith will be the person who will take the hives and continue to care for them. She must be paid for her deligent work and the bees must pay her. She already fully outright owns two hives that she has already placed here and I have no rights to block her careful maintenance or keep her from removing said hives at her discretion.

Why all the officialness - because the one that slithers has lied to me and about me, has taken that which does not belong to them morally and not compensated another for hard work, website development, or signage painting. Those who claim to be farmers and use FFA groups to plant, or the labors of others without paying them for it and slither and lie and cheat and steal do not constitute competition but disgust.

There, now I feel better. Now, regarding training new growers - when that connection is met - like when young Bill asked for advice yesterday, bring them on. I am a good teacher. I'll help answer questions, I don't know all the answers but I own a lot of books. I am kinda opinionated (Nahhhhh,........ really ya think!) but I almost get kinda oddly frustrated when someone calls and wants stuff with this inner feeling that well, if you want that, why don't you go out and grow it.

Oh, Bob, regarding the Bee Keepers and Ag people - I mentioned to Sue Gray that the bee keepers need to come to the Horticulture Industry Show (HIS) at TCC in January - she almost fell out of her chair with the concept and said that was a brilliant idea. I hope this gets followed thru on - Carl told me that someone had asked that the bees be set until after pollination and then removed from the farm when pickers came in and he couldn't do it. I told him that too many of the farmers don't know enough about bees - and we don't. Time to learn.