Adrian: Amateur Gardener

So I have something new in my life.  That would be a girlfriend.  I think it's as big of a surprise to me as it is to everyone else.  And then to add to the surprises she moved only three miles from me.  I couldn't really blame her as her old place was not very nice.  It was also in a not so nice section of a town that was far away from both her work and favorite hangout. 

She is renting a mobile home that sits on a 1/3 of an acre of property.  She really wanted it for her dog who needs some space to run around.  He's a little over two years old, but he still acts like a puppy.  So this place works out really good for both of them, as she doesn't have to put up with apartment type neighbors and he gets to run around and exercise.

The people who rented before her did their best to destroy the place.  That's what the landlord flat out told us.  He was more than happy to rent to my girlfriend in that, she expressed an interest in rebuilding the place inside and out.  She talked to him about adding plants to the place, as it is kind of sparse.  He was all in favor of that, and told her she could do whatever she wanted as far as plants were concerned.

And this is where I come in.  I am good at manual labor, but I have to admit that I am an amateur gardener.  The only gardening that I have been successful at it online playing Wizard 101.

So I was told to come up with a plan.  I have given it a lot of thought, and have come up with four spots to start off with. 

First I have to contend with what is available.  There is a lot of land, but due to the heavy cover of oak trees it is mostly a barren sandlot.

That's okay.  I will just have to get creative.  I was thinking of running/building a wooden fence along the front of the house. 

My girlfriend knows someone who knows someone, and can get me some leftover two by fours.  It may look a little odd until I slap some paint on it.  Then it will start to look spiffy. 

I was thinking about planting some giant bromeliads behind the fence/ in front of the house.  Those things will grow in anything down here in Florida.

Next to them/ around them would be a good place to start growing some Aloe Vera plants.  My girlfriend has always had them, and they are really useful to have around.

 

 

Then to spice up the color a little I would add some of those small floppy ear type plants.  I'll admit, I have no idea what the different ones of them are called.  But I do have a bunch of plant people I know who can tell me what they are.  All I have to do is show them this picture.

 



So that's what I am thinking for the front.  When I say from the front, I mean from the house door and going left.  That's the longest part of the house.  From the door going right is a nice small spot.  However I think I have an idea.  I am thinking of doing a raised bed.  There are a couple ways to do this.  The first is kind of simple and involves using concrete blocks.  It looks like this.

That's simple enough, and won't take much time to put together.  Then there's the other way.  It involves using red bricks.  It would be a bit more expensive, and take more time to put together, but it would look sweet.

 

Okay, that takes care of the front.  I was thinking of using the front for the decorative plants.  However, the one thing my girlfriend really wants is a herb garden.  There could be a few vegetables thrown in there, but mainly for herbs.

 



However due to having a dog it would need to be fenced in.  I do like this type of fencing.

But I have to be honest, the dog is really, really good at jumping.  He's also really good at building up speed and jumping.  So that kind of fence isn't going to stop him.  I was thinking of putting up the wooden type fence that would match the front fence, and then stapling chicken wire to it.

The next step involves planting tomatoes.  As you look at the property, the very front right corner has a lot of sunlight hitting it.  It's the only place where grass grows on the property.  I thinking about setting up a raised bed strictly for tomato plants.

The plant would be able to get a fair amount of sunlight there.  Not too much, not too little.  And the good news about Florida is that, we get crazy amounts of rain all year long.  And anytime tomatoes get rain, they grow till they want to explode. 

So that's the four main ideas I have for garden beds.  I don't think I would be overdoing it.  I am trying to stick with plants that are native and not hard to raise.  I am lucky in that, I have a lot of people around me who know the ins and outs of plants.  I may not know much about plants, but I am good for the manual labor.  With those things combined, I feel that this garden will be a success.

Adrian Gets Along With Women Online As Well As He Does In Real Life

There is a reason I am single.  I admit I am just a tad difficult to get along with.  I've also been told that my "Adrianess" is a little too strong for most people to take, including my own family.  So while I have female acquaintances, I don't have too many female friends.

This is mainly due to my lack of patience.  While most guys are used to talking rough to each other, when you do it to a woman, she gets really mad when you show irritation.  And let's be honest, I show my irritation on my sleeves. 

So what does this have to do with women online?  Well it starts with this little RPG online game called Wizard101.  I play it instead of World of Warcraft since Wizard101 is more family friendly, and has tighter controls on what players can do and say.  But since it is considered a "family friendly game a lot of kids play it.

Since I don't have kids, I'm not used to dealing with them.  I had kind of forgot that kids will be kids, and it's something you have to get used to.  I also have to remember that I am over two decades away from remembering how kids used to be.  Now kids have access to all sorts of technology that I didn't have growing up.

The thing that surprised me was how kids on Wizard101 would say they "needed a girl/boy."  I thought they needed someone to complete a mission.  What I didn't know was that the filters won't let you say "boyfriend/girlfriend."  So I went up to one girl who was looking for a boy, and had this conversation.

Adrian Lightheart (my game name):  I'm a boy, did you need help?

Her:  (No answer)

Adrian:  Did you need help with a mission?

Her:  I'm looking for a boy.

Adrian:  I'm a boy.

(Pointless banter goes on for a few minutes before this exchange):

Her:  Hey, you came up to me.

Adrian:  Yes I did.  You asked for help, and I came over here to help you with a mission.  And I am a boy.

Her:  I'm looking for a cute boy.

Interjection for a moment:  All of our characters look the same except for clothing, skin tint, and hair.

Adrian:  My dragon thinks I'm cute.

Interjection again.  I ride a giant dragon around the Wizard101 neighborhood.  It's like driving a 1970 Cadillac, in that, it's huge and everyone can see it for miles around.

Her:  Are you weird?

At that time another friend of mine transported to me, and asked for my help.  So I kind of left the conversation with the girl who didn't think I was cute.

But it was another conversation that showed I still had my way with women, in the only way Adrian knows how.  Badly.

So I became friends with this girl Hannah (her game name) on Wizard101.  She was nice, and was always interested in helping with my missions.  Actually she was happy to do any sort of game activity.  I think she liked to sit on the back of my dragon.  It's a two seater.  Honestly, here's a picture of one.  (Not me, but the picture of the dragon is the same so you can get the idea.)

 

 

So one night as I am playing we have the following conversation:

 

Hannah:  Do you have a girl(friend)?

 

Adrian:  No, I am single.  I don't have a girl.  I almost had a wife once.

 

Hannah:  I could be your girl.

 

Adrian:  Well, I am a lot older than you.  I'm old enough to be a Dad.  My age rhymes with "dirty sticks.'

 

(Sidenote:  Wizard101 won't let you type in numbers.  I don't know why.  Everyone just finds ways around the system.)

 

Hannah:  Well, it could just be for on here.

 

Adrian:  Society tends to frown on that.  People go to jail for that sort of thing.

 

Hannah:  Oh, okay.  Well goodnight Dad.

 

From the way she types and what she says I think she is around 10-12.  I also think she's in Europe due to the time she plays online. 

 

So one time we are playing, and I ask her if I can help her out with any quests.  Since she has helped out on a bunch of mine, I thought I could help her through hers since she is only level 11.  (Note: At this time I am level 33.)  Since she only wants to help on my missions I explain to her that her that at her levels she needs better armor and weapons.  I even take her to the best shop in the game, and explain that she doesn't have an amulet, ring, or knife equipped.  She could up her stats a lot by just equipping something.  She is also equipped with beginner's armor.  So I tell her to get better stuff from the Bazaar.

 

I explain this to her three times.  She just stands there and doesn't say anything to me.  This goes on for five minutes.  I then start to lose my patience. 

 

Adrian:  Hannah, are you there?

 

Hannah:  Yes.

 

Adrian:  Did you understand anything I just said?

 

Hannah:  (nothing.)

 

Adrian:  Because I feel like I am talking to a brick wall here.

 

And it right when that message got plastered on the screen that Hannah went running out of the Bazaar as fast as she could.  I didn't hear from her for a few minutes, but then I get this message:

 

Hannah:  I still wanna be friends, but I don't wanna play no more at this time.

 

Adrian:  Okay.

 

Hannah:  I'm going to be at my house.

 

(Sidenote:  We all have our own dorms or houses in the game.)

 

Adrian:  Okay.

 

A few minutes go by and I get this message.

Hannah:  Cry :(

 

So she is crying, and sending me a frowny face.  This is why I am single.  So I don't have to put up with over-emotional women.  Instead of sending a message enlightening her to the fact that "crying is emotional blackmail," I don't say anything.

 

Five minutes later she show up to where I am.  She wants to continue on the missions.  I ask her,

 

Adrian:  Are you mad or something.

 

Hannah:  No.

 

It's like the emotional hurricane of a PMSing woman meets a pre-teen.  It's not a pretty sight.  But the funny thing is she is still a good gaming partner/player.  And she just kind of goes with the flow when it comes to whatever mission is up next.  It really is it's own little world, and I've got to learn the rules of it.