Back to the forest....

Wednesday my quaking aspen birthday seeds arrived in the mail. I honestly don't know whether to be astonished or feel suckered. That's because when I opened the envelope, and the second and third successively smaller and smaller envelopes inside, I finally arrived at the most amazing thing - what is supposed to be 100 aspen seeds. I say supposedly because these things are microscopic in size.

So yesterday with the help of Mrs. Dada I diligently followed the directions provided, hoping someone, somewhere in Eugene, Oregon who had sent these seeds wasnn't laughing their ass off at my gullibility.

First, it says to keep the microbial aspens refridgerated. Done. Next, soak in water for six hours before planting. Done. In the meantime, I prepared the pots. I would start with a small grove of aspens (10). Experience dictates I will lose a percentage of these. But first, I had to find them!

Finally, there came the hardest part - planting. Reading glasses helped us locate the seeds. A magnifying glass was better. A microscope would have been best. Mrs. Dada devised a way to section three small pots into 4 quadrants each.

Now, incubating in the computer room window under a little morning sun, there's nothing to do but wait and see. Seven to fourteen days I am told. Is that how long it takes for a joke to wear off?