Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Of Strawberry Pots and Breaks

 This is my strawberry pot.

These are my strawberries.

Go figure.

This is a great analogy for my writing life at the moment. I'm still producing strawberries, but not as I'd hoped or planned. If I leave those strawberries growing from a crack, they'll become stunted, miserable things, the fruit not as palatable as it could be.

I need to get those strawberries back in the pot.

Consequently I'll be taking some time off from blogging. I'll definitely be back in full force for the April A-Z Challenge, or I may come back sooner. Those strawberries are tricksy things, so it's hard to say for sure. I hope you'll all forgive my absence. I'll still be around Twitter and Facebook and I'll occasionally pop in to visit.

So tell me, how are your strawberries growing?


91 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yeah, that figures!
Take some time off and get a lot done before the Challenge.

Old Kitty said...

Awww hope your strawberries perk up and give you a bounty of yummy fruit soon!!

Enjoy your break!! Take care
x

Terri Tiffany said...

Much better with my break. Hope yours goes well too.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Thanks Alex, Kitty, and Terri. I'll come back refreshed and inspired :)

Unknown said...

Have a nice break Lynda! We forget sometimes that tasty things need time and attention to grow. I've said before that I think writing and farming are very similar in many respects. I've been fortunate enough to have done a little of both in my life, and they each test one of my greatest flaws: impatience.

The funny thing is, I think it's the things that force us to focus on our weaknesses that strengthen us the most.

A little time away can do big things for our confidence and perspectives. We'll be hanging out until you return. :-)

Southpaw said...

I did not see that coming! Those willy strawberries!

Anonymous said...

Love the analogy, but I do hate when writing time just goes all over the place. Good luck sorting everything out! :)

Tonja said...

Strawberries are easy. Just move 'em and they'll be fine. I've moved mine several times. If only the writing were so easy. :)

shelly said...

Have a great break. Sometimes we just need to take one or two or three.,

Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly

Mel Kinnel (@TizMellyMel) said...

Have a great break and see you when you return.

Unknown said...

I hope you have a great break and get a lot of writing done. See you at the A-Z challenge.

Yolanda Renée said...

One year I planted 2 starts of the silver lace vine, it was meant to grow up the lattice and cover the outside of a building. I thought it would look lovely come September. But the plants disappeared, as did all the bulbs and other items I'd worked so hard to get into the ground. I blamed it on squirrels and other critters. Then come September I noticed my silver lace vine blooming in full glory in my neighbors yard, up and over the front of a 1930's derelict pick-up. The neighbor did not steal them, he's a bachelor who works on engines. He cuts his grass, he doesn't garden, and a fence separates our yards. So which one did it? Which little critter dug up and replanted my vine in his yard? Gosh I wish I knew. :)
I even have pictures of it -- I knew no one would believe me! After that I protected all new starts with wire. So far, it hasn't happened again. :)
Loved the strawberries moving to the more desirable area, a crack in the cement!
Enjoy your break!

Denise Covey said...

Lynda, your writing will find its way, as did those flourishing strawberries. I'm staying out of the A-Z this year. Spending that time on my WIPs. Unlike me, but I have to find my way too!

Unknown said...

Oh, the irony! I think nurturing your writing no matter where it originated can make it flourish into something awesome. Get those strawberries back in the pot!

Jamie @ Mithril Wisdom

Unknown said...

It seems your strawberries are rebelling and making a break for the great outdoors! Catch 'em quick!
Good luck with your A-Z Challenge in April. :-)

Cynthia said...

I still remember the amazing photos you posted for last year's A to Z Challenge. Are you going with such a theme again this year?

Sue Ann Bowling said...

Strawberries? With leaves like that?

DWei said...

My strawberries are fine. I just need to hunker down and get to work on them.

Bonnee Crawford said...

I haven't seen much life in my strawberry patch lately, but I'm hoping to change that soon :D This is a really adorable analogy. Hahaha go figure!

Anonymous said...

Great analogy. My strawberries are coming along in unexpected ways also - and so is our garden. We have surprise garlic which was planed over a year ago! Enjoy your time off & revel in the extra hours for more writing. See you in April!

Meradeth Houston said...

I hope you have a nice break! I know I could definitely use one (but book #2 comes out in a few weeks and that's just not going to happen right now...blah). Anyhow, best of luck transplanting strawberries :)

DEZMOND said...

that runaway plant looks more like a violet to me than strawberry :) I like the pot, those pots with numerous slots for plants are always charming especially when the plants start blooming and spreading leaves.

Loree Huebner said...

That is funny. The strawberries didn't want to be confined. Enjoy your break!

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Take all the time you need. Best of luck to your strawberries and see you on the A-Z challenge.

LTM said...

Breaks are SO necessary, Lynda! No worries! Best of luck growing those strawberries as they should be, and we'll see you when you're back~ :o) <3

Carol Riggs said...

Haaa, funny. Enjoy your well-deserved and much-needed break. Tend to those strawberries! The real ones as well as the writing ones. :)

D.M. SOLIS said...

Love the analogy! Yes, as Tonja says, if only writing were so easy!

Mark said...

Lol:) We have a similar issue with wild strawberries. My solution...grow both:)

Callie Leuck said...

Those pictures made me laugh. Poor strawberries!

Romance Book Haven said...

Haha! Love the analogy! But, did you notice, though the pot is empty-the starwberries are thriving where they are?

Nas

Murees Dupè said...

I completely understand how you feel about the strawberries not wanting to grow in the pot. My life is a mes right now, but I know I will sort things out soon. Best of luck with your strawberries and I hope you enjoy the time off.

Dean K Miller said...

Life (via strawberries) seems to be saying, "Look somewhere new. Success is here for, but maybe not where you expect.

I am diverging a bit as well and am glad I've followed the small break in the overgrowth to find a new path of my own.

The joys in life are a blessing, sometimes wrapped in a surprise.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I haven't decided yet, Cynthia :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

My neighbours are really generous. We share each other's weeds. There's also a possum who eats my neighbour's mandarins and leaves the leftovers in our yard. Gotta love those critters ;)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Well said. Thanks so much, EJ.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I think you made a smart move.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, it's an easy-to-grow type, but I've long forgotten the actual varity it is.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

good luck with finalising book 2, Meradeth.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

They are definitely not violets. Violets take one look at me and die.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

They are for the moment, but later down the track they'll wither since they have nowhere else to go.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Big hugs, Murees

Bethany Elizabeth said...

I can completely relate. :) Good luck with your strawberries!

DEZMOND said...

Oh, noes :)

Al Diaz said...

Best luck with the strawberries. I hope you get a lot done! :)

Rachna Chhabria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachna Chhabria said...

I nod my head at this post. My writing, actually am rewriting a book, plotting another and writing loads of features for newspapers is all driving me up the wall.

Carol Kilgore said...

OMG! I burst out laughing, and I'm still giggling. If I didn't kill the strawberries first, that is exactly how mine would grow and how my pot would look.

Go. Write.

See you in April!

Patsy said...

Plants, like plot lines don't always end up where we want them do they?

(btw, I've never see strawberry leaves like that - please do post a picture when they fruit)

Chancelet said...

I also feel that something's not potted right lately but haven't yet figured out what it is. I think things just got out of whack - missing a couple of days of church, not writing as much lately, exercise and eating habits changed this past week. It all boils down to a feeling of discombobulation.

I hope your time away, free from the need to blog, will give you the placement you're lacking.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Great analogy! (speaking of gardening) I had a similar problem with cilantro. I planted it in a pot and then next year it was growing everywhere, but in the pot.

Have a productive blog break. :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'll see what I can do :)

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, it usually is a collective of things not quite right in our lives, rather than just one thing. I hope you find a way to escape that discombobulation soon.

Suze said...

You have a lot of wisdom, Lynnie. Trust your instincts.

Susan Fields said...

Okay, that picture of the strawberries growing next to the pot is hilarious. Have a wonderful (and productive) break - see you when you get back!

Unknown said...

Take the time you need to tend to the garden of writing and life. I've pretty much reduced to once a week...and even then, it took me three days to notice you posted this. Yes, I understand busyness.

Hopefully you can still read Save the Cat and join in on that discussion March 20th. Bird by Bird went better than fantastic.

Will miss seeing your mug, but I'll tweet a "hey" every now and then.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Yep, I signed up for it. I really like Save the Cat and have a few things to say about it.

J.L. Campbell said...

I understand all too well what happens when we neglect our writing. Hope you get tasty strawberries growing again in no time.

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm not even sure the strawberries I've planted are growing as strawberries any more :) But as long as smoething's growing I think we're okay. Enjoy your time and I hope it's super productive!!

Arlee Bird said...

By all means get rested up for A to Z. Your strawberry dilemma is the story of my horticultural life. I've got a great pepper plant that seems to be indestructible.

Lee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wonderful analogy!!! I love it. We grow strawberries in our garden bed . . .and they like to take over in a wild kind of way. :-) And sometimes my writing is like that, and sometimes the ground looks a little too bare.
I'll miss seeing you around, but I'll look for you in April!

Jessica Ruud said...

I love the garden! Writers need to find time for other things...only thing to keep us sane :) Great blog.

Empty Nest Insider said...

Hope you have a great break. Looking forward to seeing you during A to Z.

Julie

Blue Grumpster said...

Great analogy, Lynda. My strawberries and bananas keep growing in my neighbor's garden. How's that for an analogy? ;)

emaginette said...

Happy repotting.

Melissa said...

Ha! That last photo illustrates my entire adult life--nothing going as I planned.

A break from cyber space is tempting. I'm trying to get my WIP finished and I'm sooo near the end! I may take a lesson from you. ;)

Christine Rains said...

Hehehe! Good luck repotting. Sometimes I feel the same way. Now I'm craving something sweet.

cleemckenzie said...

A perfect metaphor! I'd planned a break in March, but am having problems getting to it. Guess I'll just cut back--you know, kind of prune myself before the spring. :-)

PK HREZO said...

Those darn berries just grow wherever they want don't they. And I do like the Gollum reference. ;)

I'm with you! I need some time off too. But I'll be back for A-Z too. Hope to see you round the web til then! :)

M Pax said...

I have one strawberry ripened. Others are ready to bloom. I'll get at those this week.

Enjoy some time off.

Charmaine Clancy said...

Enjoy your break. You're still doing better than me with the strawberries!

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

What a great comparison, and a hilarious photo. So typical. Enjoy your break!

Misha Gerrick said...

Great comparison. Mine are sort of spotty at the moment, but I am busy throwing some fertilizer on.

Best of luck with getting back on track. :-)

Shallee said...

Ha, love this analogy. And how did that happen with the strawberries, anyway? Hope your break is productive in the way it needs to be.

nutschell said...

lovely analogy. I need to start tending to my strawberry patch as well! Taking a bloggy break is a smart move :) Enjoy!
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Anonymous said...

Great shots!!! Have a good break!

Victoria Lindstrom said...

Hope you have a nice break, Lynda. I love your strawberry pot!

Victoria Marie Lees said...

A wonderful analogy, Lynda. Thanks for sharing it. Enjoy your break. You deserve it. By the way, I usually kill everything. Lucky you to have such a pretty strawberry plant...even if it is growing out of a crack. It's growing. Just like our stories. It doesn't matter where they take hold, so long as they grow to fruition.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I grew strawberries in the pot last year. I'm thinking the seeds dropped from a couple of strawberries I didn't pick.

Anonymous said...

How'd they get there?

Have a wonderful break before A to Z.

Mark Murata said...

My mother had me do some weeding in a backyard garden. I mistakenly uprooted some green onions she had planted. She didn't ask me to weed again.

Tara Tyler said...

that is so strange! perfect set up for analogy though!

enjoy your time off! see you when you get back =)

Nick Wilford said...

Get those strawberries back where they belong.

Enjoy your rest and looking forward to your A-Z posts!

Stephanie said...

Enjoy your blogging break and I wish you luck in getting your strawberries back in the pot, where they belong. See you in April.

T. Roger Thomas said...

Good for you. I've been growing garlic for the past several weeks. This was my first time growing garlic. Based on the fact that the amount of what I harvested is roughly the same as the mass of the bulbs I planted, I think I will need to devote more time to gardening if I plant to do it successfully. My next project to go in the ground will be onions.

Unknown said...

Wish you all the best, Lynda, and here's hoping you come back soon!


Daily(w)rite via IWSG

Sherry Ellis said...

Good luck with those strawberries!

Bish Denham said...

Breaks are good, breaks are needed. Although I've been posting, I haven't done much in the way of visiting around... I've been busy writing and isn't that what we writers are supposed to do? May your strawberries bloom and grow wherever you plant them!

Brett Minor said...

I hope you are enjoying your time off. Dropping my from A to Z Challenge. This is my first year participating.

Brett Minor
Transformed Nonconformist

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

My strawberries are a little ramble at present. :-)

Sabrina A. Fish said...

Isn't it amazing how something unexpected can produce something amazing? I bet those strawberries turn out delish! Enjoy your break and happy writing, lady!

D.M. SOLIS said...

Forgiven and affirmed. Peace and all good,

Diane