Sorry for missing last week. We went to Illinois for a family reunion and we were travelling all day last Thursday. I meant to post later, but we were so busy visiting people and eating food (I sometimes forget just how Italian my family is) that I just passed out every time we got back to our hotel. We had a great time, though.
I have a lot going on this week. God opened a door for me to live ten minutes away from the school I’ll be working at, and while I’m not thrilled about living 45 minutes away from my parents again, I’m grateful for the shorter commute. I’ll be (hopefully) moving in sometime around August 1. I bought moving boxes yesterday, along with a few more things I’ll need for my new place. I’m also collecting furniture. I got a bookcase from Facebook Marketplace for $15, and I found a perfectly good bedframe and end table on the side of the road. I’m sort of conflicted about getting a TV. I don’t watch TV much, but I don’t want to be lonely and I’m not allowed to have pets. I’m wondering if having Star Trek on in the background while I live life would help me at all.
Since living alone is something I’m not necessarily good at, I’ve been doing some research. There are way too many articles about how to feel less lonely while living alone, but most of them agree that houseplants are a good idea. I’ve been growing plants ever since I’ve been allowed to have dirt in my bedroom, and my dad had a tomato patch when I was a kid. So luckily, I have a bit of experience with plants. And I seem to have been accidentally blessed with a useful and weirdly intelligent plant. If you follow me on social media, you’ve likely seen pictures of Benny the Bean.
Earlier this month, I decided to cook some dried beans. It’s a long process that involves soaking the beans overnight, then boiling them for a couple of hours. But one particular bean decided to sprout. I gave it half an ounce of attention, planting and watering it, then abandoned it for six days for my trip to Illinois. It probably grew eight inches while I was gone, and it’s nearly two feet tall as I’m typing this. I named it Benny the Bean Plant.
Now for the “weirdly intelligent” part. Yesterday, I went to my grandfather’s house to do his laundry and mentioned that I’d probably have to stake Benny. My grandfather went to poke around in his garage and we found a metal rod of some sort. I stuck it in the pot next to Benny, and within a matter of hours Benny was wrapped around the rod. It’s been something like 29 hours and Benny is wrapped THREE TIMES around the rod.
Did God make all bean plants this smart? Or is it just Benny? I don’t know, but I’m impressed with his spatial awareness. I’m excited to keep watching him grow, and I’m glad that I’ll have him as a friend when I move out.
I don’t have a green thumb. I had tomato plants that did produce and then I did not water them and the died. I grew a nice pineapple though and it tasted good.