TheDarkHorseOne
Sapling
Howdy, folks. I'm TheDarkHorseOne, but my friends call me TDHO. Settle in for a sec, 'cuz I'm going to tell you my bonsai story, novice that I am.
Back about 20-25 years ago, I was living in a dump of a studio apartment in a rather seedy area of Indianapolis. The only reason this is relevant is because of trash disposal... I know, it's odd, but hear me out. In such a place, you have many different folks using the same dumpster. Well, I was slogging my refuse to the nearest one to my apartment, and I found a curiosity. Perched precariously on a pittance of pounded pyrite (iron actually, or better, steel, but pyrite fit the alliteration better, and I'm a fan, heh) was this little tree in a little pot. Now, in order for me to heave my rubbish into the bin, I had choices. Give it the old push and let the tree fall in, pot and all, or move it. Now me, I'm a curious sort, so I moved it out of the way and did my due diligence with the trash, and then pondered the tree in a little pot. Hmmmmmnnnn. What is this cute little thing? As curious folks are wont to do, I took it with me back to my apartment and studied it. In retrospect, I think it was a boxwood and it had all these little branches and leaves and, well, it intrigued me. Enough so that I went to the nearest half price books to see if anything would cover this new discovery of mine, that was someone else's. The closest thing I could find was a book about bonsai. Turned out to be the correct thing, eh? Heheh. So, I went about trying to keep this dead tree that I found alive. Oh yes, it was dead, folks, that's why it was balanced precariously on the edge of the dumpster, but I didn't know that. The leaves were still green, after all, heheh.
But that little discovery kindled an interest in me that would last to this day.
Fast forward to about 10 years ago, and here's me in love and moving to Seattle for a girl... I never said I was smart... Given there are some here familiar with the area, it was actually Gig Harbor that I moved to, but the vicinity, for all intents and purposes, is vaguely accurate. I lived in the same clump of non-moving traffic (have they fixed that yet?). Anyway, that was where the kindled interest got some wind and stood alight again for me. I visited the Pacific Rim bonsai collection multiples of times, and started gathering tools and literature to start my new hobby. The relationship lasted 6 months, and my time there, a year. In the mean, I had purchased many a plant that I had hoped would become bonsai, but I didn't want to risk them the drive back here to the mid-west, so again, the fire turned to ember.
So, on to the present. Interest burst to flame as I got into the 21st century by moving beyond dial up... I never said I was smart... and found Bonsai on You Tube, heheh. All those tools and books gathering dust suddenly were clean as a whistle as I pored over them lovingly in anxious expectation of once again starting this hobby in earnest. I have a Japanese Maple and a Boxwood on my front porch as we speak. The Maple has extremely nice nebari for a small tree, and the Boxwood was an 8 dollar experiment. I defoliated the Maple recently, as it was all burnt up by the heat here in Indy, and it's coming back like gangbusters with deep purple foliage all over the place. The Boxwood has been trimmed way back, and I'm on the verge of wiring it and possibly trying to pot it in...
Well, you see, there was this little tree in a small blue pot on the edge of a dumpster... Yes, I still have the pot. I hope to give it better than it's cousin ever had, and basically, that's why I'm here!
I didn't expect this to be a James Michener novel, but I can be rather garrulous, heheh.
Pleasure to meet you all and be here. Thanks for reading.
TDHO
Back about 20-25 years ago, I was living in a dump of a studio apartment in a rather seedy area of Indianapolis. The only reason this is relevant is because of trash disposal... I know, it's odd, but hear me out. In such a place, you have many different folks using the same dumpster. Well, I was slogging my refuse to the nearest one to my apartment, and I found a curiosity. Perched precariously on a pittance of pounded pyrite (iron actually, or better, steel, but pyrite fit the alliteration better, and I'm a fan, heh) was this little tree in a little pot. Now, in order for me to heave my rubbish into the bin, I had choices. Give it the old push and let the tree fall in, pot and all, or move it. Now me, I'm a curious sort, so I moved it out of the way and did my due diligence with the trash, and then pondered the tree in a little pot. Hmmmmmnnnn. What is this cute little thing? As curious folks are wont to do, I took it with me back to my apartment and studied it. In retrospect, I think it was a boxwood and it had all these little branches and leaves and, well, it intrigued me. Enough so that I went to the nearest half price books to see if anything would cover this new discovery of mine, that was someone else's. The closest thing I could find was a book about bonsai. Turned out to be the correct thing, eh? Heheh. So, I went about trying to keep this dead tree that I found alive. Oh yes, it was dead, folks, that's why it was balanced precariously on the edge of the dumpster, but I didn't know that. The leaves were still green, after all, heheh.
But that little discovery kindled an interest in me that would last to this day.
Fast forward to about 10 years ago, and here's me in love and moving to Seattle for a girl... I never said I was smart... Given there are some here familiar with the area, it was actually Gig Harbor that I moved to, but the vicinity, for all intents and purposes, is vaguely accurate. I lived in the same clump of non-moving traffic (have they fixed that yet?). Anyway, that was where the kindled interest got some wind and stood alight again for me. I visited the Pacific Rim bonsai collection multiples of times, and started gathering tools and literature to start my new hobby. The relationship lasted 6 months, and my time there, a year. In the mean, I had purchased many a plant that I had hoped would become bonsai, but I didn't want to risk them the drive back here to the mid-west, so again, the fire turned to ember.
So, on to the present. Interest burst to flame as I got into the 21st century by moving beyond dial up... I never said I was smart... and found Bonsai on You Tube, heheh. All those tools and books gathering dust suddenly were clean as a whistle as I pored over them lovingly in anxious expectation of once again starting this hobby in earnest. I have a Japanese Maple and a Boxwood on my front porch as we speak. The Maple has extremely nice nebari for a small tree, and the Boxwood was an 8 dollar experiment. I defoliated the Maple recently, as it was all burnt up by the heat here in Indy, and it's coming back like gangbusters with deep purple foliage all over the place. The Boxwood has been trimmed way back, and I'm on the verge of wiring it and possibly trying to pot it in...
Well, you see, there was this little tree in a small blue pot on the edge of a dumpster... Yes, I still have the pot. I hope to give it better than it's cousin ever had, and basically, that's why I'm here!
I didn't expect this to be a James Michener novel, but I can be rather garrulous, heheh.
Pleasure to meet you all and be here. Thanks for reading.
TDHO
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