The Black Thumb

Warning: From now on, all posts are being authored by me...Karen, the new young adult librarian. And unlike Michelle, I am not skilled in the art of making things grow. In fact...

...I have a confession to make: I have managed to kill almost every single plant I have ever owned. NOT because I did not try, but because my family is cursed with The Black Thumb. For those of you out there who are unfamiliar with this terminology, The Black Thumb is the exact opposite of The Green Thumb. Rather than making plants flourish, the loving care given to plants by people with The Black Thumb generally results in their failure to thrive and ultimately in their death.

The only thing that makes me feel okay is the fact that everyone in my immediate family suffers from the same curse. Here are some examples:

• My sister used to have a plant graveyard on her balcony--a lonely place littered with various pots of dirt and the shriveled remains of once living foliage. It was really quite depressing.
  
• In my lifetime, my dad has accidentally mowed down a variety of once perfectly healthy bushes, shrubs, flowers, etc. (The accidental nature of these incidents is still under question.)
  
• The dry branches of my mom's miniature rose became the new residence of a friendly spider and was soon covered in cobwebs, but at least something was living in the pot.
  
• I even once "broke" a baby pine tree while sledding. It is amazing how quickly a snow saucer, an innocent child's plaything, can transform into a device not quite dissimilar to a circular saw.
  

Here is my most recent foray into the world of gardening:


(Please note the sad decaying top. You would think that even I could keep a cactus alive, but alas, it is dead.)


Now that you are most likely horrified, let me assure you that I love plants. I am excited to have inherited the HPPL Green Teens garden from Michelle. But also keep in mind that I will need the help and support of all you green thumbed community members out there!

Please do not hesitate to stop by if you have any suggestions, questions, comments, etc. Even if you are not green thumbed, you should still come by and introduce yourself!

I am so excited to be a part of your community, and I hope to get to know as many of you as I can!