Whst is your addiction? We all have them. Sometimes, those addictions are damaging to ourselves or others -as in the case of substances or gambling. Others are more benign but steal away hours and days of our lives -as in the case of social media. And some, while they can be extremely expensive, actually have the potential to be positive agents of change. In this category, we have seeds, trees, plants, livestock, and those things.

I am very much in the latter category. Nothing gives me my dopamine hit like seed catalogues in the middle of winter, or getting that package of seeds in the mail, or planning this orchard or that garden or the other piece of landscaping magic.

I found a new tree nursery this morning. And I dove headfirst into the dopamine dreamland of “ooooh, I could do SO MUCH with this!” If I was independandly wealthy, I would probably be dangerous. As it is, I do not have a credit card (by choice), so my danger level is severely curtailed by my lack of ready cash. Therefore my dreams are, of necessity, longterm. I DO have 100 acres, after all. This is a very large canvas for dreaming, and will take me more than the rest of my life to fill.

However, every tree I plant, every perennial herb or flower I establish contributes to the future. It adds biodiversity, animal habitat, pollinator havens, soil amendment, beauty, and hopefully, free food and medicine for many many generations.

My name is Karen and I am a plantaholic. I am okay with that.