The Orange Thumb
a Mini-Peter Adventure transcribed by Nikki, 2007

May, June, July, ??? - "Digging in the Dirt..."

     When Real Peter posted his Full Moon Club video update in May and mentioned he'd been planting flowers with his son, Mini-Peter was inspired. There's not a whole lot of garden space around when you live in an apartment, but I found the perfect solution: A Mini-Marigold Grow Kit!

     "Are the flowers mini, or just the pot?" he asked excitedly as he read the directions.
     "I don't know, I guess we'll just have to grow them and find out!"

     He tore open the seed packet and discovered that there were about ten times as many seeds as the instructions said to plant, so he generously offered the extras for me, Kitty and Lugnut to grow. We found ourselves a few more mini-pots, chose a nice sunny day, and set to work on our new garden on the front balcony. We each counted out the right number of seeds, then dropped them into our pots.

     Mini-Peter, always happy to find a use for his shovel, dubbed himself Dirtmaster and carefully measured out the perfect amount of dirt to cover the seeds.

     "Nicely done," I complimented him.
     "Thank you," he grinned. By this time, Madsy had grown curious (as cats tend to do), and was investigating the scene.

"Hey... what's going on out there?"

     "So..." Mini-Peter asked, staring at his pot. "How long do they take grow?"
     "Hm... the last time I planted flowers was for a science project when I was 10. I don't remember how long it took."
     "Was it days? Weeks? What?"
     "I really don't remember. We'll just have to wait and see."
     "I don't want to miss them!" he worried, so he waited out there with Kitty and Lugnut for hours, waiting to see any sign of growth.

     "I don't think they're gonna grow that fast, Mini-Peter. Just check them every day, you won't miss anything."
     "But what if they just spring up when my back is turned??"
     "They're not gonna spring up and bloom over night. You'll see. Just be patient."

"Okay," says Mackaroo, "Seriously, what the heck's going on out there?"

     "Come on, it's getting late. Come inside and relax. It takes time."
     "Oh, fine," he agreed, so we cleaned up our mess and went in for the evening.

     The next day I came home from work and found them standing out there, staring at the dirt.

     "Anything yet?" I asked.
     "Hm?" Mini-Peter asked, startled from his trance but not turning his head.
     "How long have you been out here?"
     "Just eight or nine hours," he reassured me.
     "Oh, is that all?" I asked with a roll of my eyes. "Are you hungry?"
     "Hmm?" he asked again. "Oh... yeah, I'll be in in a minute."
     An hour later I went back out to collect them and practically had to drag them away. Well, I was glad they'd found a hobby they could be passionate about, anyway! (Also, there's very little trouble you can get into when you're staring at pots of dirt.) Once they'd all eaten, they went back out for a few hours, and I had to carry them in after I discovered them all sound asleep out there.

     Although they were tired the next day, they followed me out the door as I left for work, and once again, I found them keeping watch when I got back.

     "You guys, come on. Seriously."
     "We're placing bets over whose flowers will bloom first!" Lugnut announced.
     "Oh. I see. Well if anything blooms over dinner, I'll give each of you five dollars. Now come in and eat, will you?"
     Now that was a bet they couldn't refuse.

     And so the routine went for another week. After a few days, they would only go out and check on them every few hours, but they still kept a close watch, even going out a few times each night to make sure they hadn't missed anything. Finally, on the 8th day, something sprouted in Mini-Peter's pot!

     "Look!" he squealed gleefully, "It's-- it's-- SOMETHING!!""
     "It's the first sprout!" Kitty announced.
     "But it's not a flower," Lugnut added, "so you haven't won anything yet!"
     "It could still be a while before we see any buds," I calmed them, "but at least we know they're growing!"

     A few days later, they were really starting to look like plants!

     By the fourth week, buds were appearing on Mini-Peter's plants, and a few days later came the first signs of Orange, which was quite a relief since we hadn't been a hundred percent sure what colour they would be. Mini-Peter was so thrilled that he didn't even collect his winnings from Kitty and Lugnut. They threw a great party on the balcony to welcome the tiny flowers into the world, and watched excitedly as the plants grew taller and the flowers bigger. However, they were sucking up water so fast in the hot sun that we could harldy keep the dirt damp. It was time to transplant them to a bigger home.

     "You'll be much happier here, won't you?" Mini-Peter asked the flowers gently as he caressed one of them. I couldn't help but notice they all appeared to be leaning in his direction... so his were the first to sprout, the first to bloom, and to this day are still the tallest and Orangest. It seems a certain mini-someone has the magic touch!

     Of course, he hasn't let it go to his head or anything...

     Now you'll have to excuse me, for I must tear FlowerGod away from his latest gardening project. It's getting late and he hasn't eaten a thing since last night. I think it's time to plant something edible... cabbage, anyone?