wacky wednesday ... don't give up

When we were in Hawaii six years ago we toured the Dole Pineapple Plantation on Oahu. Incidentally, one of the best parts of the tour is getting a Dole Whip at the end - reminded us both of being at Disneyland! Funny how a lot of things remind us of "the happiest place on Earth!" But I digress...

Pineapples are unusual-looking fruits and I was curious to see see how they grew. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the fruit grows on the top of a stalk that shoots upward from the plant and starts out as a tiny pineapple that gradually gets bigger! An employee told me you can grow them at home quite easily. I don't think she knew I lived in the desert of Arizona, not on a tropical island.

But I decided to give it a try. A year ago (August, 2013), with the help of friends who once lived in Hawaii, I planted two pineapple tops using two different methods - a how-to I read on the internet and instructions from our friends. Both were planted in pots and kept inside by a window. You can read about it here.

The one I planted according to internet directions never did well and died within a few months. The one I planted using the directions from our friends didn't die right away but it also didn't grow much or do anything else for months.

I continued to water it every week, gave it plant food, made sure it had A LOT of sunshine, talked to it and cleaned the dust from its leaves. Months went by and still nothing. Then I noticed the outer leaves were slowly drying out and falling off. I was convinced it would soon be dead.

A couple of months ago, while I was watering and talking to it, I noticed some new leaves growing upward. They were narrower and lighter green like baby leaves. Hmmm. Maybe it wouldn't die after all.

Each week the leaves were a little longer and there were more of them. All of a sudden, the plant started to grow after months of seemingly doing nothing!

As the baby leaves grow bigger and stronger, the old outer leaves are turning brown and falling off.

Every time I look at this plant I am reminded of the value of perseverance and hope. And perhaps one day a sweet golden pineapple will grow and I will make a Dole Whip out of it ... and imagine I am at Disneyland!