Number Two

RonMartin(deceased)

Well my first post went pretty good. Here is a tentative second one. Hopefully this one will give you some idea as to where my sick mind seems to run.
(Hope it is not too silly+
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Just some passing thoughts from an old man that has been doing bonsai for longer than I care to admit. If I remember right "bell bottoms" were popular when I first got the bug. (Not sure about that because the memory isn't as sharp as it used to be.) I do however seem to remember my first real instructors wore something called a "Leisure Suit" and said "Dude" a lot.

I envy those that have absolutely no idea of what I am talking about. You do have a long road ahead of you. A bumpy road but a good road. Lots to learn, many mistakes to make. Like many, I started off with one of those junipers. It had glued on rocks and a cute figurine on it. I put it on top of the TV. Nice place to show it off.

Had the same results the rest of you did: a nice brown juniper in a cheap Chinese pot with no drainage holes but, ( I must admit) some quite attractive rocks. Not being one of those that give up easily I got another one for the top of the TV. Guess what happened ? Being stubborn I got a third one.

Not being totally stupid I did not get the fourth one. Instead I bought a book.
Amazing what happens when one buys a book. Light bulbs come on all over the place. Questions are asked and answered. Not all the right questions and definitely not all the right answers but it is a start.

The book led me to a nursery and the nursery led me to a man named Arnold. Arnold was an amazing man. The best teacher I have ever had. Second best really. The best was my seventh grade mathematics teacher. Miss Merrican. But then she was quite pretty and I did have a crush on her. Arnold taught me to love bonsai almost as much as Miss Merrican.

According to Arnold, her beauty would fade eventually but the beauty of the tree would only improve with age. At first I thought he was crazy but when she married another teacher (a history teacher, and a boring one at that) I started to see the wisdom of his teachings.

Arnold introduced me to bonsai and since then I have had many instructors. Some good and some not so good. But I must admit all of those instructors did have a love of the art. My passion turned into a yard full of trees. Then into a shop and a career. From there it turned into an obsession. I had to have a zillion trees. The best, most complete collection around.

I had stuff crammed into every place that could be found. More stuff than could be worked on in two lifetimes. A while back it finally dawned on me that I had a lot started and nothing "finished". Nothing to really fuel my passion. Just a lot to water and take care of.

The shop still has a lot of trees (I do have a mortgage to pay) but, my back yard now has only 15 trees and some empty stands. Fifteen trees I can care for. It's a number that I can handle. My trees have taught me a lot. But trees are like mathematics teachers. If you can't tend to them properly then you wind up with nothing but dreams.

History did teach me that !!!!!

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DavidN

Thanks Ron. That was a great read. I hope to have a story like that one day in the future. It's awesome to earn a living doing something you enjoy and are passionate about.

David

bonsai_girl

Ron, that was a great story! and so true of beginners! I am just like that, want every tree and Im completely addicted to bonsai, thankfully i haven't killed a tree yet!! anyway thanks for posting that I can really relate to it.

Bonsai_girl.

AdamS

Excellent post Ron. Just sat here reading it with the gentle music playing in the background...... was like on of those true life stories you here on the radio!!! Damn im muttering c**p again!!
Keep up the good posts Ron. Very educational to all us beginners and wannabe's.
Adam

splinter

Definitely a great story! It sounds like you're having a good bonsai "journey."

I wonder how many of us started with those little junipers with the glued on rocks? I know I had tried a couple of them about 15 years ago, they became crispy critters and ended up in the trash. I didn't renew my bonsai curiosity until about 3 years ago. And yes...it's amazing how reading some bonsai books gives one a new perspective on their care, etc.

Thanks for sharing a great story.

Marsha

FredL

Another nice post, Ron. I like the tolerance of others and love of "the Bonsai Journey" that comes through your posts. Seems to me that Bonsai should make us more mellow, not harsher and shriller. If that's the effect, what's the point?

Fred