The garden “trumps” all else

Posted on March 30, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in My garden, Spring .

Chaos reigns right now.

Every other day there is a heinous act of terrorism that no longer shocks but has become background music. The sight of people running for their lives on CNN doesn’t even faze us.

After a waiting period of approximately 51 seconds, both sides of the political aisle provide their expected take on the attacks and our existing division just grows larger and larger.

Another radical Islamic attack, this time in Pakistan, targeting Christian women & children. At least 67 dead,400 injured. I alone can solve

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016

Did he really just say “I alone can solve”?

Donald Trump has managed to make this presidential race both fascinating and utterly embarrassing. The optimist hopes this is the necessary low point in order to course correct our political system. The pessimist says “dude we’re a fucking disaster”. I’m leaning towards the latter after watching Trump on CNN last night, where pictures of wives on Twitter was the topic for the first ten minutes.

And guns, oh those guns. Guns are the sole cause of all our issues. Take them all away. Never mind the impact of the mental state of these shooters or those who handle them responsibly.

On the other side we hear that guns solve all issues. If only those dining in Paris were properly armed. Take my gun away and I promise more gun violence. Is a background check unreasonable? This may be my favorite Onion article of all time:

Emotional Wayne LaPierre Honors Victims Of Background Checks

Don’t even think about breathing a word about politics or religion on social media because the concept of “gray” no longer exists. I’ve witnessed many long time friends become non-friends within one Facebook post. People are angry and while it may be justified, I’ve seen plenty of angry rhetoric based in not even one tangible fact. The number of garbage websites dedicated solely to feeding the insanity of those blindly following both the left and right is out of control. They make the Onion look like hard hitting news.

I’m not one to voice my political or religious opinions but I will say this: As this nonsense unfolds my “Independent” thinking only gets stronger. And I’m doing my best to pass that type of thinking on to my children. Take each issue on its own merit and feel comfortable mixing and matching your beliefs. But really take the time to understand the issue, grasp both sides of the argument and feel free to sometimes not have a strong opinion one way or another.

And above it all, treat everyone equally and don’t fall for the conveniently categorized stereotypes. Everyone should enjoy the right to marry. Everyone has the right to be themselves. Respect all religious beliefs and those without religious beliefs. Seems easy to me and hope they agree.

That my friends is why I love my garden.

I’m incapable of thought when in her presence.

The ultimate escape.

I enjoy the control I have there and have to come accept what little control I really have.

Patience is rewarded and some times it’s fun to tell patience to suck it.

My garden is my laboratory and my garden is not mine at all.

I hate the deer but cherish the challenge in trying to fool them.

Success is overrated, failure is underrated.

I am more than willing right now to take the dog out just so I can savor the emergence of the early spring garden.

Bulbs are revealing themselves, perennial foliage appears overnight and buds on the trees and shrubs promise a greater tomorrow. The need to go, go, go dissipates and I’m comfortable sitting and staring and taking it all in for minutes on end. It’s the closest I can get to meditation.

And nothing is better for temporarily forgetting about the chaos.

Plants I’m bullish on this year

Posted on March 25, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, My garden, Perennials .

Here are 9 plants I’m hoping show big improvement this spring/summer over how they performed in my garden last year. 8 are relative newcomers, 1-3 years in the ground, so time alone should aid their jump in prominence. And 1 has been around my parts forever but only last year managed to avoid the wrath of the deer herd. Here’s hoping this is a new trend.

Coneflower ‘Sunrise’: Full disclosure – I’ve moved this three times in three years. And to the shock of no one, it finally bloomed last summer after a full year in its current spot. The flowers arrived later than all of the other coneflowers (late July) but that is OK. I expect taller and fuller plants this year, assuming the itch to move them is fought off successfully.

Abelia ‘Bronze Anniversary’ – Another oft moved shrub but one where I’m happy with its current destination. I love the golden leaf color, especially in partial shade and especially in spring as the foliage emerges, but I can do without the clashing white blooms. In fact, the plan is to immediately remove the flowers for fear of ridicule from the neighbors.

Daylily ‘Little Grapette’ – This is the oldie I referenced above that always suffered at the hands of the deer in summer. For whatever reason (my intimidation factor?), they were ignored last year. While I’m not a big daylily guy, I do like how these combine with other dark leaved plants (As seen with Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’) below.

Ninebark ‘Amber Jubilee’ – No, not an exotic dancer or My Little Pony character, but the best foliage color of any plant I own. But as you can see in the second photo below, the deer get it each winter and in effect, prune it back hard for me which ultimately compromises the size of this shrub. If I can remember to defend her better this year, the sky is the limit. Remember though, “remembering” is not a strong suit of mine.

Allium azureum – I blew it with this one. I mistook these for wild onions and yanked them out without much thought last spring. This is the only one that actually bloomed. Luckily for me I was lazy when pulling them so the bulbs remained in tact. No such error will be made this spring.

Peony ‘unknown other than it is white’ – This is as good of a lock as any. First flowers appeared last spring after two years in the ground and we all know that the peony is indestructible once established.

Baptisia ‘ Carolina Moon’ – Based on the success I’ve had with my other Baptisia plants, I’m counting on this one to fall right in line. Big, big things this year from this one. I cannot wait to photograph it and share it with you all.

Clematis – This appeared out of nowhere last year after I stuck it in the ground and completely forgot about it. There appears to be new growth this spring so I remain optimistic for a repeat showing. And this time, I’ll even use a real trellis to maximize the show.

And last but not least, the fickle …

Cimicifuga ‘Brunette’ – For three consecutive years, this perennial has looked great in spring only to fall apart when the weather really heats up and when it attempts to bloom. I’ve stayed on top of the watering and it, along with its 7 other siblings (I’m way invested at this point) get plenty of afternoon shade. The pessimist in me says, “wrong plant for you John” while the optimist says, “give it time to get established”.

Cheers to optimism.

Baptisia australis

Posted on March 22, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

Almost six years ago, I transformed the front bed of my parent’s house using Baptisia as the anchor because honestly, it blew me away when I saw it at their local nursery. The color of the blooms drew my eye in as soon as we set foot on the nursery grounds. Score one for the marketing department. No research for preferred conditions necessary, we liked it and we were going to plant it.

Fast forward three years and the Baptisia went bananas. My father did his best to control it but the end result was it was moved from its original spot because it was threatening to eat all of the other plants. Strike one against the son who claimed to be a gardening expert. Remember kiddies, always take into account a plant’s ultimate size when planning your garden. Don’t follow the lead of Uncle Johnnie.

Fast forward another year and it’s time for me to add Baptisia to my own garden. Space wouldn’t be an issue and I needed to prove to myself that I could grow it successfully. On top of that I could no longer take all of the stunning photos of this perennial in others’ gardens without giving it a shot myself. From all indications, Baptisia preferred a more dry soil and it was debatable whether or not it was deer resistant but I didn’t care. It was time to throw caution to the wind, wet soil and herds of deer be damned.

Fast forward to 2015 and John is a happy boy.

Two years in the ground and it was already kicking ass. Those blooms draw in the eye and put a smile on my face each and every morning as I walked out to my car on my way to work. The deer left it alone and as of current day, the poorly draining soil doesn’t appear to be an issue.

Some additional Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo) info:

Native to the eastern U.S
Blooms from May to June
The pea-like blooms are a blue/purple
Speaking of peas, Baptisia is part of the pea family, Fabaceae
Survives in zones 3-9
Mature size is roughly 4 x 4
Prefers full sun as it tends to open up with more shade (my parent’s garden as scientific proof).
Deer resistance is questionable but I’ve had no issues the first two years.
Can be slow to establish but once it is, it is a bear to move due to its deep taproot.
Can handle all soil types and it drought tolerant once established.
Baptisia comes from the greek word “bapto” which means dye. It was used back in the day as a blue dye replacement for Blue Indigo.
Tough to divide due to the taproot and it can be slow to establish if grown by seed.
Baptisia australis opens up a bit after bloom and if the plant is cut back at that time, it will result in a more upright and appealing shape. The downside is the ornamental seedpods will be lost (more on that in a moment).

And now a little chronological tour of this shrub-like perennial:

First emerging in spring.

Then the first signs of bloom appear.

Almost there.

In full bloom.

And once in bloom, drawing in the critters.

By the time fall/winter has arrived, the ripened seed heads have turned black, eventually opening up to reveal the seeds inside.

And finally the opened seed heads still adorning Baptisia australis in late winter.

Learning to love a small dog

Posted on March 20, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Dogs, Family .

So I’m watching “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” a few weeks back and I’m about to have a panic attack. I shit you not.

In case you’ve never seen this 2008 classic (wink), it is about a bunch of talking Chihuahuas and some sort of need to rescue one of the dogs in Mexico or something. And there is a lot of George Lopez talking. That’s all you need to know. It is utterly awful and annoying, especially if you’re like me and hate talking animals or talking babies.

Good times

Posted on March 18, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Blooms, Spring .

This is a great time of year, even if there is a threat of snow this weekend here in New Jersey. A few bulbs have quietly bloomed, baseball is inching closer to meaningful games and that little juggernaut known as March Madness has arrived.

This past week, I finally took the plunge and bought myself a telephoto lens for my Nikon 5200 (this one). I’ve been threatening to do so for a long time so I could capture the kids in action during baseball/softball and so I could also grab some better pics of the wildlife in my backyard (like this guy who is aiding in our fight against PennEast). I am very excited to experiment and up my photography cred.

I’m not a “read the instructions guy” so there will be a lot of trial and error with this new lens in my arsenal. And that trial and error began yesterday with the few aforementioned blooms in the Markowski garden. I’ve always relied on the macro lens for my garden pics and it’s done me well. But now I’m ready to expand my horizons to see what the telephoto lens has to offer.

So first we took a photo of some Crocus blooms using the macro lens:

And then from a greater distance using the telephoto lens:

On to the newly emerging Daffodil blooms. First the macro lens:

And then further away with the telephoto lens:

I’ve got a lot to learn, but a lot to experiment with over the next few months and I look forward to blowing all of your minds with my new found camera skills. Feel free to critique at will.

Beyond the new blooms from the Crocus and Daffodil bulbs, there are other signs that spring has arrived. Here is one of the few Viburnum buds that the deer left alone this winter:

And an Allium that arrived just yesterday:

And finally the arrival of the Summer Snowflake bulbs:

Good times indeed.

One final note. While I may skip out on the college basketball season November through February, I make up for it with my excitement during NCAA March Madness. I’ve been known to fill out a bracket or eight and this year the entire family is in on it. If by chance the University of Virginia manages to win the entire thing, just know there will be a big bash and you are all invited.

Have a great weekend.

Dangerous Garden Advice Ahead

Posted on March 15, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Comedy, How-to .

“Over promise and under deliver”

“Measure once and cut twice”

“Fool me once, shame on … actually, let’s fast forward to the fool me twice part.”

Mantras I live by, albeit unintentionally, in life and in the garden.

I’m not proud but I own it. My therapist would be proud.

With that in mind, here are six things I won’t be doing in the garden this season. I’m sure you’re sick of all those positive blog posts encouraging you with ways to make your garden shine. You want justification to be lazy and skimp on all that work. I get that and that is what I am here to do for you today.

So with that in mind, my goal in sharing these shortcomings with you is that you’ll either:

a. Do the opposite in order to not be like this lazy and uninformed gardener
or
b. Feel just as comfortable as I do in ignoring them as I’ll share my twisted justification with you.

Here we go:

1)Get a soil test – every year I say I am going to do it and every year I forget about it amid the excitement and pressure to add more plants to my garden in spring. Call it lazy or call it having one’s priorities messed up, it simply doesn’t happen. While I get the benefits of understanding my soil and all that it is comprised of and what it is lacking, I’m to the point now where I know what plants I can stick in the ground and feel confident that they’ll survive in their new surroundings.

2)Fertilize – no chemicals for this guy, as I’m talking about natural options. I’ve read up on what works best for what plant and I’ll even go as far as purchasing the supplements, but that is where it ends. Maybe it is due to the fact that I have a “survival of the fittest” mentality when it comes to my garden; if you don’t like my clay soil and poor drainage and deer, f you, I know many others who do and they never complain. Or I could just be plain lazy (sensing a trend here?).

3)Careful planning before planting – I could barely type this due to my howling laughter. L O frickin L. Planning is boring, true gardeners buy what they like and ask questions later. ~~Almost all~~ Some of my greatest plant combos/vignettes were created by accident.

The few times where I actually developed a well thought out plan, it bombed terribly and I ended up starting over.

4)Always properly space your plants – If you have “Plant Location ADD” like me, this doesn’t matter. No plant gets a chance to reach its full size before I relocate it. So I say stuff those plants as close together as you can and enjoy the lack of bare earth. If you are a patient gardener, my hat is off to you but just know we can never be friends.

5)Do not plant or transplant on hot sunny days – I’ll do it when I want to and nobody can stop me. Plus all of my best design ideas occur in summer when all plants have emerged and are thriving. That is when we have the best view and perspective. And I sure ain’t waiting until fall to realize those ideas.

If we continue to make it so easy and coddle our plants, how are they going to survive when times really get tough? Teach them young that it life is tough and they will thank you later. Give them some water and they’ll find a way to make it through.

6)Stop and smell the roses:

a. I don’t grow roses – thanks soil and thanks deer
b. Who’s got time to actually enjoy the garden when there is work to do.
c. Damn kids and their activities getting in the way
d. I’ll enjoy it tomorrow … after I divide this grass … and extend this bed … and divide these irises.
e. I have a deviated septum and have virtually no sense of smell

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Posted on March 13, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Perennials .

I spent a few hours outdoors this morning tending to some spring cleaning chores – cutting down the dead perennial foliage, shearing down the smaller ornamental grasses and making my son pull the exposed poison ivy vines (he is not allergic). As I was traversing the garden, clearing the dead growth and looking for emerging foliage, I came to a realization I hadn’t really well, realized before: my garden is dominated by Bee Balm.

The purple-green rosettes are everywhere right now.

I’ve written previously about Bee Balm thrives in my wet clay soil and does it ever multiply in no time wherever I’ve planted it. And not in an invasive way. The underground rhizomes spread happily and fill in empty spots along the way. If it ever stretches where I don’t want it, I simply pull it out by the roots and plant it somewhere else in the garden.

At this point in time, I have so many different cultivars of Bee Balm (Monarda) that I’ve forgotten all of the names. All I know is that they all bloom like mad starting in early summer and the blooms last for weeks, and even longer if they are deadheaded along the way.

Bee Balm looking good in late spring, even before the blooms have revealed themselves.

And kicking butt and taking names when in bloom.

Drawing in the bees and other critters.

They look great even as the blooms start to fade in mid summer.

And remain interesting into winter.

Some additional facts on this perennial:

Prefers full sun but will adapt well to partial shade
As mentioned previously, prefers damp soil and thrives in clay
On average, the size maxes out at 2 to 4′ x 1.5 to 3′
Blooms from early summer through late summer
Survives in zones 4-9
North American native, typically in moist woodlands
The leaves/stems have a fantastic orange-like scent
As a result of the scent, it is deer resistant
Bee Balm is prone to powdery mildew if not given proper air circulation. Personally, I find it easy to deal with by simply ignoring late in the season and allowing the leaves to fall followed by a simple clean-up.
Monarda also known as Bee Balm also known as Oswego tea, was introduced by the Oswego Indians to botanist John Bartram who learned of its healing powers when brewed as a tea. It was used to treat chills, fever, insect bites and even bronchial congestion.

I planted a white cultivar of Bee Balm last spring and I’m hoping it really takes off this year. Either way, prepare yourself for even more Bee Balm pics this gardening season.

Spring pruning time

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Pruning, Shrubs .

This moment could not have come soon enough. With some free time early this morning coupled with the fact that it was 60 degrees here in New Jersey, it was a no-brainer to get outdoors and cross some spring gardening tasks off of the list, specifically, some spring pruning.

For today, it was the pruning of two of the largest shrubs in my garden and two shrubs that I pruned to the ground (with success) last spring: Redtwig Dogwood and Dappled Willow (Salix ‘Hakuro Nishiki’).

Here is the original post on the spring pruning of the redtwig dogwood:
pruning redtwig dogwood

And the original post on the spring pruning of the dappled willow:
pruning Salix

And here is an update I posted on the progress of both shrubs last June:
pruning updates in June

And to further update you on the results of the severe spring pruning, here is a photo of the redtwig dogwood prior to it being pruned this morning:

Even after being cut to the ground last March, this deciduous shrub ended up growing to about 5-6′ feet tall and 3-4′ wide. And the red stem color was killer all fall/winter.

I heard more compliments and more “what is this shrub” comments from visitors this winter than ever before. In other words, “success”.

The Dappled Willow went bananas after it was also pruned to the ground last March. Check these pics out.

In June.

And in September.

Totally out of control. This year I need to do a better job of cutting this back a few times throughout the year to keep it in bounds.

Back to this morning.

The redtwig dogwood was up first.

As much as it pained me to see it go, it is necessary for me to keep it at a size that doesn’t outgrow its location. I’ve tried other redtwig dogwood shrubs in other parts of my garden, and the deer have destroyed it every time. In this location along the front foundation of my home, it has escaped them. The only issues are that it is a tighter fit and not full sun. But three years in, we are still good to go.

By the way, I make it a point to save the cut stems for indoor decorating because you know, I’m all about the interior decorating.

Next up was the Salix.

A little bit tougher to cut back with the thicker stems.

But if you have nice and sharp loppers like I do and if you are as brutally strong as I am, you should be fine.

This was the second year in a row that a bird nested in this shrub during the winter and I made sure all was clear before proceeding this morning. No birds were injured as part of this project.

With nothing but warm weather on the horizon, expect to see more spring chore completion over the next few days.

Curiosity Doughnuts

Posted on March 6, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Local .

What you are about to read is the story of how one family came to find Curiosity Doughnuts and how it has changed their perspective on breakfast forever. Keep searching locally and you too can find the next treasure in your ‘hood.

You know the type of weekend morning I’m talking about. You wake up later than expected, still cannot function properly and have no desire to put even an ounce of effort into preparing breakfast.

That was us this morning.

On top of that, we’ve been crazy busy since returning from vacation a few days ago and haven’t had a chance to restock the pantry. Add it all up and it is all about dad grabbing the keys and making the breakfast run.

None of us were in the mood for the old stand-by, the bagel, and Dunkin Donuts wasn’t going to cut it because well, they’re not good. My daughter suggested a trip to the Stockton Market, a weekend-only market just one town over from us, that offers up everything from fresh local vegetables, flowers and local fare which includes a number of killer bakeries. We hadn’t visited in a few months and it made sense to make the trek again.

She and I jumped in the car, me looking like I was recovering from a two week bender when in reality I fell asleep at 10:30 the night before watching Better Call Saul, and headed to just one of our favorite local establishments. I may have looked all banged up but the payoff was going to be worth it.

And it was closed.

Not open until 10:00 AM and it was 9:15.

No wonder we found such a prime parking spot. Son of a … what do we do now?

Right before we pulled away in a panic, we noticed that the cafe attached to the market was open. Ok, that could work, so we got back out of the car and ventured on in.

LIFE CHANGING MOMENT ALERT

We quickly scanned the 4-5 kiosks that were open for business but were immediately drawn in by the last spot on the left, near the back of the store.

Curiosity officially piqued.

As we approached the Curiosity Doughnuts counter, we were greeted not only by the sweetest woman, but a display of doughnuts that made us both swoon.

I’m talking authentic looking roundish pillows of doughy deliciousness that smelled like heaven if it were inhabited by yeast and butter and sugar and happiness. Breakfast plans solidified.

Choices included cinnamon-cardamom-sugar (Jamie’s fave), maple glazed, chocolate devil’s food cake, vanilla glazed, chocolate glazed, lime zest, tutti fruitti and some killer combo of butterscotch and crushed pretzels topping (my fave). I’m sure I’m missing many others but it’s so difficult to take it all in when you are stuck in a doughnut stupor.

We ultimately settled on ordering eight different doughnuts which if my math is correct, equals two per family member. I wanted to order more but some how managed to show some restraint. As we were ready to depart, the owner, and an immediately likable chap, offered some just-made-custard to my daughter because you know, why not, and she enjoyed it on the ride home. Nice.

Speaking of the ride home, we were tempted to sample the doughnuts during the drive but ultimately agreed that this was too significant of an event to not experience together as a family. It almost hurt to wait.

After the ten minute drive home, Jamie and I skipped into the house, thrilled to share our find with my wife and son. As I opened the Curiosity Doughnuts box and revealed our treasures,

there was a five second silence as we all allowed the scent to engorge our noses and take us to a simpler time when all that mattered was a good doughnut.

They were the

GREATEST

DOUGHNUTS

ALL

FRIGGIN

TIME

That is no exaggeration. OMG … no scratch that … OMFG.

Our lives had been changed forever.

I’m still an amateur food reviewer, so the best I can describe it was warm, crunchy on the outside and moist and cake-like on the inside; it almost made a popping sound as I bit into it. Imagine the best doughnut you’ve ever had and then add on at least 25% more deliciousness.

After wolfing them all down, I grabbed the laptop and started to research this company. Without regurgitating the details here, I highly recommend that you read the following links which further aid in the appreciation of their creations.

Elevating a Munchie to Amazingness

NJ doughnut shop offers fried treats a la mode

America’s newest doughnut destination

Did you read both? You really should, as it is interesting to learn that:

The owners currently live in New Hampshire and commute to Hunterdon County, NJ each weekend.
The owners are the authors of multiple cookbooks.
The owners are food scientists and consult with chefs all over the world.

And much more so one more plea to go back and read the Curiosity Doughnuts links above.

I’ve also come to learn that the owners now make fried chicken along side the doughnuts and after reading this article, Fried Chicken Joins the Party, I’m literally drooling all over the keyboard.

So one final reminder, the doughnuts are to die for.

My daughter fully endorses them.

And my dog, Mia cannot stay away from Curiosity Doughnuts as well.

If you all ask nicely, I’ll kindly ship them to you anywhere in the world, for a very small fee. They are THAT good.

Why I Love Spring Training

Posted on March 4, 2016 by jmarkowski Posted in Baseball, Family .

The Markowski family “New York Mets Spring Training 2016 Extravaganza” came to a close earlier this week.

Put it in the books.

It’s outta here.

To say we are hooked on the experience is a gross understatement. It dominated our conversations all three days while we were in Disney World following ST, which is really saying something. Mickey ain’t got nothing on “The Big Sexy”.

After returning home late Wednesday night and somehow stumbling into the office on Thursday, I was bombarded with the requisite “How was your trip to Florida?” Normally I’m not a fan of recounting a vacation because you know, it’s over and I’m annoyed and you really don’t care much anyway, you’re just being courteous.

But this time was different.

Without hesitation, I went all tween:

… and then we like, saw Harvey

I totally got a fist bump from Yo

Oh my gawd, Piazza was there and he looked like way skinny

Yes I’m 43 and many of the players are of the age where they could be my son. Don’t judge.

As I provided detail after painful detail about the Spring Training experience I could see that my coworkers expected to hear more about Disney, the most wonderful place on earth. Sure it was magical or whatever, but it couldn’t hold a candle to watching overpaid men throw a baseball back and forth.

At this point you are probably asking yourself, why the love for glorified baseball practice? Thanks so much for asking. You’ve aided in my transition to now listing all of the reasons why. Some will be obvious and others not so much, but collectively I hope I can effectively express why ST is a must-see for any baseball fan.

Florida is warm in February. New Jersey is not warm in February. If you hate the cold as much as I do, this is an easy one to grasp. My goal is to figure out how one becomes a snowbird and still keeps their day job at my age.

There is no better player access than during Spring Training. I don’t know if all teams provide the same level of access as the Mets do, but it is phenomenal.

The kids (and adults if they so wish) get fist bumps as the players race between fields and drills. You can listen in on the conversations between coaches as they watch/evaluate their players. Getting to watch the players hit in the batting cages from just feet away is worth the price of admission. Speaking of admission …

There is no admission cost. Yes, you heard that right. Attending ST practice is free, including the parking.

The autographs. Good luck trying to score an autograph at a major league game. Those days have been over for a while now. But during ST, almost all of the players will sign at one time or another. With the success of the Mets last season, the crowds seemed to double in ST this year, as did those seeking autographs. Still, the chase is exciting and most of the players are as accommodating as possible, especially with kids.

My son is an autograph freak. His collection has become super impressive over the past few years. I’m not going to lie, the hunt during ST is a bit like gambling and the rush is a hell of a lot of fun. This year, we were at the stadium for three straight days before 6:30 AM and were the first fans to arrive. Most of the time, the players arrived to the park and just waved, but there were a few who stopped to sign and that was awesome.

We also typically stay until the last player/coach has left the facility and have hit pay dirt from time to time.

**Negative aside** There was one much more noticeable negative this ST in terms of autographs. We encountered way more “dealers” than last year and I’d have to assume that has to do with the team’s success. They had no problem pushing kids aside and shoving their way to the front of the line. My son is very laid back and not the least bit aggressive or obnoxious when it comes to pursuing an autograph. These a-holes made autograph pursuing a lot less fun this year for him and they don’t know a thing about the Mets to boot.

True story: a group of 5 guys came up to my son and asked him to identify a few players they had on a photo they were looking to get signed. I shit you not, it was Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard. I’m sorry, if you don’t know who they are by now, stay the hell out of Tradition Field. There should be a basic entry test before one is allowed into the facility. I’ll design it and even implement it next year.

Fan camaraderie. This is the most underrated benefit. The majority of the fans at ST are the diehards. Those that remember every Met dating back twenty years. They remember Butch Huskey and Danny Heep. They know who plays second base in AA and what WAR means.

At least 15 casual conversations are had each day with someone you just met and there is that immediate bond. I could listen to stories about how entertaining Rickey Henderson was in ST in 1999 or how much more out of shape the players were upon arriving to ST back in the 80’s. Every fan had a story and one was better than the next.

Taking an interest in a player’s personal life. Since the access is so fantastic and often times you get to chat up a player, it makes you interested in the person as much as the player. You feel like you got to know that player on a more intimate level even for a brief moment and it inspires you to want to know more about what makes them tick.

I’ve taken a liking to the Mets relief pitchers, specifically those who are on the bubble for a roster spot. You can see their appreciation for getting another chance and you cannot help but pull for them to make it. During the season you may scream at the TV “How can you walk a .225 hitter?” but then think back to that interaction in ST and realize they are more than just a number on the back of a uniform.

That player for me this year is Buddy Carlyle.

Super nice guy and beyond signing for my daughter, I watched him chat with another little girl who reminded him of his own daughter and all I saw was the human, missing his child, but having no choice if he wanted to continue in his current profession. I’m pulling for him.

A chance to watch the “up and comers” before they explode on the scene. Since ST includes those players who will start out in all levels of the minor leagues, you get a chance to get a sneak peak at the future stars. You get to see the players go about their business quietly and humbly since they are just starting out and learning the ropes. You get to see glimpses of their skills and why they were so highly touted in the first place. You get to see them before they have a chance to become hardened to the never ending carousel of fans and media requests. That player was Noah Syndergaard last year.

Now he is “Thor” and has taken New York by storm in only one year’s time.

Your fandom becomes a richer experience. Last year was the perfect example. As the Mets season developed into a special one starting in July and running all of the way through October, I got that feeling of “I was there from the beginning. I literally watched certain players meet on the practice field.”

I watched players get criticized in ST (Ruben Tejada) only to bounce back and play well at times during the season. I watched players come into camp as potential starters only to be gone at season’s end (John Mayberry). I watched pitchers who were up an coming really up and come within no time (Thor).

It’s the reason you start calling the team “we” instead of “the Mets”.

On a more personal level, here are additional reasons why I plan on heading down to Port St. Lucie, FL for the foreseeable future:

Photographic opportunities. If you read any of my posts from the past week, this one is obvious. ST allows you to feel like you were granted special access to the players. The photo opps for a wanna be professional photographer like me are endless.

Inspiration watching someone do what they love. Maybe it’s just me and where I am in age and professionally right now, but I walk away from ST determined to also pursue what I love as a profession. It may not last beyond the plane ride home, but watching these young dudes do something that requires such skill and athleticism and all of it done with a smile on their face is a thing of beauty. You can’t help but get caught up in it. It even extends to the photographers and the beat writers and the security guards and the coaches. It is a contagious thing and I gladly allow myself to soak it in.

The crew grows larger year after year. My wife and daughter and another friend attended ST for the first time this year and they have all admittedly been converted to lifers. It’s fun to watch someone experience it for the first time and we hope to up the crowd even more in 2017.

Who’s with us?

The Obsessive Neurotic Gardener

Monthly Archives: March 2016

The garden “trumps” all else

Emotional Wayne LaPierre Honors Victims Of Background Checks

Plants I’m bullish on this year

Baptisia australis

Learning to love a small dog

Good times

Dangerous Garden Advice Ahead

Bee Balm (Monarda)

Spring pruning time

Curiosity Doughnuts

Why I Love Spring Training

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