Thursday, September 18, 2008

Photostory Friday: An Update

PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek


A couple of months ago, I posted the story of my daughter Emma's popcorn. For those who weren't around then, here's a brief run down: My five year old daughter, Emma, caught the gardening bug (she did not catch this from either myself or her mother), and spent hours watching our neighbor in the big garden next to the house we were living in at the time. One day she came to me and asked for some popcorn, to which I replied that we didn't have any popped, at the time. 


No, she wanted the unpopped kernels, so that she could plant them in the garden. So I gave her eight little kernels of Orville Redenbacher's finest, and promptly forgot about it. But Emma didn't forget. She watered and weeded the little patch of ground that the neighbor had given her, and one day came to me and told me that her corn was getting big, and that I should come and see. Well, eventually she pestered me enough that I did go to see, wondering how I was going to break it to her that what she was seeing was weeds, not corn. You can't just plant Mr. Redenbacher in the ground and expect it to grow. Right? 


To my surprise, there were eight little stalks of corn, about a foot high, growing right where she planted them. I was flabbergasted. Emma was not. What had happened, was just what she had expected to happen. The first two pictures here are from that day (and also from the first post).
Over the summer we moved from that house, but not so far that we couldn't go back and check on the corn, now and then. The stalks eventually reached a height of about eight feet. This past weekend we harvested them -- if you can call plucking the ears off of eight stalks of corn, harvesting. Some of them are already drying, in the hope that the final chapter of this story will be a nice big bowl of popcorn for Emma. 



I am pleased on so many levels with this little incident. I am pleased that Emma gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor. I am pleased that she was so diligent in caring for her corn. And, I'm grateful for this lesson of simple faith, that I learned from my five year old gardener. 

43 comments:

Cecily R said...

Perfect, perfect post. I'm SO glad you updated. And that your little gardener got to see it through even if you did have to move. Now all we need is a shot of her bowl of popcorn!

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

I love that we saw the 'final chapter'. This lesson was invaluable to her and I doubt she will EVER forget it!

And I still love that corn/sunset shot.

Pam Emmons said...

Aghh! I love it! I can't believe it actually grew!

Hannah said...

Aw that's great!!!
Man.. now I wanna go throw some popcorn kernels out in my backyard and see what happens!!!

Oh-- and I'm so terribly sorry about the "ladies" post. I will be sure to address you from now on!! ;)

Wendy said...

Thanks for the post at my place and what an awesome blog site you have! That story is soooo Good. As you told the story I was imagining her "secretly" going out to see it grow and "patiently" waiting. Children are like that, they are knowing. What a wise little one you have. Thank you for sharing this. (Okay, so maybe I would be okay with wiping your sweet child's nose!)

Sarah Brooks said...

Beautiful, don't children make such wonderful teachers!

And what fine new snapshots you have, by the way!

Val said...

See where true faith gets you. You know something funny,I never even realized I spelt spelled wrong. (he he he) The only thing keeping us from Disney this year is Mike returning to being a real fireman. And of course our 7th grade scholar. She refuses to miss school. And who can blame her the homework load has been crazy. And then there is soccer tournaments.So scheduling is a nightmare at our house right now. I think Thad and I will make it not sure about the others. (LOL)

Indrani said...

Perfect story with a moral too!
We must trust the dreams our little ones have.

tiarastantrums said...

this is so amazing . . . children aren't yet jaded, like us adults . . . so they have the faith that what they wish for will happen!
Simply Lovely!

tammi said...

Aha, and grateful for a blossoming gardener who will be able to provide you with delicious fresh produce in the future, too, by the sounds of it!!!

Those are beautiful pictures and what a wonderful story to accompany them! You gotta kinda love those moments when you realize (and when your kids realize) that they've gone beyond your expectations!

Kmommy said...

How awesome is that??? And beautiful beautiful shots! I especially love the first two, wonderful color and composition!

Laura said...

NEAT, NEAT pictures!! I LOVE a good photo!

Supercool Hotmama said...

What a great story! So awesome that her act of faith worked out! What ye sow, so shall ye reap!

Mamarazzi said...

AWESOME!!

really, that is so cool! and the pics are fabulous!

photomommy said...

Wow! What a wonderful story! :)

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

What an awesome story. Definitely follows the PSF prompt!

I love that she taught you a lesson (and me, too)!

Alex @ I'm the Mom said...

That is so neat!! The determination of a child is outstanding.

Steph said...

I can not believe corn grew from popcorn, that is amazing! Definitely a lesson in faith for me! How adorable! Those are some good corn cobs too!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Who knew?! I had no idea that you could plant popcorn. Sounds like one motivated little girl. I'm glad she could follow it from start to finish. How great for her.

raising4boys said...

Truly amazing!! Those are such beautiful pictures Chris.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful story! As a parent, I love moments like this.

And I had no idea Orville Redenbachers would actually grow either.

Jenny said...

I'm speechless! This post actually brought a tear to my eye. Beautiful, beautiful story and photos. Thanks!

Susan said...

How very exciting!!
I sure hope that she thoroughly enjoys that wonderful bowl of popcorn.

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

The faith of a child teaches..... 'and a little child shall lead them'
The temple is Billings.

stefanie said...

So sweet. Isn't amazing that our kids are able to teach us more than we could ever learn on our own!

Thanks for visiting and commenting so I could find your blog. Excellent work!

Unknown said...

What a wonderful story! I'm so happy for Emma! I watched what I thought was a corn stalk, from some spilled birdseed, until it was couple of feet tall and I was so disappointed when it turned out to be some other sort of see that resembled corn but was not corn. I'm happy for Emma!

Karolynn said...

I am so amazed! Nature is a wonder and your sweet daughters love and care really paid off. This post just makes me feel good!

Anonymous said...

wowowwo!!!

Emma's popcorn pics are amazing!

imbeingheldhostage said...

awww, and it was THIS story that reeled me in to your blog. Great writing, fantastic photos and an ability to look at the sweet side of life. This is a terrific PSF (and it didn't make me as homesick as some of the others) ;-)

Cecilia said...

What an amazing story! I love the life lessons you learned from it!
Thanks for sharing!

Shannon said...

Oh, I don't even know what to sya about this fantastic post. The photos are incredible but the story is sweet, intelligent and something that I am going to take with me. She and I tend to be on the same page. Life lives up to your expectations. Expect good things and good things come. Want something so bad that you are willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, and guess what, against the odds it does happen. God gives us these reminders every now and then and I have grateful for this one!

Straight to Your Hart said...

Oh if only I had the faith of a child..Amazing to see it to the end..what a Proud moment on all aspects for you both..Thanks for the pictures and tender story behind it...what a sweet way to fill my day!

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

THat is a great story. Glad I came over and checked it out. Your daughter is a character, I can tell!

Great shots of the corn! :-)

tommie said...

The corn and the sunset is an awesome shot! What a fun experiment.

Thanks for visiting my story.

Amanda D said...

What a great story! How great for your daughter. Love it. And the photos are extraordinary! Love the corn/sunset shot.

Laski said...

That is so cool!!!! She knew exactly what she was doing, didn't she?

The shots are gorgeous!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some kernels to plant . . .

Darla said...

AWEsome! Same line of thinking I had right away-what a lesson of simple faith you learn from such of a little child. Your photography is so impressive...beautiful!

Jaime said...

Seriously?? It really grew? In the desert, no less? Wow. I'm impressed.
Maybe you need to give her some more yard space. Sounds like she would have a lovely (and yummy) garden.:)

Karin said...

Now that is one awesome story. Your daughter and the story you told just managed to inspire me, I feel like planting whatever I can find right away! And you really take such good pictures.

Claremont First Ward said...

Wow. What a wonderful story. It reminds me of the book "The Carrot Seed". What an invaluable lesson for everyone. Great shots, too!

Holly said...

Wow, I'm amazed too. I would have thought the popcorn kernels had been too processed to still be a viable seed.

And how amazing that your daughter at only five was able to tend her little garden and grow popcorn?! I hope to hear about how it popped!

Carolyn said...

What a terrific story! I loved every word. I seriously can't believe Orval Redenbacher turned into actual corn. Great PhotoStory Friday post. The second photo especially is gorgeous.

Bren said...

What an awesome story and I'm glad to read the final chapter!