So here's the thing....

Unsolicited advice makes the receiver look and feel like an asshole.

I went to the Cooperativo the other day.  The Cooperativo sells everything a country-living girl could want from plants to chicken feed, pet supplies to fashion-forward green rubber garden shoes.  They also sell a bunch of other stuff that I don't even know what to do with.  Which brings me back to my story...

So I was at the Cooperativo the other day to buy some tomato plants.  The first round of tomatoes are pushing out their last fruit. It's only the beginning of August. And I have some free time to putter around in the Orto.  Why not try another batch, I thought to myself pulling into the parking lot.

Immediately I see a pal who is a great gardener.  He knows what all those things are for that they sell at the Cooperativo.  He says he's buying chicken feed and asks what I'm doing. 

"I'm getting some tomatoes to plant," I say feeling kind of proud to be able to add "I've already made all the sauce I can from the May plants".

My friend makes a few grunting noises and then says, "no.  It's too hot.  You can't plant tomatoes now.  No.  You should wait a few weeks.  Too hot."

Hmmm...now I have a dilemma.  I'm standing there next to the rack of beautiful little cuore di bue tomato plants looking for a home, that I was just about to reach for when I got this unsolicited advice.  I have 2 choices: 1. thank my garden expert/friend for the advice and for saving me from making the foolish error of wasting time and money planting tomatoes the first week of August and then go home bummed out because I don't get to plant tomatoes in my garden like I wanted to, or 2. smile politely and thank the gardener expert/friend for that gift of his advice which comes from the wisdom and knowledge gained through years of experience and explain that I'm going to ignore it and plant them anyway .....and then look and feel like an asshole.

hmmm....

Actually, there's a 3rd option:  linger in the store, pretending to be interested in the green rubber garden shoes (which I'm not because I've already got a pair) until the friend's got his feed and has left.  Then grab as many plants as possible and go home to putter....

PS.  check out the Sear's-Freakin-Tower of trellises I've built for these little babies