Railroaded
By Jim Sollecito
Did you ever jump on a moving train, thrilled with the prospect of seeing where it ends up?
I did.
And I can tell you that as exhilarating as it sounds, once you are on with no easy way off, the trepidation trumps the charm.
Morphing into fear, then regret. Bring anything to mind?
It was September 1963. Three of us were riding dirt bikes parallel to the train tracks outside Schenectady, when a big orange train slowed to nearly a stop. Nicky Viscio and I rode up next to it. The temptation was just too great. It beckoned me like a Siren. “Come along for the ride.” This was a classic showoff moment. I was older and at 9 the best age to do something dumb for others.
So I hopped off my bike, ran up the stone track bed and grabbed the side ladder of one of the cars. Off I went onto a new adventure to parts unknown. Meeting hobos and conductors while living easy without a ticket.
Alas, there was a price to pay.
As the train picked up speed, I realized I was trapped, with just two ways out.
Wait until it stopped, maybe in NYC or Boston. Or jump off.
After a while I opted for the latter and someplace outside of Amsterdam, I jumped off, tumbling down a large embankment, landing in some thorny black locust.
Nicky finally showed up, I dragged myself onto the back of his bike and he took me back to his house. Which then meant a subsequent trip to Dr. Aernie’s office because it was faster than Ellis Hospital.
The good doctor repositioned my rearranged fingers and stitched me up. I still wear those scars, the gift that keeps giving, as some of those digits don’t move so well anymore.
Undaunted by my rail-hopping experience, I continue to be motivated to see new and different places — and to grow from the experience. Although I have traveled by train in many continents since, on this day I should have made a better choice, not just reacted like a dog chasing a moving object. Ugh. But I learned a few things from that event which have kept me on the right side of the sod. I paid my youth tax and am a better man for it.
Science is a candle in the dark. Carl Sagan conveyed that image years ago when we were both at Cornell. Trust the facts, not the hype, before jumping aboard the latest tempting ride.
As with any fad, the hottest trend might not be the right long-term choice. Plants can be valid and valuable in the long term. Select the better varieties; install correctly with compost and crab shell; mulch with 100% bark mulch and you can expect great things. Most of us agree orange is a good fall color. Take that fake orange-dyed mulch. Please take it far away. Nothing beneficial in that mulch; in fact it is actually harmful.
Don’t be fooled by the big orange train of unsubstantiated claims. Stop in our store for a science-driven handout on how to plant correctly. We’ll be happy to give one to you. Because fall is for planting and knowledge is power.
Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.