Several weeks ago, through social media posts, my friend and personal trainer, Tommy Else, documented his success (or lack thereof) with a Chia Pet. Of course, I had to rib him on the woeful growth of his Golden Girls’ Sophia Chia.

After some fun chatter, I challenged him to a Chia Pet contest. Soon other friends joined the conversation, leading to Tommy creating The 2020 Chia Pet Invitational.

Having never attempted to grow a Chia Pet, I sought advice from my sisters and nieces, along with online research. I never realized how many different Chia Pets are available, but I settled on Bob Ross, mostly out of convenience and time.

Three days prior to the start of the contest, I submerged Bob in a bucket of water, trying to have it absorb as much water as possible. I changed the water twice daily to keep it fresh.

On the start day, I added water to the Chia seeds and waited for it to gel. I had to add more seeds to thicken the mixture.

Once the seeds were ready, I removed Bob from the bucket, spread the seeds over his head and placed a plastic bag over Bob to keep in the moisture. After two days, I removed the bag and placed Bob in a window.

The Winner: Chia Bob Ross

Every day, I refilled the water holder twice and turned Bob several times to allow the sunlight to reach all sides. After a couple more days, I saw real growth.

The contest ended eight days later, and voting opened to anyone on social media. I am proud to say I won, although the Chia committee did not release the official tally.

The contest was a lot of fun. It provided daily amusement as pictures were posted on Facebook, along with good-natured jabbing. I also have to admit it was a lot of work. I didn’t know Chia Pets only lasted about 14 days. Of course, the Chia Pet base can be cleaned and new seeds planted, but I think I will wait for the 2021 Chia Pet Invitational.

— John Wroblewski, online writer

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