Spring and Change

With life changes on the horizon, my garden is coming to life in what may be my last year of seeing the colors of spring from my easy chair.

February brought the petals of the Lenten Rose.  The leaves of this plant remain green almost all year long.

March was a struggle for the daffodils due to warm days followed by snowy, cold days.




The beginning of the purple and pink blossoms of the creeping phlox just started at the end of this month.

April finds the rose bush sending out shoots along with tulip and lily leaves pushing through the soil.  With all the rains and consistently warming weather soon I will find all sort of plants coming to life.


My son is pretty sure his old mom is going to miss this yard.  I have no doubt I will miss the yearly eruption of plant life.   I will miss the little touches we worked diligently to create:  three small fountains; raised beds that were "double dug" by hand and pick axe;  a pond;  a knot garden of sorts.  A plan of perennials and shrubs that give blooms from February through hard frosts in the late fall.  Yes, I will miss these things that document a large part of the work of my free time.

My quite area meditation fountain awaiting warm weather

But I have left two other homes in my lifetime.  I still remember the room that was covered in wallpaper of animals.  That was the room to which I brought my precious newborn son on August 18.  I remember the trees we planted, the flower and vegetable garden we made, the house we had built from plans we selected.  We moved from there in 1975 and I still remember the good things.

The second home was the home in which we raised our son.  I remember the months spent renovating multiple times, adding a bathroom for him and the wallpaper he selected.  It was foil wallpaper and I promised God if I could just get that one room done I would never buy foil wallpaper again.  God help me get it hung by giving me patience and I never bought foil wallpaper again.  I remember the day my son found a puppy and begged us to keep it.  He won.  And I remember consoling that same child the day the dog died cause someone had poisoned Snowy.

I remember watching my son leave for his trip to Philmont, the Orange Bowl, first date and Boys State from that front door.  Watching him play hours of basketball with his two best buds is a memory that I pray will always be with me.  I remember watching through tear filled eyes as his dad help load our son's new Ford Ranger to leave for a college 400 miles away from that home.  We left that home in 1993.  I left a flower bed my son and the two best buds had built for me.

Yes, I have left two homes full of wonderful memories and some bad memories ones, too.  I have survived leaving the dreams built and realized in those homes.  Now to think of moving again for one main purpose, to be closer to that same son and his children is certainly exciting.  There will probably be mostly container gardening.  That is good as it becomes more difficult to have time in the spring to visit our son and double dig flower beds.  I think I have reached a point in my life that sitting in a folding chair watching soccer games, drum competition, swim meets, track meets will be every bit as joyful as planting.  And, actually, I will be planting, seeds of love in the hearts of another generation.

My arch enemy, henbit, which I will not miss!