Memories

My mother, along with many other talents, was a gardener.  During my childhood, she maintained a huge vegetable garden, the produce of which she fed us throughout much of the year.  There bags and bags of potatoes (a staple at almost every dinner), frozen peas, carrots, and canned dill pickles, beets, crabapples, and jams and jellies.  Did I mention she was also a great cook?  It was most often plain fare, meat, potatoes and a veg or two.  (And bread because my dad insisted).  It may have been simple but it always tasted so good!

I think she loved her flowers best.  There was always a row of sweet peas bordering the front of the vegetable garden. Perhaps the border was meant to hide the weeds....though I don't Dad ever let any grow.  Much to mom's chagrin he often mistook new growth, resulting in a scolding and a replanting when possible. 

Several other flower beds in the yard yielded cut flowers for more than one wedding.  When she moved to town, she created flower beds where none existed.  Well, Dad dug them, she planted and cared for them.  One of those beds was filled with a variety of lilies.  She ordered them from seed company catalogues or was given a division from another like-minded gardener.

In the bed closest to the house was a baby's breath she had brought from the farm.  When we sold the house before Dad died, I brought a piece of it with me to Regina and planted in my garden.  When we moved in 2010 I left it there, as this yard has a north exposure.  I was happy to see it growing in the yard for a couple of years before the new owners tore everything out.  

Spring and of course, Mother's Day always brings my memories of mom closer. It has been over 12 years since she passed away.  If I could, as the song says, I would wish for another day with her.

This weekend is also the anniversary of my grandmother's passing.  She was only 65 years old when she passed away in 1972, the day before Mother's Day. I was only 13 years old so my memories of Nan are few.  She taught us to play Canasta, she was smoker (like my Grandpa and my mom), she liked a cold beer on a hot day, and she would often stand at her kitchen sink looking out the window to the back yard (and garden).  She had the counter height raised so she could lean on her elbows without having to bend over to do so.

I have very few photos of either mom or Nan.  I don't think either of them liked their photos taken.  I found this one of Nan in an old photo album of my mom's.  believe it was taken on a trip to the Maritimes (perhaps Nova Scotia).  Nor do I know what year it was taken but would think it was around the mid-1960's so she would have been about 60 years old at time.

Happy Mother's Day mom and Nan.  I hope you are together sharing your special day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's - including all who mother our fur babies.