One of the purposes of our family blog is to share stories of inspiration found in our family history.
*The following thoughts were recorded by Teresa Brower Timms (Ama)
Grandma had the most magnificent flower and vegetable gardens at her home in Blackfoot, Idaho. She took great pride and care of both gardens. She had several long rows of strawberries, which we as grandchildren were welcome to raid at any time. She also grew gooseberry's with which she made my brother Bruces's favorite pie. Her string beans were sweet and often picked fresh and eaten raw by all of us, as were the peas. She even grew rhubarb and asparagus along the banks of the irrigation ditch that ran across the back of the yard. Meals at Grandma's house were a cornucopia of variety and indescribable taste, my favorite being new red potatoes and peas in a cream sauce. She cared so meticulously for her gardens. One could NEVER find a weed in her gardens. She crawled on her knees up and down the rows pulling out the teeniest of weeds and putting them in a gunny sack which she carried with her. One of my favorite breakfast treats at Grandma's was a bowl of fresh raspberries which she would go out early and pick for her grand children's enjoyment. We would always go home with bags full of fruits and veggies - the rest she would can or make frozen jam with. Her vegetable garden took up 95% of her backyard.
The side yard was planted with rows of a huge variety of flowers - the smallest flowers, which were blue Bachelor Buttons, closet to the grass, graduating to several rows of tall Hollyhocks, Hibiscus and Gladiolas of all colors, in the back, which lined the neighbors driveway - a fence of flowers. This flower garden was as big as her vegetable garden. Florists would come to Grandma, when they ran short of flowers in their shops, and Grandma would give them flowers. She always had us help her cut flowers and take them to her neighbors and also to church to put next to the pulpit. I remember how each time we'd visit, during the blooming season, Grandma would have us help her cut flowers and we'd go out to the cemetery to put flowers on her daughter, Hazel's, grave. Grandpa hand crafted special vases which he put into the cement on both sides of the headstone. This way they were out the way of the maintenance men and would be left on the grave all week, until new ones were put on. Grandma took great care to wash out the vases each week and then arrange the flowers in them. This simple act of tenderness taught me to love an aunt I did not have the blessing of knowing. After she would tend to her daughter's grave she would then help us take flowers over to my Uncle Wesley's grave, where another set of hand crafted vases were in place and we would repeat "caring" for his grave.
One of my favorite Primary songs growing up was, "Grandmother's Old-Fashioned Garden". It always reminded me of my Grandma. It was composed and written by Mildred T Pettit, who also wrote "I Am A Child of God'.
My grandmother has a garden, old fashioned and quaint as can be.
The flowers so rare, that none can compare,
Neath the plum and the apricot and cherry tree.
Would you like me to show you the garden?
Then follow me now and we'll go...
'Round the old grapevine arbor, back of the walk,
Where the birds and the butterflies and flowers grow.
The Daisies and Lilies are telling of grandmother's kind tender care.
Sweet William and peas, Heliatrope and Heartsease,
And Violets, modest tho' fragrant and fair.
I still long for my Grandmother's garden;
With Hollyhocks, stately and tall....
And sometime in my dreams I see her, it seem,
My dear grandmother standing there closing to the wall.
In my grandmother's old fashioned garden,
There are flowe'rs of ev'ry hue.....
Daffodils, Pansies and Hyacinths and old fashioned pinks are there too...
I belong to my Grandmother's...
I was picked from the family tree;
So out in my Grandmother's old fashioned garden,
If you come there you will find me.
The side yard was planted with rows of a huge variety of flowers - the smallest flowers, which were blue Bachelor Buttons, closet to the grass, graduating to several rows of tall Hollyhocks, Hibiscus and Gladiolas of all colors, in the back, which lined the neighbors driveway - a fence of flowers. This flower garden was as big as her vegetable garden. Florists would come to Grandma, when they ran short of flowers in their shops, and Grandma would give them flowers. She always had us help her cut flowers and take them to her neighbors and also to church to put next to the pulpit. I remember how each time we'd visit, during the blooming season, Grandma would have us help her cut flowers and we'd go out to the cemetery to put flowers on her daughter, Hazel's, grave. Grandpa hand crafted special vases which he put into the cement on both sides of the headstone. This way they were out the way of the maintenance men and would be left on the grave all week, until new ones were put on. Grandma took great care to wash out the vases each week and then arrange the flowers in them. This simple act of tenderness taught me to love an aunt I did not have the blessing of knowing. After she would tend to her daughter's grave she would then help us take flowers over to my Uncle Wesley's grave, where another set of hand crafted vases were in place and we would repeat "caring" for his grave.
One of my favorite Primary songs growing up was, "Grandmother's Old-Fashioned Garden". It always reminded me of my Grandma. It was composed and written by Mildred T Pettit, who also wrote "I Am A Child of God'.
My grandmother has a garden, old fashioned and quaint as can be.
The flowers so rare, that none can compare,
Neath the plum and the apricot and cherry tree.
Would you like me to show you the garden?
Then follow me now and we'll go...
'Round the old grapevine arbor, back of the walk,
Where the birds and the butterflies and flowers grow.
The Daisies and Lilies are telling of grandmother's kind tender care.
Sweet William and peas, Heliatrope and Heartsease,
And Violets, modest tho' fragrant and fair.
I still long for my Grandmother's garden;
With Hollyhocks, stately and tall....
And sometime in my dreams I see her, it seem,
My dear grandmother standing there closing to the wall.
In my grandmother's old fashioned garden,
There are flowe'rs of ev'ry hue.....
Daffodils, Pansies and Hyacinths and old fashioned pinks are there too...
I belong to my Grandmother's...
I was picked from the family tree;
So out in my Grandmother's old fashioned garden,
If you come there you will find me.
~Ama
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1 comment:
my favorite memories of my grandma are of her fabulous garden!!
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