I'm linking up again with Lisa-Jo Baker for 5-Minute Friday. The topic this week is garden. I have to say, I am sure I wrote a little longer than 5 minutes today. But I couldn't stop! I wanted to finish my story! Good memories :)
Go:
My grandpa had a garden. Situated at the bottom of his back
yard, it shared a fence with a golf course. Golfers meandered by discussing
their plans for the next hole, never noticing my grandpa’s little piece of
heaven. Every year he planted tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, zucchini, green beans, okra, and cucumbers. Tomatoes were his favorite to grow. Every year he grew so many tomatoes,
he had to give them away to our family, my uncles and aunts, his friends, and
his neighbors so they wouldn't go to waste. My grandpa didn't even eat
tomatoes that often. He always said they were not his favorite. He was more of a meat and potatoes kind of man. He grew them because gardening was his
passion.
My
grandpa owned a bakery before I was born. When I was young and first heard
this, I couldn’t believe it. My grandpa, a baker? My mom told me stories of how
he used to let her invite her friends over to make salt water taffy in the
kitchen. She remembers pulling and pulling the long, sticky mess until he said
it was ready to eat. He knew what he was doing. He baked pies, cookies, rolls,
and cakes. Growing up, I don’t have memories of my grandpa baking things, but I
sure do have memories of his garden.
I
remember my grandma canning Grandpa's fresh and delicious green beans for winter. She
used to cook them with a ham hock. They were that perfect mixture of saltiness
and smoky goodness--one of my favorites of all time. My grandma used his fresh
tomatoes to make her homemade salsa. It was a tad sweet, not like the normal
salsa I eat today. It had a hint of nutmeg mixed in. It made me feel warm and
fuzzy inside when I ate it. Every time a chip went in my mouth, I did a little happy dance. My mouth waters for that salsa.
My grandpa’s tomatoes were the
best. He always grew them big and juicy. They were dark, red and perfect just
by themselves. My dad always ate them with a little bit of salt shaken on top. He could eat them straight up like an apple. But mostly my
dad and I would slice three or four tomatoes up on a plate, shake a little
salt on top, and eat them like they were candy. We ate so many tomatoes during
the summer that our lips would tingle when the acidity from the tomatoes got
to be too much, eating one after another after another. Our mouths would water
when grandpa called to tell us he had more tomatoes waiting for us.
Even when my grandpa had a
stroke and heart trouble, you could find him down in the garden staking tomatoes
with his oxygen tank lying on the ground next to him. He was no longer a baker,
but by gosh, nothing was going to stop him from gardening. Even after his
daughter (my mother, who is a nure) gave him what-for about driving stakes into the
ground while wearing an oxygen tank and having a heart condition, he didn't care. He still tended to his garden and supplied us with tomatoes until he wasn't physically able to anymore.
I miss his garden so much. Writing this
hurts my heart a little. Even though my grandpa’s garden is no longer here, I
still have these memories of his love and passion for this art that he perfected. It means so much that he shared love with me. I know he’s growing tomatoes up in heqaven for my dad
and my grandma. I hope they save some for me.
Stop.
Love and happiness <3 Holly
Stop.
Love and happiness <3 Holly
What a sweet and beautiful story! Your story reminds me of my grandfather and his garden.
ReplyDeleteHAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Blessings,
Amy
Thank you so much, Amy Lynne! Happy Valentine's Day to you too! Much love :)
DeleteHolly <3
Thank you so much, Roni! I love remembering stories like this that remind me of the little things I loved about the people who are no longer with me. It feels like they they are even closer to me still. I have never seen a silver rose. That sounds so beautiful! I would love to see in real life. I checked one out on google--oh my gosh! Gorgeous! Thank you for visiting with me as well :) It was also a pleasure visiting you on your blog :) Have a wonderful weekend! Sending you love, Holly <3
ReplyDelete