Sunday, October 15, 2006

Beautiful Sunday - 10.15

I never see a dahlia that I don't think of my 80-year-old neighbor, Harry, who has left this world but is always in my heart when I am in the backyard. He gave me my first potted Hydrangea as a birthday gift many years ago, I planted it, fell in love and planted many more. I still have the first "Harry Hydrangea" back there. He introduced me to Sweet Peas, taught me about growing them, soaking them and planting them on St. Patrick's Day. Sweet Peas, and the delicate scent, will always be one of my favorite flowers. But Harry's favorite flower was the dahlia. He would plant them every year, dig them up every fall. He had a backyard full of them and I was the recepient of many a generous, jewel-colored dahlia bouquets. He hated our tree (he had long past cut all the trees from his yard) and he hated our grapes. They littered his yard and I had to go over and clean up the fallen leaves to appease him. I found him one day in our backyard with his chain saw, eyeing the grapes that divided our yard from his. He told me that D has told him to go ahead and cut down the grapes. I said, "Hold on there, Harry, D doesn't make those decisions without me having some input and I say NO". Well, he had tried. He chuckled and went back to his mowing, or building something. He also lost fingertips all the time from his table saw. He was quite a character and I really miss having him as my neighbor. Although he is never further away than a glance at his hydrangea, a whiff of sweet pea or a structured dahlia. This Beautiful Sunday is dedicated to Harry.

Beautiful Sunday 10.15

11 comments:

Colorsonmymind said...

Oh you should make and sell a calendar of your flower photos they are so divine.

Anonymous said...

Great story & a beautiful photo Miss Kim.

Anonymous said...

This is a lovely post and a lovely picture.

Anonymous said...

What a sweet story... love it.

S'mee said...

great post, amazing photo...as always.

leslie said...

thanks for the comment on my site!

beautiful post and amazing photo.

Nimbostratusdweller said...

ooh I remember that! The tea cozies are perfect tooo the way you punctuated them...

Anonymous said...

What a gorgeous color!

Joanne S said...

I have red dahlias in my garden that belonged to a wonderful guy named Fletcher. He had to move to assisted living and give up his garden and dahlias. There are a few of us planting Fletcher's flowers each year and giving some away to new gardeners.

Anonymous said...

I spent most of Sunday pruning rose bushes given to me by my next door neighbor, Lou, the first spring I lived in my house. A retired landscaper, he tinkered in his yard all day and meddled with mine frequently. Once he told a contractor to rip out all the grass in my front lawn because he didn't like that variety of grass. The layout of my garden is not what I intended because of him. But in a way, it's better. He gave me roses that bloom by the buckets. A good way to honor his memory now that he is no longer here to tend the blooms.

Kim Carney said...

I love that, you guys have the same honor I have of watching over someone special's bounty ;) How wonderful!