I spent Saturday cleaning out and throwing away. It seems no matter how much I discard, next week I will have that much and more accumulating on my table surfaces.
I had plans for this weekend. I was going to Lowes and take advantage of the sales of their flowers and plants. My deck garden is rather sad looking at this time, but I know what I want and I just have to go shopping.
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| deck garden in past years |
When I lived in Georgia, by this time of year my azaleas would have bloomed. My hydrangeas would be blooming and all over the woods and fields, I would see wildflowers in many colors. Morning glories climbed on the fences and opened blossoms early in the day.
In spite of the hot weather down there, spring was always beautiful. My nephew, Gabe, sends me photos he makes and titles them In Paradise. I am glad he loves the family farm where I grew up and that now belongs to him and his brothers.
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| Sunset on the Council Farm |
It was a great place to grow up with all the animals and nature to enjoy. Gay and I played in the barn where the calves were penned, and we loved the kittens that lived in the hayloft. As I reflect on those days, I realize we had a very good life. We felt safe and loved. We had the best mother anyone could ever have and since Gay and I were the babies of the seven children, she kept us close or if we were with our brothers, they knew to keep us safe.
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| Two little sisters on their way to school |
We always had a dog to love. The first one I remember was Fluffy, a small shaggy girl, that we lost when a rabid dog came into the yard and attacked her. I think that was my first experience of the loss of a loved one.
When we were a bit older, our big sister June was given a gorgeous black cocker spaniel. I am sure that was an expensive dog, but the man who gave him away was going overseas and could not take his pet with him.
Turbo was the first dog that Mother allowed in the house, and he didn't get to stay long. He became a farm dog, riding in the truck with Daddy and rambling in the woods. His fur matted and filled with burrs, and no one bothered to remove them except Gay and me. We were children who had no idea how to groom the dog. Turbo disappeared one day, and Mother was positive someone took him. If they did, I hope they got all the stickers out of his coat. Our family did not deserve a fine dog like Turbo.
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In the early sixties, my brothers built a large swimming pool on the farm. Our family gathered there for picnics, family reunions, and every weekend it didn't rain in summer. Four of the seven of us lived on the land and so did Mother and Daddy.
Now I am making plans as to where I will spend the last part of my life when I can no longer live alone and take care of a home. I hope that time is distant, but I must plan. What will I do with all this stuff I have accumulated? How will I discard what I can no longer use or need?
This weekend has been extremely quiet. My neighbors have sold their home and were gone this weekend so I realized what it will be like for me when they are no longer near me. Strangely, I enjoyed my isolation and wonder if this happened because of being alone for the past year. I am becoming a big fan of total quiet.
I am enjoying watching the bluebirds that come back every year and watching a small bird build a nest in a decorative gourd I have hanging on my deck.
I captured with my camera a large butterfly that perched on my turtle that glows from the sun.
The butterfly lingered there for a long time. I don't know what kind it is, but it was lovely. I wonder why it didn't light on a flower that was just below. My turtle looks like he is rather surprised, doesn't he?
Have a good week, my friends. Enjoy our newfound freedom, but still be careful.
Glenda Beall - co-author of Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers, and Fins. Visit her author page on Amazon.com
