One more garden

My Grandfather and brother approx 1948

I was working in my plot the other day and overheard two gardeners talking. One was complimenting her on her garden and how nice it looked and vice versa. It's funny but I have noticed that everything is prefaced by "next year I'm going to do this", or "it will be better next year when I have more time"

I find myself doing the same thing, analyzing this and that, deciding what works what doesn't. You pick up some tips from other gardeners on how to change this or that just by walking around and looking at what others do. In my head I'm already working out what I will do with my plot next year and what I will and won't be growing. I have to stop myself sometimes and just enjoy what I have and I am enjoying it.

Recently we had a family dinner and got to discussing my grandfather. He has been gone now for over 30 years. He loved his garden and tended it lovingly all of his life. Even his grass was like a silk carpet. I wish I remembered more about it but when you are a little kid those things don't really matter too much. Many summers were spend with my grandparents and two aunts in their house in Vancouver. Every day was pretty much the same. I would follow him around while my aunts were at work and he would always be in his garden. Mostly I played with my barbies outside while he gardened but he was always puttering in it. If he wasn't puttering in it he would sit in a lawn chair and just look at it. I would sit on the grass beside him and probably pester him. He didn't seem to mind too much.

He grew beautiful vegetables but didn't eat most of them. To him they were considered pig food as that was what they fed the pigs with in Ireland. Lucky pigs!

Just before he passed away my brother went to visit him. The one regret he seemed to have was his garden and he remembered him saying "I just wish I could have one more garden"

I wish you could have too grandpa.