Sharing "Leola's Love" (free seeds)
One year ago last night, February 7th, 2010, a very special woman left this earthly world.
My wife and I, 2 of her sisters, and one of our nieces had been keeping vigil for several days over their Mother and Grandmother, Leola Grace Glover. Our hospice team, for the time we had them, were another realm of Angels that helped Mom, and ultimately us, through her final months, and especially, her last days.
It was Super Bowl Sunday last year, and, I distinctly remember being called back to Mom's room a year ago. The TV had the game on as background noise, and as I passed by, the Saints scored a touchdown. Some time later, I realized the irony of that timing :) The real Saints had a new one among them.
A year ago, our blog had been silent for a while. We, and Lynne's extended family, were consumed with caring for Mom. During the time Mom's condition deteriorated, my sister Mary Lou Brown also passed away. There was a time period in there where the people, the families who needed to know, knew. Since that time, we also came to realize that we had a few annonymous followers who commented to us rather often, and our self-imposed silence left them out of the loop. We apologize for that, and maybe, they still have us bookmarked, and will find their way back to our Heartland Ramblings, and understand why we were away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winter has been interesting in North Carolina this year, and in much of the Eastern US. Temperatures well below normal, a beautiful post-Christmas snowstorm. There's even talk of some light snow possible in the near future! Not a yardwork inducing forecast, to say the least.
While Lynne continues to sort through Mom's items, and we change the house up, we're also waiting for one of those days 'just a little warmer', so we can get outside and start reclaiming the gardens that fell into a state of unkemptness and neglect over the last couple years. We're not going to take total blame, however :)
A region-wide drought, and 90+ days of temperatures of 90° or higher last year added some assistance to their demise. Or so we want to think and say :) Then there's days like today - Bright warming sun, slowly getting higher in the sky, but holding a gusting wind that still cuts through you. No, we're not dealing with Dakota-like minus 30 temps, but still...
Lynne has lots to do inside, always redecorating and changing things up to fit the season. We have projects that we've got to stop talking about and start working on. Right now, the inside is her domain, and the outside is mine. I know it's a little too early to cleanse the garden beds of the heavy layer of pine needles and leaves that have accumulated, but some can, and need to be exposed. The Daffodils are rising, some with buds showing! There's other beds that need a total overhaul. Fortunately, there's even some that need little more done but some weeding.
So, it's time for us to get going on our respective chores. We WILL get our gardens rebuilt, restored, refurbished. Sure, we hope it might all happen this year, but if not, we will know we made progress. We'll have some stories to share along the way, as is our way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, for our gardening and decorating friends, we'd like to share something very special with you. Last year, we collected lots of seed from a plant that we only know as "Chimney Pinks". They aren't the Pinks that are known as Carnations or Dianthus. These are annuals, that re-seed freely wherever planted.
These "Chimney Pinks", as far as Lynne and her sisters can remember, are dated back at least to their Great-Grandmother and Great Aunt, and probably beyond. Lynne's seeds came from her Mom, who used to collect the seed in medicine bottles, and share with her family and friends. They've flourished in the mountains of Pennsylvania and the postage stamp lots of Delaware. When we pass along some of these seeds to our Granddaughter and great nieces this spring, they will then have spanned at least 6 generations as pass-a-long plant.
We have enough seed collected now to share a little of "Leola's Love" with you.
We call them as Chimney Pinks, simply because that's what Mom told us they were. Mom's are never wrong, right? :) Someday, we'll know the correct scientific Latin name that goes with them :) They are light and airy, and bloom continuously from mid-Spring through Summer, sometimes reseeding early enough to produce a 2nd blooming period. True to their name, they are pink(surprise!!!) I wish we had a close-up, but this distant Hydragnea with the Pinks will have to suffice. Seed sown now should bloom this late Spring/Summer.
Just leave us a comment here and let us know why you'd like to have a little bit of the love that Mom was so passionate about passing along, as well as how we can contact you, (DM us on Twitter, or Private Message on Facebook), and we'll be happy to spread a little of Leola's Love with you. You know how to find us. :) There might be some surprise seeds as well.
Anyways, as always, we thank you for listening to our Heartland Ramblings, and we'll be back again soon.
Peace and Love,
Tom and Lynne
My wife and I, 2 of her sisters, and one of our nieces had been keeping vigil for several days over their Mother and Grandmother, Leola Grace Glover. Our hospice team, for the time we had them, were another realm of Angels that helped Mom, and ultimately us, through her final months, and especially, her last days.
It was Super Bowl Sunday last year, and, I distinctly remember being called back to Mom's room a year ago. The TV had the game on as background noise, and as I passed by, the Saints scored a touchdown. Some time later, I realized the irony of that timing :) The real Saints had a new one among them.
A year ago, our blog had been silent for a while. We, and Lynne's extended family, were consumed with caring for Mom. During the time Mom's condition deteriorated, my sister Mary Lou Brown also passed away. There was a time period in there where the people, the families who needed to know, knew. Since that time, we also came to realize that we had a few annonymous followers who commented to us rather often, and our self-imposed silence left them out of the loop. We apologize for that, and maybe, they still have us bookmarked, and will find their way back to our Heartland Ramblings, and understand why we were away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winter has been interesting in North Carolina this year, and in much of the Eastern US. Temperatures well below normal, a beautiful post-Christmas snowstorm. There's even talk of some light snow possible in the near future! Not a yardwork inducing forecast, to say the least.
While Lynne continues to sort through Mom's items, and we change the house up, we're also waiting for one of those days 'just a little warmer', so we can get outside and start reclaiming the gardens that fell into a state of unkemptness and neglect over the last couple years. We're not going to take total blame, however :)
A region-wide drought, and 90+ days of temperatures of 90° or higher last year added some assistance to their demise. Or so we want to think and say :) Then there's days like today - Bright warming sun, slowly getting higher in the sky, but holding a gusting wind that still cuts through you. No, we're not dealing with Dakota-like minus 30 temps, but still...
Lynne has lots to do inside, always redecorating and changing things up to fit the season. We have projects that we've got to stop talking about and start working on. Right now, the inside is her domain, and the outside is mine. I know it's a little too early to cleanse the garden beds of the heavy layer of pine needles and leaves that have accumulated, but some can, and need to be exposed. The Daffodils are rising, some with buds showing! There's other beds that need a total overhaul. Fortunately, there's even some that need little more done but some weeding.
So, it's time for us to get going on our respective chores. We WILL get our gardens rebuilt, restored, refurbished. Sure, we hope it might all happen this year, but if not, we will know we made progress. We'll have some stories to share along the way, as is our way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, for our gardening and decorating friends, we'd like to share something very special with you. Last year, we collected lots of seed from a plant that we only know as "Chimney Pinks". They aren't the Pinks that are known as Carnations or Dianthus. These are annuals, that re-seed freely wherever planted.
These "Chimney Pinks", as far as Lynne and her sisters can remember, are dated back at least to their Great-Grandmother and Great Aunt, and probably beyond. Lynne's seeds came from her Mom, who used to collect the seed in medicine bottles, and share with her family and friends. They've flourished in the mountains of Pennsylvania and the postage stamp lots of Delaware. When we pass along some of these seeds to our Granddaughter and great nieces this spring, they will then have spanned at least 6 generations as pass-a-long plant.
We have enough seed collected now to share a little of "Leola's Love" with you.
We call them as Chimney Pinks, simply because that's what Mom told us they were. Mom's are never wrong, right? :) Someday, we'll know the correct scientific Latin name that goes with them :) They are light and airy, and bloom continuously from mid-Spring through Summer, sometimes reseeding early enough to produce a 2nd blooming period. True to their name, they are pink(surprise!!!) I wish we had a close-up, but this distant Hydragnea with the Pinks will have to suffice. Seed sown now should bloom this late Spring/Summer.
Just leave us a comment here and let us know why you'd like to have a little bit of the love that Mom was so passionate about passing along, as well as how we can contact you, (DM us on Twitter, or Private Message on Facebook), and we'll be happy to spread a little of Leola's Love with you. You know how to find us. :) There might be some surprise seeds as well.
Anyways, as always, we thank you for listening to our Heartland Ramblings, and we'll be back again soon.
Peace and Love,
Tom and Lynne
posted by Tom | 11:07 PM
10 Comments:
Incredible post, Tom. Glad to hear that you're spreading those seeds around to different gardens.
This coming Saturday would've been my mom's 59th birthday. I guess the good ones get called home in February.
;0)
Love you Momma,
Wonderful post Tom!
Lee (aka Leola Junior, her namssake)
Wonderful, wonderful post, Tom. I know about missing Mom - 6 years now and still missing her so much!
My father is now on hospice and my baby sister has brain cancer - I know how you have to take time off to tend to more important things.
Janet
Awwwwwwwwwww how sweet they look in front of the house.Just what she was to me very sweet lady who treated me like family. I can't wait until June to see them up close. (((((hugs))))
Stumbled on to your blog and was delighted reading your post. I just lost my father at 85 in December and know how hard it is to watch them fade away. Grief sneaks up on you when you least expect it and you find yourself missing them so often. How very nice it is that you get to share her lovely pinks though your generations. I love that about gardening and am happy to see how a love of flowers can be spread through generations. best of luck to you and your family.
Tom, This post brought back many memories for me. I was at my mom's side when she passed in 2006. She left a tremendous legacy, one of which was a love for flowers which she passed to me. Everytime my roses bloom I think of her. I know you too share this legacy from your beloved mother. Blessings to you my friend......
Thank you for all the wonderful comments, friends. We really appreciate them
Tom, what a beautiful and touching post. I think there could be no finer legacy than to pass these seeds around the country. My Dad has been doing a similar thing with his favorite houseplants. I will never be able to see an African Violet without thinking of my Grandma Lillian, and my Prayer Plant is all Dad.
I just found your blogspot a few minutes ago and want to extend to you and Lynne and your family my deepest condolences. I looked at the picture of your Mom and immediately thought of mine that I lost back in 1991..there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my Mama. I have to travel 400 miles to even put flowers on her grave. I think your posted message was a great tribute to her. Have you thought about creating a Memory Garden in her honor? Surely there are more plants that she loved that you could incorporate into it besides the Chimmney Pinks. We just went through the same experience with our son losing his best friend/partner. He lives on in our hearts forever! Just like your Mom will for you.
My gosh I can't believe its really been a year! Thank you so much for "sharing" such a special lady with us at RPM through your posts. Ya'll were truly blessed to have her in your lives and vice versa.
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