A coming together of a family

Bug and I were given the dear honor of attending a ceremony for Raju, Janak and Geeta's son.  Anvi's brother, Baa's beloved grandson.  Geeta's father's beloved grandson.  Raju and his beautiful bride will be married this coming week and this ceremony was done by Raju's grandfather, Geeta's Father.  Today was his birthday.  He is 94.  The man sat on the floor on his knees, and was able to get up.  Most of the time he sat on a low stool up on the stage at the Temple. But part of the ceremony he gave his grandson required him to get up and down on the floor several times.  94.  He is bright and amazing.  The ceremony was very lovely and ended in group blessings for Raju.  Bug has had a pretty serious stomach bug.  I giggle a little each time I say that.  But he has been very sick.  We have stayed home this weekend.  He has not been able to go anywhere, and he has felt bad.

Thursday we started out enjoying the holiday weekend.  We rode out to Outz's on the red Harley.  We ate oysters and smoked mullet and rode down to St. Marks.  It was a lovely ride and a gorgeous day.  Friday we had to run errands in Tallahassee and wanted to sneak in and get out before everyone left for the Holiday Weekend that we had already started enjoying.  We went to Wally World and bought a couple of plyclasamous for the lotus pond and the gold fish.  We ate lunch at Costco's.  We walked around the store picking up what we needed and eating the little tasting booths spread throughout the store. By the time we got to the food court we were too full, even for one of their amazing hand dipped ice creams.  We came home and got ready for the Monticello Opera House, Stage Company's Murder Mystery.  Judy directed it again this year.  This time completely and totally her vision.  The play was silly, but the actors were wonderful. The room had been turned into a saloon and was amazing.  The show was fun and as the acts slipped by in between the courses of the meal,it gave you time to really enjoy the various characters.  Shirley's Fester was over the top funny, and the more she was on the stage, the happier the audience was.  Ms Liddy was sick on Friday night.  She barely had a voice, and yet she pulled it off  Various actors jumped in with her lines as needed.  And Ms Liddy was a big enough personality that it worked perfect.  Except for one time.  And that one time was even better. 

Ms Liddy went to give a line and there was no voice.  She looked back at Mandi Holley, who as an adorable school marm, Ms Prunesomething.  She was prudish and sweet and cute drunk on the "tonic".  Mandi is pretty amazing with learning every one's lines, but she was not able to help this time.  So, when Ms Liddy looks back for help, Ms Prunesomething or other is drunk on tonic and in character she says she doesn't know that line.  It was so in character and Ms. Liddy turned back to the audience.  Cleared her throat and threw her hands on her hips and the line came out.  A little croaky at the end, but perfectly in character it charmed us all.  To see that kind of cool calm talent to stay in character in community theater is why I have loved my years involved.  Bug did not make the end of the play.  Just after the second act when they brought the food out, his stomached started arguing with him. He wasn't able to eat his dinner and he headed for home.  We had sat with Jack and Jan and the new Episcopalian priest and his wife. 

We have stayed close to home for the rest of the weekend until I drove into town for Raju.  His family had flown in from all over the United States and India.  Raju is a JAG lawyer in the Air Force.  He was in Afghanistan last year and there was a young man and his wife at the ceremony who had been in Afghanistan with Raju.  Raju's beautiful wife to be was there, as well as her family.  The rest of us were friends of the family and so honored to get to be there.

I ran over to Wally World and got some meds for Bug to see if we can get on top of this thing.  I also found 2 banana plants 50% Off so I snapped those up for my new garden.

Bug has suggested that we get a landscape architect to tackle this garden.  At first I was so disappointed.  I wanted us to do this together.  But really doesn't that mean my idea and Bug's back breaking work?  I can say I will do most of it, but really??  I know I can do some of it, but some of the hardscapes required someone who knows what they are doing.  And they are not squinting into their smart phone in the bright sunshine reading DIY instructions on the Internet. Hmmm.  I like this idea better and better.  I want Ahmad from Yard Crashers.  Trust me if I could figure out how to get him here, I would do it in a snap.  A snap I tell you.  But alas, I have no idea how to do that.  Well, that is not completely true.  I actually looked up "wish foundations" for adults with life ending diseases.  The only problem with those is that you have to be within the last year of your life.  I don't think I could pass that off.  I know I don't have that many years beyond, but I think I will still be here in a year.  Maybe.  I think so.  So, so much for "wishes".  I am sure that I can find someone like Ahmad here and they will let me help in the work.  A new adventure.  One we will do together, but no with our own old backs.  Yay!!!

A good weekend.  Time spent remembering.  Remembering all the people who have touched my life some how who are gone.  Whether Walt Disney who gave us a vision for the future to Gandhi and MLK Jr for their vision of peace.  I thought of my parents and grand parents, happy that I was able to know all of them.  I thought of soldiers and peace keepers and conservationists, and Teddy Roosevelt and his cousin Eleanor and so many people who helped to make my world today. A good memorial Day.  Time in the garden.  Time with dear precious friends.  Time with my honey.  Time with my animals.  A day to remember.  To celebrate a wedding and a 94th birthday.  Nice to remember and celebrate on a day like today.  At a time when I have been remembering. 

Geeta's father, gently told me to just live in the memories now.  They are important, and they will become me and I will naturally move on with me life.  Don't try and control something that is natural.  Let it happen.  That helped to remind myself that I am where I should be right now. 

A day to remember, just like it should be.

Healing Earth

I am here!  I am happy and digging in the earth.  I am sorry I am being a terrible friend.  I know I am.  I do not answer the phone.  I do not answer emails and text messages.  I am healing in the dirt.  Mother nature is drawing out the sadness.  The sun beats down on me warming my arms and legs and back, coloring my face red and my exposed limbs deep brown.  I use sun screen, but I tan quickly  and darkly.  Always have.  I work hard digging, weeding, pulling and planting.  Bug bought me a Husqvarna tiller.  It is huge.  It is orange.  It is amazing!  I have never used a tiller, but it is the most wonderful garden invention ever.  It can till a garden or dig a hole for a plant.  It does the most back breaking work for me. 

I miss my Dad and did not anticipate it would take so much time to heal.  I knew I would miss him.  He has been a part of almost every of any day of my life.  That is not much of an exaggeration.  And now he is gone and I have to learn how to live completely different.  And for whatever reason, my brain does a lot of misfiring, so I am hesitant to be around people or to  even talk on the phone.  Plus every time the phone rings, every time I pick the phone up I miss my Dad and my Mother.  They are gone.  They are a part of me.  Yes, these are true, but I still miss them.  I am doing better.  The Gardening is giving me focus.  It is also forcing me to think and figure things out.  Especially with my last garden. 

When I first moved here it was all about the land and the gardening opportunities.  My first garden was on the east side of the trailer.  The next was the azaleas around the front yard.  Next came the hydrangea garden, then the vegetable garden, and the garden to the east of the back porch and the last big garden I tackled was the perennial bed.  I have since completed the garden on the west side of the trailer so that their are gardens all the way around the house.  The last garden never completed was the secret garden.  It was first dug as a summer veggie garden, but then I got sick and only did one season in the garden and it was taken over by weeds.  An eye soar just hidden behind my beds.  Always just within vision reminding me of unfinished business.  I have gotten the summer garden finally planted.  There is more to go in.  There is always more to do.  But it is tilled, and filled with strawberries, sweet potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, asparagus, horse radish and Johnny Jump Ups.  I am working on a cuke trellis made out of the black bamboo in the yard.  I have the flower beds pretty much caught up and I have most of the green house emptied.  There are pots of annuals and perennials that came back up scattered around the yard.  I have pots of herbs clustered together waiting for a snip and a fresh addition to a recipe.  Bug has tilled half of the secret garden and we have dug up composted chicken manure and tilled it in.  I have placed the figs, pomegranates, papaya and citrus measuring out where they will be planted.  I have blackberry canes green and bristly that will anchor the west side of the secret garden.  I have drawn out a rough sketch of the secret garden with an area for the three sisters.  It is a little late to start planting it now, but what do I have to loose?  The corn will go in first then the beans will be planted and finally the squash and pumpkins.  In between the fruit trees will be small beds of cut flowers, an herb garden will go in next to the three sisters. 

You will enter the secret garden through the gate behind the back door of the house.  As you enter the roughly 100 foot by 13 foot garden there will be a brick path drawing you straight in with a trellis covered in hummingbird vine and a water feature bubbling and burbling in the cool shade beneath the trellis.  To the right will be the fruit, vegetables and herbs.  To the left will be a sitting area with our black iron table and four chairs. A heavy simple design that is very comfortable.  The umbrella a brick color matching the background of the cushions for the chairs.  Along the edge of this area will be hydrangea and roses, mandevillas and a small chicken coop for a couple of silkie chickens.  Edibles like beans and nasturtiums will grow around the coop giving the petite ones lots to nibble.  The next room will be more enclosed and will hold an outdoor shower and a hot tub.  A sitting area filled with tropicals like bananas, ginger, brugmansia and frangi pani.  Bug is so supportive.  You want to garden, go, enjoy.  He checks in on me to make sure that I am still alive.  He even "oohs and ahs" over what I have done now. 

I have gotten a late start, but I am catching up.  And within the next couple of weeks I will have all my gardens in.  Of course they will be a work in pleasure, but a dream I had given up on seems like within my reach again.  My secret garden, done.  Complete.  The vision of my yard will have all the hard scape finally in place.  The joy replaces the sadness I have with the loss of my parents.  I was so lucky to have such a loving and supportive relationship with them.  To have so much of them in me.  And to now celebrate them and let them go, and to move on with my life.  First with my garden, and then travelling again with my wonderful husband. 

I am needing a lot of alone time
I am needing to be quiet
I think of my beloved precious friends and know that they will understand
they will give me the time to come back
I have comeback before.  I will do it again
but for now I am finding peace, health, love, joy and happiness in my quiet world
in my garden