Tuesday, July 1, 2014

A Different Kind of Beauty


Several years ago I purchased window boxes with a small inheritance from my grandmother.  As time passes I remember how much she and Grandpa loved flowers too.  As life-long farmers Grandpa and Grandma had amazing flower gardens in their suburban retirement home.  The flower beds were so stunning they often had bridal parties ask to use their yard as a setting for wedding pictures.

I enjoy the full beauty of my window boxes.  Most years I find myself selecting flowers of reds, blues, yellows and white as I wander the local greenhouse.  My south facing windows require morning and evening watering.  The north and east side boxes are less prone to dry out and I can water them once a day. 

Last summer my husband and I went to Texas to help our son and daughter in law and their family move back to Michigan.  We were gone a week in the middle of July. To make watering easier I removed all the boxes from the house and grouped them on our north facing patio.  My mother graciously agreed to drive over once each day to water the window boxes and my various containers of flowers.  By removing the boxes from the hot sun she was able to water them only once a day.  Mom also shares the love of flowers and she was happy to help.

This summer our travel plans include a mid-July business trip to Greece.  We will be away from home for 11 days.  As planting time the window boxes stayed in their storage spot in the garage.  I miss the colorful frame at the bottom of our windows.  I’ve missed selecting and planting this year’s colorful combination.  My other flowers have missed my twice a day trek around the house with a watering can.  I’ve noticed many more weeds springing up since I’m not out there to pull little weeds several times a day. 

This is the summer without flowers.  I’ve concentrated on the excitement of a wonderful trip, yet I still miss my window boxes full of blooms. Yesterday as I walked back to the house from the mailbox I looked up from the bills and thank you notes clutched in my hand.  The flower beds looked beautiful.  I’ve been missing the obvious beauty.  I still have flowers to enjoy. 

3 comments:

  1. That is one of the tough things about summer travel. I wrote about my gardens today too! Enjoy your trip to Greece. I'm sure they will have beautiful gardens there for you to enjoy!

    ~Jennifer
    Sweet Writing Life
    Mrs. Laffin's Laughings

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  2. What a lovely way to honor your grandparents love of flowers with your own flower boxes.I am thinking this tradition will continue next year. In the meantime enjoy your adventure in Greece.

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  3. A lot of people have written about flowers and gardens this week! My husband and I are not big gardeners, but we finally purchased patio furniture and have been spending more time outside in our yard than ever before. I've found myself missing flowers, as my dad is a huge "yard guy" and always has beautiful displays. I think next spring we need to plant some of our own!

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