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.
