A house always full of love - Part One: The Garden

I've been thinking a lot about Grandma and Pa's house this week. This past week alone, I've I've gone out of my way to drive thru the lane about three times. The neighbours are probably wondering who I am!

I have lots to say about the place, so thought I'd start outside....The garden: Grandpa's vegetables, Grandma's flowers, and of course, the raspberry bushes.

Did any of you get in trouble for pulling a carrot out of the ground before it was ripe, like I used to? And then I thought I could just push it back into the soil and it would continue to grow...Problem solved, right? Wrong! Ahh, but Pa was a patient guy with us. And let's not forget the bucket of rainwater that he would use to rinse the dirt off the veggies before bringing them into the house. (How smart to use rainwater...!)

And how many times did I forget to 'pick the bushes clean'?! (A lot). I suppose that I wanted the best berries....they tasted so good with a bit of milk and sugar that Grandma would pour over them. If I remember correctly, the Niedtners have a small raspberry plant, taken from Pa's bushes, planted in their backyard.

Another tasty treat that came from the garden - Pa's cucumbers. In the summers, I remember Grandma would slice them up and soak them in white vinegar and salt....A bowl of these would sit on the picnic table in the backyard while Lanie and I would play ball against the house's roof. And we would eat them up like candy!

But the best treat to come from the vegetable garden was, without a doubt, the potatoes that Grandma would whip up into homemade chips! OH my mouth is just watering thinking of how good these tasted. I know everyone had their own way of accessorizing these-I loved (and continue to love) vinegar (cider or malt) with salt, no ketchup. I wonder how many pounds of potatoes she went through over the years, to make us all the chips?!

I remember Grandma's sweet peas - pinks, purples, reds, and whites - that would climb up the painted-white trellis fence...I was always so happy to go home with a bouquet of these sweet-smelling goodies. And of course, they were wrapped in wet paper towel and then tinfoil.

When Grandpa's cancer came back and the lawn needed mowing, I decided I would cut it for him. There's a picture around someplace of me in his gumboots and hat-I look ridiculous. (Did I mention that I'd never really used a lawn mower before?) Oh well, I think it gave him some good laughs.

When Grandpa died, I grabbed a few sprigs of lavender from the side garden and still keep these pressed in a book.

Of all the places in the house, I think the garden was my favourite. It brought Grandma and Pa great joy - not only was it was a cathartic hobby for them, but also served as a way for them to provide food for their family.