Remembrance….looking back on 9-11 September 11, 2010

I woke up early this pretty, sunny morning thinking…it happened today, nine years ago. I had been walking our beloved dog Scout, later than usual, and when I strolled through the front door, my husband told me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Tower. And thus began, like for so many of you, a day of  watching things you didn’t think were even possible…things more terrible than we shall ever hope to see in again in our lifetimes. Scout was alive then, so was my little Mother, so were so many  who do not walk the earth today.

And what lessons do we take away from the horror of that day? Honestly, I’m not sure. That sometimes terrible things that you could never foresee happen. That sometimes those terrible things happen to good people who do not deserve it. I do not believe that it was meant for any of those who died to have been where they were, not do I believe that those who went to work late, or called in sick, or were away on vacation, were saved for some reason. They were simply lucky..fortunate my Mother would say, not lucky. Lucky is when you find a five dollar bill on the  street…fortunate is when you escape death while others did not.

The only lesson I know for sure is that life is fragile and fleeting, never made more clear to us than on that day. When we walk out our front doors, none of us knows for sure if we will return to our families that evening. We operate under the assumption that we will…but one never knows. So savor the sunshine today and hope for some rain… kiss your children and call your Mother, as they will not always be here. As Robert Herrick wrote in the 1600s….Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:…And this same flower that smiles to-day, To-morrow will be dying.  He wrote the poem about fleeting beauty, but it is also about the fleeting nature of life in general. So we all go forth today remembering those who are no longer with us, thankful that we have another day, hopefully to put to good use. Savor it, there won’t be another day just like it…ever. Isnt’ that an astonishing thought?

Garden Glory…. May 12, 2009

The pink flower in foreground are coral bells from Brenda,,,

Wow, I can’t believe how everything looks sooooo good right now in the garden. The grass is emerald green, a climbing hydrangea is (finally ) loaded with blooms…I waited years for this. Some iris(or flags as a British friend always called them-shoutout to Brenda in Christchurch) are loaded and ready to pop.

Peony buds..and there are lots more!

And yes…the peonies..the glorious, glorious peonies I planted two years ago, a Home Depot special for $11.99, are all back and waiting for June. Sigh, happiness all around.

It really is too bad it’s all downhill from here. I know, just enjoy it’s beauty…but beauty is fleeting..there’s no botox for hydrangeas. And if you look a little closer at the brilliant green grass(the least environmentally green thing you can grow,byw), there is a bumper crop of clover mixed in, but I refuse to use poison on it…not with my kitties and other people’s kitties padding gently over it. So, it can stay. And hey, a little imperfection, just makes the rest of the perfection that much better, r at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

And someone had asked, Susan I think, if my hydrangeas had survived. Yes. I am happy to report they all are back, with lots and lots of blossoms..will they be their original blue, as when I bought them in Rhode Island and packed the back seat of the car with hydrangea plants to haul them home to Maryland? Or will they be tinged with pink? Don’t know, don’t care. They live!!

So, the garden is for the moment, good… all good. It’s breezy, like me. And thank you for all the kind thoughts about my Mom…she is out of the hospital, a little weaker each time she goes in for another bout of pneumonia, but hanging in there…she’s “sticking around“, as she calls it. She too wants to see another spring, another summer. And she wants to witness, though not in person, her grandaughter, my wonderful daughter graduate from college this Friday(yes, another big event in May!), and to see pictures of her grandson…my son..getting married in New York the following weekend. So there’s a lot to live for. For all of us.  Including a lovely garden, even if will look very different this August.  Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…Old Time is still a-flying, and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying. Robert Herrick wrote that poem over 300 years ago, but the sentiment is timeless. Beauty is fleeting, life is fleeting, gardens are fleeting. And the last stanza of the poem could be for my son…who took the great poet’s advice…..Then not be coy but use your time, and while ye may, go marry. For having once lost your prime, you may forever tarry.