Tom has this philosophy that a garden should give back. It should give color or fragrance or both. A garden full of green shrubs is like asking him to eat broccoli. Anyone who knows him well knows he was born with a genetic dislike for this veggie (and now all of you know this as well).
I have done nearly all of the gardening since moving here. Gardening isn’t exactly my favorite activity. Potentially this dislike was a result of me nearly having heatstroke while planting. However, over the last two years, I have given space to it in my mind in a more positive light. I’m friendlier to the experience than I used to be and more physically fit…that’s got to help, right?
I haven’t been totally alone doing this. Kate has helped when I’ve needed it. Sean put up the flag pole a few years back. It’s become a family endeavor at times for our guy.
For a while, Tom had a Marine Corps flag flying under the American flag. One day, a few years ago, we had this crazy burst of a storm come through, tornado-ish like a microburst, and it took the flag pole and some of the fence panels down. Our fantastic neighbors helped get the panels upright and shored up until we could have them fixed. We had to have the flag pole re-set as well. Last year, one of our neighbors, a Marine himself, gave Tom a new USMC flag. The USMC flag has finally found its rightful place.
Every year I have tried to appease Tom with the Marine Corps garden of his dreams. Year after year it’s been a dismal mess. This year, through no effort on my part, he has the garden he’s wanted.
The yellow Iris’ were tossed there by a guy who was doing work on the driveway. They were in his way. He dug them up and dropped them in the garden. Despite my neglect they survived. They should all be dried up and gone from my black thumb. This is the first year they have bloomed. The roses that are flourishing appeared out of nowhere. I had most of the roses taken out of the garden a few years ago because they didn’t do well back there. They were a nuisance to care for with mold, mites, and Japanese beetles having orgies for weeks on end. I never planted the ones growing in this photo. They are wild and beautiful.
I guess the moral of the story is he got what he wanted without any help from me. I think there is a lesson in this but I haven’t figured it out yet.
May is ALS Awareness Month and the Month of the Military Caregivers. Tom is service-connected for ALS and I am his caregiver.
P.S. – he has this big idea that soon twenty-nine palm trees will be in and around the garden to complete it. I hope he has some marines to can call in and get it done.