Dad Had a Green Thumb

My father was my buddy.  I looked up to him all of my life and I always knew when I had crossed the line.  All he had to do was clear his throat and I knew I was in trouble.  He never laid a hand on me and taught me that respect for my parents and others was of utmost importance.

Dad worked hard all of his life to provide for our family.  He was retired Air Force and went on to sell insurance while mom stayed home with my brother and I.  I know that selling insurance was not his dream career but he gave it his all to make sure we had everything we needed.

Working in the yard on the weekends and spending time with family seem to be what Dad enjoyed the most.  He didn't go out to bars or hang out with the guys from work.  After retiring from Prudential he began to dabble with gardening. Dad took the Master Gardener's course at the Pinellas County Extension and then began volunteering his time there. Sometimes on his volunteer days he would take my daughters along to help stuff envelopes or whatever needed to be done.

Dad delighted in helping others with plant problems and coming up with solutions.  Eventually, he became involved with the design and installation of a beautiful butterfly garden at the elementary school that two of my daughters attended. He spent hours there setting it up and maintaining the garden and loved the looks on the faces of the children as the garden came together.  The butterfly garden area became an outdoor classroom and a plaque was installed in Dad's honor.

I know that if my dad were alive today he would be fritzing and fratzing around our nursery doing anything he could to help out.  That was my dad.  I love him and miss him still and think of him every time I see butterflies hovering over the flowers in the nursery.  I know he is here with us in spirit and watching over us in the garden. Here's to you Sid Turner, for passing your love for nature onto others and reminding us of what is most important.

Do You Remember Your First?

Spring is that time of year for thousands of flowers everywhere to present us with their glorious annual display. As I sat here thinking about the beauty of Spring, I began to reminisce about the very first time I noticed certain flowers.   

I was just a small child visiting my Aunt Mary and Uncle Richard in Montgomery, Alabama.  They lived in a beautiful brick ranch-style home that sat back from the road quite a ways.  Leading from the street to the front door was a slightly winding walkway, lined on both sides with hundreds of colorful daylillies.  It was like something I had never seen before and to me seemed absolutely magical.  This was the first time I had ever seen daylillies and to this day when I see them I always think of my Aunt Mary.

Born an Air-Force brat meant moving a lot when I was very young.  I lived in several states before starting second grade in Florida.  Once we moved to Clearwater, we were able to visit family who vacationed in Zephyrhills every year as they escaped the winter weather in Maine.  Mom and Dad would sit around and visit with Wally and Lully in their apartment and I would go outside to skip up and down the sidewalk.  On the edge of that walk was the biggest tree I had ever seen.  I would stand underneath that tree and try to see the top but it was too massive.  That tree just happened to be a magnolia and not only did its size intrigue me but its plate-sized lemon scented flowers were intoxicating. Ever since then, magnolias have been my favorite tree and yes, I can still picture myself skipping along that sidewalk in Zephyrhills every time I see one.

Do you remember your first?