Gardens Gone and Growing
He gave up his hippie acreage with gardens to move into the middle of the city with me and my
children. There he planted tulips and tomatoes anew. When the kids were grown and we moved
from house to apartment, he grew kale in raised beds on the rooftop and raspberries and
pumpkins in the country. He spent one summer managing a community garden for fun. John
always grew a garden.
He took breaks from digging and watering to sit and savor the multitude of shades of green. I’d willingly weed nonstop in the Nebraska heat I’d grown up with. I completed chores, crossing them off my list without noticing the blossoms on the zucchini. I never had much patience for planting and preferred picking the flowers to have something to show for my hard work.
