Ruth Shaw loves jonquils. I love Ruth Shaw; she is my Mother. So ever since I was a little boy I have enjoyed bringing her flowers, especially jonquils -- or daffodils. There's a picture of five year-old Terrell (Terry more commonly back then) with a milk carton full of dandlions and other yard blooms gathered for Mother. If I find that picture I'll add it to this post; no luck so far.
I planted lots of bulbs this year both at her house and mine to supplement those planted in previous years and have been hoping to have some blooms to cut for her by her 98th birthday on February 19.
I remember my Daddy planting bulbs at their home on Charles Drive in East Point in the mid eighties. After Daddy died in 1986 I was reminded of his loving efforts each succeeding spring when those tulips would bloom for Mother.
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| The tulips and daffodils Daddy planted at Charles Drive. |
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| The tulips and daffodils Daddy planted at Charles Drive. |
Way back in the seventies I'd look out for early daffodils. Our dietician at McHenry Elementary was Mrs. Clara Packer, a wonderful woman who could do wonders with the government commodities that landed in the larders of school cafeterias. Her cinnamon rolls made with surplus flour and sugar and real butter were to die for. Her home was a small craftsman cottage directly across McHenry Drive from the school. She had a lots of daffodils out front and some of them were always early bloomers. I learned I could usually find a bright yellow jonquil blooming there on the first day of February. If hers were a little late, I discovered I could take a drive down the Rockmart Road to Judge Harry Johnson's place. Judge Johnson and his wife had a nice ranch-style house out there with banks of daffodils. It became a tradition with me -- almost a superstition -- that I needed to go out on the first day of February each year to find that cheerful declaration that winter is on its way out.
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| Presenting Mother a vase of daffodils from my yard in March 0f 2020 |
In recent years as I have added bulbs to our yard we have been able to reliably find those early blooms right here in our own yard. Perhaps it is global warming that has seemed to bring forth those yellow blooms earlier and earlier.
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| Our first jonquils of 2020 on January 12! |
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| Our front yard February 2020 |
There have been very few first days of February when I have failed at that mission; February 1, 2021 was one, however. Matter of fact I had to wait till today: February 8!
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| Our first daffodil of 2021 is till not quite fully filled out today February 8. |
Here are some previous posts about these harbingers of spring:
Tell your mom she raised a great son with a great heart like she surley has. May God be with she and the family on her 98th birthday as she moves on to her 100th.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Buddy. Her son's a rank sinner actually, but he does try to be better. :-)
ReplyDelete