Thursday, May 8, 2008

I is for ilex

Ilex

Holly to those of you who prefer to use the common name. My holly tree started out as a little tiny seedling. It was given to me by Tueny, my parents neighbor.

Tueny had the most amazing garden, he was always eager to share with everyone. My dad would often wander over to Tueny's raspberry patch for a little after dinner snack. When I got married and moved to the farm, Tueny would always take time to visit when I would stop over to see my folks. There were many times when he would call out to me "Hey Shell, come look at this!" He would show me a new plant or an unusual flower. One day, shortly after I got married... he asked me if I had a holly tree, because if I didn't, he had a start for me...same thing with a lilac tree a couple of years later.
This week Tueny passed away, he was 92. I'm going to take extra good care of my garden gifts from Tueny ... and I'll always think of him when I breathe in the sweet scent of those lilacs.

7 comments:

Carletta said...

Lovely photo and touching post!

Diane Mandy said...

92- Wow! He lived a long life, but judging by your touching post, not long enough.

Robert said...

Shelly,
What a wonderful reflection. I love how images make such deep connections. Thank you for sharing your words along with this picture. They work wonderfully together.

Tami said...

So neat to get gardening tips from old pros. He will be missed. Nice post.

Dianne said...

A really sweet and touching post shelly.

Minkydo said...

What vibrant colors in that picture. Great story!

Melli said...

Awwww... sweet memories! It's nice you have those plants to help keep them going! (and it's nice you have a green thumb to keep the plants going!)