Set back

My grams died yesterday.  I never lived near her but we were close.  When I was little my grandparents lived in a 1950s suburb tract house with a train track that ran along the back of their yard.  Grams had a raspberry patch that ran along the train easement and she used to make jelly every year.  She also kept a veggie patch.  It buffered the yard from the raspberries and trains.  She battled rabbits and squirrels a lot.  Or maybe it was my grandfather who liked to terrorize squirrels with the bb gun he kept in the dining room for just such fun.

Anyway, although I didn't spend time by her side learning to garden -- I figure she is my link to the gardening gene.  Born in 1918, she was one of those Depression era people who worked hard, lived simple, saved more than spent, and shared what she had.  Her parents were failed homesteaders -- which might explain why so many of my gardening experiments go awry....

I don't recall much of her gardening life but I do know that it ended nearly 15 years ago when her raspberry patch was collateral damage in a track cleaning project.  Her heart wasn't in it as much after that -- and then her health declined.  Not so rapidly at first.  But in the end she physically just wasn't the person she used to be. 

I wish I had lived closer by.  And I am sorry that we won't get to talk to each other anymore.  For now, I am going to go spend some time in the company of family.  I won't be able to post for a while (my guess is a week.)  Best wishes Grams.