Sibling Assignment 2018: 7 The Memories of Flowers

In our current Sibling Assignment #192, Christy asked us to write about what flowers evoke strong memories with each of us, and to share those memories.  Bill's flower memories are here, and Christy's will be here.

The first thing I thought of was the snowball tree in my Grandma Woolum’s front yard in Spokane.  I remember pulling up to her house and seeing all the big white snowballs of flowers blooming.  I now have a snowball bush in my backyard, and whenever it blooms, it always reminds me of Grandma Woolum.

I don’t remember a lot of flowers growing in our yard when I was young, but two of my favorites were the lilac bushes and the irises.

Lilacs always remind me of the backyard of .  Our m childhood home at 516 West Cameron in Kellogg.  The back fence was a wall of lilac bushes that would bloom each spring.  I loved the smell of the flowers, and I loved how the back of the yard looked when they were all in bloom.

Another flower I loved at my childhood home was the Iris.  I loved the smell of them, and their beautiful, vivid blues and purples.  I have planted iris bulbs in my yard, and they never want to bloom.  I would love to have a big patch of irises blooming in my backyard.

But there was a yard in the neighborhood that was always full of flowers, and I always loved walking past.  It was the Barr home on Riverside.  They were on the end of the block, so you could see into their backyard when you walked by.  And if I remember correctly, it was Mr. Barr who had the green thumb in the family and tended to his beautiful yard of flowers.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the beauty of having flowers in my own yard.  But I realize, the flowers are not just to make things more beautiful.  They serve a purpose as well.  The bees need the flowers.  The butterflies love the flowers.  The hummingbirds take delight in the flowers. 

I also appreciate how flowers have continuity.  I have columbine plants and a rose bush from Paul’s Grandma Taylor.  I have a variety of plants taken from my own mother’s garden, that were tended by her loving hands, and now I get to continue that care.  I received a box of seeds that were harvested by Paul’s Grandma Taylor and Great Uncle Wayne Bushnell that I will plant in the future and hope that seed germinates.  I am hoping that, even though the seed was harvested over 20 years ago and has been lying dormant, that it will germinate and grow once it is brought to life with soil, nutrients, water and sunshine.