ABC Wednesday - M is for my Aunt MEA

 

My Aunt MEA is a wonderful lady.

My dad used to tell us, when we were growing up, "Every little girl grows up to be a woman, but not every one grows up to be a Lady.  And every little boy grows up to be a man, but not every one grows up to be a gentleman."  There's a distinction.

Aunt MEA is a lady.  

The fact that she's way into her 90's,

and has gardened ever since I have known her...

which is my entire life...

You must understand that her gardening accomplishments have been my inspiration 

since I was very young.

The following photos were taken in August of 2013.

I know I took photos last summer, but I couldn't find them tonight!

 Tomatoes, potatos, peppers, beans, peas, etc., etc., etc.

 

So now, head over to ABC Wednesday "linky" to find posts by other bloggers!

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Happy Spring!!  SG

ABC Wednesday - "A"

During this ABC Wednesday (round 10), I anticipating a variety of gardens and gardeners.   I hope you're able to walk with me!

 

Aunt MEA

lives in extreme North Central Iowa.

She gets a lot of snow during a Winter season.

 Yet, once Spring comes, you'll find this wonderful array!

 My Aunt MEA has likely gardened for as long as she can remember.

These are photos of her vegetable garden from July 2011.

One last Fun Look at some her beautiful lilies.

Yep! 

My Aunt MEA is my Gardening Heroine!

I hope to be gardening when I'm 95 years old, too! 

:-)

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My Aunt MEA

Gardens!

She is a charter member of their local Federated Garden Club (perhaps she may have been instrumental in beginning the club). It has been in existence in this northern Iowa town of 200 or so people for quite a long time.

On July 17th, she e-mailed me with a list of lilies that were blooming and/or nearly blooming: Daylilies, "I especially like those that are large with a crepy texture, trumpet lilies, asiatic lilies, Lady Alice lilies (one 7 foot tall with 30 buds and blooms), several clumps of orienpet and orientals, toad lilies, black beauty lily and a favorite, speciosum rubrum yet to bloom."

Also, "several clumps of Mattie (the phlox she shared with me earlier this summer) (check out this link) are beacons of beauty. 'Laura' is starting, hoping it is good yet at show time, it is such a pretty phlox."

She goes on to describe a blue dahlia 'Blue Bell' that she planned to place on the altar for Sunday.


At the end of June, her town held its annual parade. Last year she was the Grand Marshall.

This year she was asked to ride in the Garden Club float.

Here is 'Lady Alice'

Aren't these beautiful?

This is an unnamed lily.

Here is the phlox (Mattie) that she shared with me!

On August 4, her e-mail described both their Garden Club meeting (at which she spoke) and their annual Show.

She wrote that last year she'd had 16 entries, but this year she had 18 entries. This year she received 10 blue ribbons and two awards of merit ribbons. The merit ribbons were received on her Tropicana Rose and 'Laura' phlox.

I'm a lot like my Aunt MEA. She is a young 90+ years old. I'm hoping to get there, too. She e-mails. I e-mail. She uses the internet. I use the internet. I blog. She visits my blog! ;-) She shops at grocery stores and greenhouses. So do I. She drives to town, buys paint and paints her steps. I do that type of thing, too!
She plays 3-handed five hundred (card game). I've played five hundred, but not for awhile. She tours her flower gardens (I betcha every day!), and I do, too! She likes to find new plants. So do I. She shares her plants and I do, too. She has a great vegetable garden. Well... I may not have a Great vegetable garden, but I've 5 tomato plants, a pepper plant, parsley, chives, and rhubarb! ;-)

She's a wonderful person and I hope to be that nice someday, too. :-)

Nothing Shady here but the shade in both our gardens.

Wildflower in the Home (Week 4)

Kudos to Elizabeth Joy for giving us something to think about during the Winter besides the weather!

The bowl below was given to me by my paternal grandmother. Hazel Evelyn was born September 28, 1897 and died August 28, 1995. Just shy of her 98th birthday. She and my grandfather were raised in farming families and most of their children were raised on the farm.

Somewhere along the line, when their family was young, their home burned... destroying its contents. Several years before she died, Grandma gave me the bowl pictured below. It had come back to her after her mother's death. Now I am privileged to be holding it until I can pass it on.

Not only is the bowl special, but my grandmother included a hand-written note that will remain with the bowl.

"To K---. I bought this dish for my mother in 1918 -
after 2 years of teaching country school.
Five pupils and I rec'd $52.40 per month.
And, I paid $3.00 a week board!

You were our first grandchild so you will get this dish!

Love,
Grandma"

I'm going to guess that the bowl
is approximately 10 - 12" in diameter.

I had to include two objects in this post.
The second object is the little shoe to the right
of Grandma's bowl.

This shoe once belonged to my Aunt MEA.
She has a collection of china shoes that she's had
for a long time. It's hidden away, now.
But when I was growing up, the collection was displayed
on a set of wall shelves in the living room.

I was always enthralled by those shoes.
Several years ago, I imposed upon my Aunt MEA.
I asked if I could have a shoe from her collection.
Of course, my cousin had to "okay" the request,
so I owe her a "thank you," too.

My Aunt MEA is Mom's sister.
I have many fond memories of her involvement in my life.
After we moved away from the community,
she would have my sister Barb and me stay
for a week or so in the summer.
My cousin was a little younger, but we always
had a great time.
A 4-H leader,
cookie baker, soup maker,
and most wonderfully -
a gardener! She can grow anything,
and she still does.

We won't talk about ages here,
but she'll never be old.

These are two of my treasures.
The plate and the shoe reside together
on a shelf in the dining room.

Thanks again, Elizabeth Joy, for my short stroll down memory lane.