So Alicia brought her plants to Grandma, because Grandma had a garden to put them in.
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She watched the little seedlings grow stronger and stronger.
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And when they were big enough, they went into Grandma's garden. The big "mystery plant" directly into the soil and the small one into a larger pot.
Soon the large "mystery plant" grew taller than Alicia, and put forth a beautiful sunflower.
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Alicia and her Grandma loved the sunflower, but they knew it couldn't live forever. Or...maybe it could! Grandma dragged out her old easel and paints and brushes, and sketched a picture of the sunflower onto a canvas. Alicia donned a big T-shirt to keep the paint off of her clothing, and (with a little bit of help from Grandma), She proceeded to paint a picture of the beautiful flower. First she painted the leaves.
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Then she began painting the petals.
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She painted carefully......
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And lovingly......
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And the Everlasting Sunflower was created.
So what happened to the small mystery plant, you ask?
It was a tomato. We ate it.
OMG! What an adorable child! And what artistic talent! She must have a wonderful Mother.
ReplyDeleteAmy, you should know. You ARE her mother!
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Mom
Oh, my heavens... I have watery eyes as I type... all I can say is I WISH I had a grandma like you when I was her age... those are some precious, precious memories she'll have. You're the BEST granny in the world! I hope to be just what you are to her to my babies' children someday. *now in full blown tears*
ReplyDelete~Angela
P.S. I love you, too, Granny! :-D God knew I needed a long-distance gardening Granny.... (((Hugs)))
Angela, I must have something in my eyes...they are beginning to water (sniffle). I love you too, and I'm happy we found each other. You're a wonderful mother, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful grandma.
ReplyDeleteHugs back atcha,
Granny
You two did a wonderful job on the painting and what a good project for children with the mystery seeds. I still find it amazing watching natural events happen.
ReplyDeleteDan, it was every bit as much fun for me as it was for my granddaughter!
ReplyDeleteGranny
Wow-such a sweet story and what amazing talent! She is so fortunate to have a Granny like you! My 20 month old granddaughter stays with me during the daytime and I look forward to making wonderful memories with her - she is truly my sunshine!
ReplyDeleteWell, I planted my 4x4 planter last night with various types of lettuce, spinach, red cabbage, broccoli and 3 collard plants! I'm not sure I have enough room for all of that when it grows but it's all in there for now. Of course, I bought too many plants so now we have to get started on the second planter. Betty
Oh, Betty...enjoy that baby while you can! They grow up way too fast. I was lucky to have this granddaughter close to me from birth. I have page after page of fond memories of her childhood written down for her to read someday, and share with her own children and grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteWoo-hoo! You get to watch new plants grow, as I'm tearing mine out and cleaning up the beds. You can never have too many! I have an entire winter ahead of me to decide what to plant in all of mine next year!
Granny
Keeping a journal for her is a great idea! I don't know why I didn't think of that - guess I get so busy with everyday stuff that it never occurred to me. You are so wise - I have learned so much from you in such a short time. Many thanks! Betty
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice painting! I wouldn't be able to do anything nearly that good!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good grandma you are. :)
LOL Kristen, I'll bet you could, "with a little help from Granny".
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the sweetest blog posts I have read. Your granddaughter's painting is just beautiful as well as the memories you have most certainly "planted" in her.
ReplyDeleteCan I adopt you for my 3 children? They need a Granny just like you. :)
Of course you can, Cynthia ;-) I might have to spread myself a bit thin, though. I'm expecting grandchild #8 at any time now!
ReplyDeleteShe really is a wonderful Grandmother, and Mother too! Just an example of the kind of Mom she is, when I was in 6th grade I had to do a report on the State of idaho. Now I'm sure most Mother's would help thier child with the necessary research, but how many would actually take that child on a tour of the state taking photos, gathering pamphlets, and experiencing it first hand!?
ReplyDeleteLove you Mom, Amy
Awww, Amy, *sniffle*. I love you too, sweetie. It was fun, wasn't it? And the teacher gave both of us an A+ on the project!
ReplyDeleteMom
Beautiful painting and beautiful child! I am an on-and-off gardener and stumbled upon your blog while looking for some gardening tips and have been hooked. Have planted some zinnias in the front yard that have bloomed so well. So has my enthusiasm for more gardening. We have a nice back yard where I hope to do some kitchen gardening. What do I do with all the pine needles that shower on my front and back yards? Can vegetables grow amongst all these pine thistles?
ReplyDeletethewannabegardener, thank you so much for the compliments!
ReplyDeleteI have a problem with pine needles, also. In the past, we've bagged them and sent them to the landfill, but next year I will be planting raspberries and strawberries and I believe the pine needles will make a good mulch. They are also good around blueberries, as they do add some acidity to the soil. I would rake up the needles and not use them as mulch until the plants have shown some growth, then use them sparingly. I know grass will not grow under my pine trees until the needles have been raked off, and I have to reseed that area of lawn each spring. The needles I don't use for mulch will probably go into my compost bin.
Do you also have a lot of pine blossoms? I think I must have filled five or six large garbage cans with them this spring! Next year I will try using those as mulch in my garden paths.
Best of luck to you with your kitchen garden!
Indeed, that's a good idea! I looked up the web and you are right, strawberry can use pine needles as mulch as they love acidity. Apparently, so do Azaleas. So I religiously retrieved my yard waste just in the nick of time as it was about to be hauled away, and spread the needles around the base of my Azaleas. Let's see how well they do with this next year. And I'll sure plant some strawberries next season (just so I can use my mulch!). And yes, we have too many pine blossoms from our two mature pine trees. You have given a good idea for that too - I'll start saving them from now on and use them where the ground is bare. Thanks for all your tips!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned azaleas...I didn't even think about my rhododendrons, which are also acid loving and would take kindly to the pine needles!
ReplyDelete