Thursday, October 3, 2013

#31 Days - Vegetables and High School Memories

 Secret Obsession


Possible Listing of Vegetables for Our 2014 Garden
(many thanks to PhotographicDictionary.com for help jogging my memory)

Asparagus, avocado, artichoke

Beans, beet, broccoli, brussel Sprouts

Cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumbers

Lettuce

Onions 

Pea, potatoes, pumpkins

Rhubarb

Spinach, squash, sweet potato

Tomato

Zucchini

Yeah, maybe the year after next.  As I want to include fruits, herbs, animals and grains, I should probably limit myself (arbitrarily) to 10.  Let's see how that goes.

Carrot, celery, corn, cucumber, lettuce, onion, potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, tomatoes.  Yeah, that's probably enough for the first year.

Next week, I will cover the supplies needed or useful for producing my above ten veggies.

*+*+*+*+*

The October Daily prompt for the day is:  
share a high school memory that you will never forget.

Simple.  February 15, 1979, I was a senior in high school.  February 15, 1979, was the day my father passed away at the age of 47.

He had come home a week earlier from work feeling ill.  This in itself was unusual, because he was a nose to the grindstone kind of man.  He grew up in West Virginia in poverty.  He graduated from West Virginia University (where he and my mother met), a went on to get a PhD in Chemical Engineering.  He was very intelligent, but did not particularly care for his line of work, but it put food on the table, bought a house and allowed us to go on the odd vacation now and again.

By the day before, on Valentine's Day, I knew he would not make it.  He could barely talk.  He could barely move.  He looked as if he had lost 50 pounds in the week that he had been at home.  I had a dream about him dying that night, which I've always figured was a way from the cosmos to prepare me for the actual passing.

The next day, I was actually home from school.  I remember my mother calling to me from the bedroom, asking me to call a local Christian Science Practitioner.  When she came to the phone, she asked me to go back and read from the Bible.  I stood in the hallway because I had seen my father's face, and it was twisted in the 'grin of death'.  I can still see it to this day.

Someone came over to stay with my mother until the ME came out.  I had to get out of the house.  I went to a friend's house and we drove around for a couple of hours.  When I got home, my brother had returned as well.  Other than being in shock, my mother appeared to be dealing as well as could be expected.

My bedroom was across the hall from my parents' room.  When it came time for me to go to bed, I had to ask my mother to walk back with me because my legs wouldn't take me on my own.  When we got to my door, there was a gouge in it from where they had carried my father's body out on a stretcher.

I could go on for days about memories surrounding my father's passing, but I will stop here.  The story is definitely not finished, but then at the time, neither was his.


7 comments:

  1. That is so hard - to lose your dad - without any real preparation. My uncle passed away my senior year, on the eve of a big family event - and it changed so much of my life in many ways. From high school, I remember the city bus rides, the walk from the bus stop down the school lane in the cold - so many little things that made such a big impact on inside of me things:)

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  2. LuAnn, my heart goes out to you as you had so much to bear at that young age. Your dad was indeed a remarkable man to have accomplished so much in such a short life time. And to think he met your mom just miles from where I now live. My husband graduated WVU in 1973. I'm sorry that you had this loss when you did, but I'm sure the Lord has used it all to shape you into the sweet person you are now. Thank you for sharing such a hurtful experience.

    Your second list for your 2014 garden sounds very realistic and I'm sure you will do great with it. That first list really had me drooling and I'd only read line 1! When you start growing asparagus, avocado and artichoke let me know...I'll trade you apple butter for any of them! :-)

    Hugs to you, my friend!

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  3. I am so sorry for this sudden and abrupt loss of your father. I will say we lost my grandfather in 1999 on Valentine's Day and still after so many years I remember the look on his face when he passed away and the fact that he shed two distinct tears (one from each eye) as he took his last breath. Something I hold onto to this day and also know what you mean about his story being far from over as well.

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  4. Im sorry for what happened LuAnn. But we must all go on and be happy because you know that you will forever be in each other's hearts. Wherever you father is now, I know that he's happy with what you've become right now :)

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  5. @Dianna - asparagus, avocado and artichoke just got added back into the plan! ;) I still have an aunt and uncle, and cousins in the area around Morgantown, so I have a heart for that area.

    @Janine - I am so glad to hear that you understand about the story bit. I was worried people would think it sounded a little strange or incomprehensible. My condolences on your grandfather.

    @Mary - It's so funny that you should say that. When I started having children, I felt a little wistful that my father (who had been gone nearly 20 years) would never get to know his grandchildren. When DS2 was being delivered, I had the distinct feeling that my father and /his/ father 'knew'.

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  6. Oh what a sentimental story about your dear dad's death ever so Young too! Very sad for a teenage girl as you and quite fast as well. I know how awful that is, even though I was married with two school girls when my dad passed away in a second with a massive heart attack. I was so close to him and adored him. All we have is the memories now and the confort to know they're well taken cared by the Lord and His love. Thank you for your sweet and kind visit. Hugs,
    FABBY

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  7. I appreciate your kind words, Fabby. Always a joy to visit your blog! :O)

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