Moonflowers and Memories

Since I grew up on a farm, people often assume I know a little about gardening. Wrong! My daddy always plowed the field for a huge vegetable garden, and the whole family helped plant and harvest. But knowing when or how to plant was not my job. 

My job was to gather eggs, wash dishes, take care of my pet rabbit and baby chickens, and help Mama can all those vegetables we planted. 

In the summer, my brother and I would often race through pastures, explore junkyards and wade barefoot in cool creeks. 

Then I grew up and became a city girl. However, my late husband, Carl, and I always lived on an acreage or near a greenbelt. My little bit of country. We also enjoyed all kinds of flowering plants but were especially fond of moonflowers. They came up unannounced each spring and bloomed till fall. 

Moonflowers are evening flora with large, white blossoms that shine bright under moonlight but die away in the hot sun. They bloom only one day then new blossoms replace them. Carl loved and pampered them. In fact, the moonflowers were in full bloom on the day he went to heaven. It felt like those lovely blossoms were honoring him. 

My moonflowers continued to produce dozens of beautiful blossoms each spring (see picture). That is, until this year. Nothing sprang up in their designated garden space beside the deck. Obviously, the horrendous winter temps took a toll. I truly miss seeing those beautiful blossoms each evening. But thankfully, I had one stalk in a pot that was somehow protected from the sub zero winter temps and it’s now growing. In fact, it just had its first blossom. And yes, I’m definitely pampering it. 

The beauty and fragrance of flowers make unforgettable pathways in our souls. Some of my favorite childhood memories were seeing morning glories and wild roses climbing roadside fences on my morning bus ride to school, or walking along dirt roads with sunflowers swaying in the summer breeze. Truth be told, I never totally became a city girl. Country is forever in my heart.