Green Thumb

My mother had a green thumb.  No matter where we lived she had gardens.  She would plant vegetable gardens with corn, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  And she would plant flowers – geraniums, marigolds, sunflowers, petunias.  Mom also had plants inside the house so she’d be able to enjoy green all year long.  Some were the typical houseplants but others she would grow like a pineapple from the top of a pineapple we all enjoyed or an avocado.

Mom passed away last October after a year long battle with one health issue after another.  And although that last year is all I have been able to remember most, just recently I have begun remembering other times.  And some of those times were when Mom gardened.  Mom loved her gardens, loved cooking with the vegetables she grew, loved having pretty flowers outside the house in the summers, and tended to her houseplants constantly.  But Mom didn’t have to spend a whole lot of time gardening because she had such a green thumb.  She’d plop seeds in the ground and before long a nice little sprout would pop up.

I suppose that is why I decided to start an avocado tree this week.  Some part of me is trying to get back to those days when Mom was happiest.  Watching this seed sprout will focus my memories on a happy healthy mom.  And its nice to share something my Mom had – a green thumb.