Today I discovered that my front neighbor's family (Miz Mary's
family)had at sometime this week when I was distracted, removed the park
bench that was a symbol of my former neighbor's hospitality. She is not
deceased. She unfortunately has been denied to return home after
spending the last almost whole year in the nursing home close by. She
loves this hill and to be denied it's beauty and peace is wrong. Yes,
she's not young, and she'd suffered quite a few strokes and TIA's before
they finally decided to put her in this nursing home. and it's a good
one, with loving people, and her family visit her all the time. but
it's not HER home (she had life rights to live there......my meaning
exactly, she's not gone yet). Out of frustrated tribute to a most
incredible lady I grew to respect and love, I'm sharing this image with
my garden friends because it's now gone...........and to add insult to
injury, while backing down the driveway towards my own home and Fairy
Holler, in the illumination of the headlights of the van, I saw to my
incredible dismay, that her family had pulled another one. A few weeks
ago, her beloved pussy-willow had been cut to the ground. It was about
a foot thick. I understood. They seek out water and it was too close to
the foundation. But in the light of the van, I noticed immediately that
her beloved (and mine)pink Acacia trees, the woolly branched pink Locust
tree, that were not only lining the edges of the driveway at the
beginning but were tromping happily towards my own gate and I looked
forwards to one day having a shrubby tree lined driveway, were gone.
cut to the ground. I'll post a picture of them from last year. The
heavy freeze had burnt the leaves, but today or yesterday, I've slept
since then, I noticed new replacement leaves and buds for more flowers
had begun underneath the burnt and dried leaves. No, someone came and
cut them ALL to the ground including removing MY prickly pears that grew
at the base of one strapping pink locust tree that used to be where my
mailbox used to be before Miz Mary paid a man to put three mailbox
timbers up for me, Jerry and herself closer to the paved road just for
the mail carrier. (this was what she was like, always being kind to
everyone)

I am, to say the least, devastated. I'll get over it, but it saddens me
especially since Miz Mary is still here on the earth, not five miles
away and doesn't know what her family is up to. It makes me wonder when
I'll come home one day and discover that they've bulldozed the old farm
house and leveled the yard around it.......next I fear they'll cut down
the many lightening struck maple that stands in silent and dead tribute
out front, and I fear they might even cut the twin sister of the dead
one that sits next to the driveway with the beautiful and perfect
dogwood Miz Mary planted underneath her boughs, and this year was loaded
with flowers for the first time since she'd tucked it between the
gnarled roots 14 years ago when she'd moved back.

sometimes it just makes me sad that people don't think first.........but
here is what used to be when you came up the dead end road, and was
waiting for you to sit and just enjoy underneath the shade of the trees
to just enjoy and listen to the quiet...........

madgardener, up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee

"madgardener" wrote in message
...


That's a very sad, but all too common, story. And it might happen to any of
us :-(

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:
"madgardener" wrote in message
...


That's a very sad, but all too common, story. And it might happen to any of
us :-(

Mary


yes, it IS very sad, and I full know that when I am gone, except for the
stubborn plantings of things that the fairies know will survive
everything except bulldozers and well intentioned upright walking
"humans", so I am learning one of the life lessons one gets when they
begin to mature and take on years (I'm 54) thanks for your care, I
really appreciate it Mary........more than you might suspect!

madgardener

madgardener expounded:

Today I discovered that my front neighbor's family (Miz Mary's
family)had at sometime this week when I was distracted, removed the park
bench that was a symbol of my former neighbor's hospitality. She is not
deceased.

Oh, Mad, I HATE it when they do this to someone's garden! I'll notice
a nice garden in my travels, being tended lovingly by an older person,
and think about how it'll disappear when they're gone - and she's not
gone yet!

There is an old homestead around the corner from me that consisted of
I think 40 acres. Long street frontage on a very desirable street in
Hanover. The old guy tended his grapes, they were wonderful. He had
a huge garden in the side yard, with pear trees, apples, cherries,
asparagus, different fruits and veggies. The grapes were along the
street side of the garden. I always saw him out there tending things,
and every spring he pruned the grapes. Then one year he wasn't out
there, all season, things grew wild looking. Same next year, it was
so sad. Then suddenly the next spring I saw him! He was using a
walker, and a lawn chair, but he was out there working those grapes
again. I think he was around for another year or so before I saw his
obituary in the paper (

Then, the kids got hold of the place. The land was worth tons. Or so
they thought. I'm sure they had $$$ signs dancing in their minds.
Well, all they got out of it was six house lots, and they are
ridiculous, one McMansion behind another, two rows of three, and the
access is from around the garden side of the house. However, the
house had been sold to another gardener! He did a land swap with some
of the house land to keep the whole garden! The old man would be
thrilled to know his garden goes on. And the kids didn't get half of
what they thought they'd get.

See, all of the old homesteads around here are being eaten up and
turned into McMansion yards. One acre zoning. The damned house
covers the whole acre, just about! But sometimes the land is wet in
spots, so it won't perc. or there are vernal pools on them (that was
the case here) and they can't be developed. Sometimes things work out
just a bit.

/Rant
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

Ann wrote:
madgardener expounded:

Today I discovered that my front neighbor's family (Miz Mary's
family)had at sometime this week when I was distracted, removed the park
bench that was a symbol of my former neighbor's hospitality. She is not
deceased.

Oh, Mad, I HATE it when they do this to someone's garden! I'll notice
a nice garden in my travels, being tended lovingly by an older person,
and think about how it'll disappear when they're gone - and she's not
gone yet!

There is an old homestead around the corner from me that consisted of
I think 40 acres. Long street frontage on a very desirable street in
Hanover. The old guy tended his grapes, they were wonderful. He had
a huge garden in the side yard, with pear trees, apples, cherries,
asparagus, different fruits and veggies. The grapes were along the
street side of the garden. I always saw him out there tending things,
and every spring he pruned the grapes. Then one year he wasn't out
there, all season, things grew wild looking. Same next year, it was
so sad. Then suddenly the next spring I saw him! He was using a
walker, and a lawn chair, but he was out there working those grapes
again. I think he was around for another year or so before I saw his
obituary in the paper (

Then, the kids got hold of the place. The land was worth tons. Or so
they thought. I'm sure they had $$$ signs dancing in their minds.
Well, all they got out of it was six house lots, and they are
ridiculous, one McMansion behind another, two rows of three, and the
access is from around the garden side of the house. However, the
house had been sold to another gardener! He did a land swap with some
of the house land to keep the whole garden! The old man would be
thrilled to know his garden goes on. And the kids didn't get half of
what they thought they'd get.

See, all of the old homesteads around here are being eaten up and
turned into McMansion yards. One acre zoning. The damned house
covers the whole acre, just about! But sometimes the land is wet in
spots, so it won't perc. or there are vernal pools on them (that was
the case here) and they can't be developed. Sometimes things work out
just a bit.

/Rant
is this your e-mail addy? I tried to contact YOU and got bounced
ridiculously........

maddie

madgardener expounded:

is this your e-mail addy? I tried to contact YOU and got bounced
ridiculously........

No, Maddie, you know what my real e-mail address is, you send things
there all the time! Just remove the newsguy and replace it with
comcast*dot*net.
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

"madgardener" wrote ...
Today I discovered that my front neighbor's family (Miz Mary's
family)had at sometime this week when I was distracted, removed the park
bench that was a symbol of my former neighbor's hospitality. ((snip))

Before I retired I was a Bank Manager, don't know that that is over there,
but on more than one occasion I've had the children of wealthy clients come
in and ask for a loan for a flash car or similar on the assumption that
their elderly father, who was seriously ill, wouldn't pull through and they
would then have the money to pay us back. They were always shown the door
but it makes one wonder.

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"madgardener" wrote ...
Today I discovered that my front neighbor's family (Miz Mary's
family)had at sometime this week when I was distracted, removed the park
bench that was a symbol of my former neighbor's hospitality. ((snip))

Before I retired I was a Bank Manager, don't know that that is over there,
but on more than one occasion I've had the children of wealthy clients
come in and ask for a loan for a flash car or similar on the assumption
that their elderly father, who was seriously ill, wouldn't pull through
and they would then have the money to pay us back. They were always shown
the door but it makes one wonder.

I've never heard of that! It's so sad ...

Mary

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

Ann wrote:
madgardener expounded:

is this your e-mail addy? I tried to contact YOU and got bounced
ridiculously........

No, Maddie, you know what my real e-mail address is, you send things
there all the time! Just remove the newsguy and replace it with
comcast*dot*net.

brain fart................