The Master Gardner

The days that followed our wonderful Disney Vacation were full of mixed emotions for me. The weekend before we went to Disney I was alerted that my grandpa was in the hospital and it didn't look good. Initial reports were that he might not make it through the weekend. He made it through the weekend and died around midnight on Monday night. One last time he beat the doctors. He and my grandma were married for 66 years in April and lived an hour from me when I was growing up. Grandpa was a gardner and they lived in the country and he had active vegetable and flower gardens. Growing up the only green beans we would eat were the fresh one from Grandpa's garden, no canned or frozen. There was one year I even got to help plant the beans. There is a picture somewhere.
Grandpa lived a a full life and more than once beat what the doctors said. Less than a week before he was in the hospital they had returned from a conference for the Association of Country Women of the World, an organization both my grandparents had been active in for many years. They were already planning on this being their last big trip to see these friend from around the world. In October He got to meet his youngest great-grandchild when we visited IL. And I know that made him happy. We will be visiting again later this month as well.
Being the grandchild you see your grandparents in a certain way. They are old and don't always understand all the new technology you try and share with them. But one thing grandpa always understood was dessert. You could give him the choices of pie or ice cream and he would jump at the chance for both. He always led the meal time prayer when we were all together and almost became a pastor instead going in to farm management. He got to read our letter just in time to know that we are making plans to be missionaries in Nigeria. He will be missed but not forgotten.
I have recently begun my own adventures in gardening here at our home. I began to think how gardening is in my blood. Grandpa was a Master Gardener and It caught on to his wife and daughters. My mom always was planting in the backyard. When i was pulling weeds and old plants up I was reminded of Grandpa's gardens and his Master Gardening knowledge. Though I'm not sure how much he could help me on my Florida garden compared to Illinois gardening.