A LABOR OF LOVE
An eerie feeling woke me suddenly, and I bolted straight up in bed. Oh My gosh! It’s started! I looked at the clock. It was 4:00 a.m.
“Honey! Wake up! It’s time! Throw something on and let’s go!”
“Okay…..What time did it start?”
“About 9:30 last night!”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!”
“Well, it wasn’t far enough along yet, but it is now! HURRY!!!”
I threw on my robe, grabbed the camera, some scissors and a flashlight and dashed out to the back yard. Let me tell you…..This is quite an event for a 60 year old woman. Roy was right behind me, ready to help with the scissors.
“We’ve made it in time!” Snap-flash, snap-flash. “They’re only just finished opening!”
“Good! You just keep taking pictures and I’ll get us some coffee and I’ll be right back out to help you.”
This has become an annual event. A dear neighbor gave me a Night-blooming Cerus about two years ago. The first time it bloomed, it only had two blooms. This year there were four. These are absolutely some of the most gorgeous flowers I’ve ever seen. Their aroma is to die for. I expect there will be more next year, and we will rise to the occasion once again.
Since I’ve retired, it’s been my business to keep track of every bloom in the yard, from the orange, lemon and lime trees to the Angel Trumpets, Magnolias, Hibiscus, Plumbago, cactus flowers and African Iris. This is a new fascination with us. I guess it just goes with our age. It’s a new appreciation.
This spectacular event is really special since they only bloom once a year, and then only at night. As soon as dawn hits, they’re gone until next year. Gone are the days when we could have pulled an all-nighter to watch this event unfold. First of all, at that young age, an all-nighter would NOT have been to watch a bunch of flowers open. Secondly, Night-bloomers were Night-blooming-Car-Parkers in those days. I guess something like this might have been wasted on youth. It was hard enough to drag out of bed in the mornings for school.
We’ve both worked very hard in the yard, specifically the back yard. It’s become a tropical sanctuary. We love to sit out there in the evenings and early in the mornings to absorb the soul soothing tranquility that we’ve created over the years. It’s been worth every last drop of blood, sweat and tears shed over the years in this undertaking.
Oh, it’s still not finished, and probably won’t ever be. It’ll be a labor of love for as long as we live here.
1 comment:
You could always come start on my yard. I don't know why you never handed down some of your green thumb. I can't keep the grass I transplanted alive. Rock gardens are suddenly my great option. I'm just jealous.
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