“Daddy, Daddy, wait
for me, Daddy!”
I abandoned my beloved dolly, throwing her aside. As fast as skinny little legs and knobby
knees could follow, I ran to catch up with my father who was headed to the plot
of earth that had been hidden by the long, snowy winter.
As I look back to my childhood
days, many memories play across the screen of my mind like an old black and
white movie. Oh, but this one is special because I was in a leading role with the
leading man! I do not tire of the reruns, for it is one of my favorites. I call it “Me and Daddy’s Garden.”
He waited for me to catch up, and then we walked
together. I felt so happy as I looked
with squinted eyes towards the brightness of the sun which had come out of
winter’s hiding. Early in the morning,
it felt so nice to have its rays caressing my tender child’s skin; at first a
gentle kiss of pink warmth and by day’s end a bite of burning red!
I remember the smell of the dirt…at first a faint musty,
dusty odor. Then after Daddy would add
his secret, magic stuff to the soil, there was a stink in the air
everywhere! Although I did not like the
smell, I thought he was amazing and magical.
Really, how else could those little tiny seeds grow to become such
colorful, tasty foods lovingly prepared by Mom?
Not only would she cook the garden food, she would also can jars and
jars of the harvest to enjoy through the winter. That was her starring role in “Me and Daddy’s
Garden” and it was a delicious one!
Of course I knew that Daddy could not possibly do all this
work without my help, so I was always ready to assist him with my little shovel
and sprinkling can. I felt so
important. “Good thing Daddy has me to
help him put all these seeds in. There
must be a million, zillion seeds!” I thought.
So with seeds in hand, all different sizes and shapes, he would show me
the proper way to place and space them.
Yep, we had a lot of work to do, but I think he had as much fun as I did
because he was always smiling.
Sometimes, though, I would tire of all the spring seeding
and summer weeding in our garden. My own
little plot of earth a few feet away under a big, shady tree was so enticing to
play in. I knew Daddy wouldn’t mind if I
left the garden for a while because he knew that I was going to make him a most
delicious pie of, well…dirt! Grabbing a
little bowl and spoon from Mommy’s kitchen, I would run back to my shady
cooking area and with great excitement go to work on my pie recipe.
Ingredients were abundant all around me. Dirt and water mixed together makes a very
nice crust, unless you use too much water -- then you have to add dirt. When the crust is just right, smoosh it down
into the bowl and now you are ready for the pie fillings. If you can find a green stem with tiny pink
berries all the way up, they are the best.
They drop down into the crust if you start at the bottom of the stem,
then squeeze the berries between your thumb and finger and zip them off all the
way up the stem! Little pebbles make the
best nut filling, and dandelions make a delicious yellow-lemon pie. Now you put the pie in high grass and bake
for about one minute. I don’t remember
Daddy eating the pies right away because he said he was too busy in the garden,
but the way he fussed over them, I knew he ate them later.
Yes, it is a blessing for me to recall those times with my
father in the garden. It was there that
something more important than corn, beans, peppers, and strawberries grew…the
love between a daughter and her father grew there.
These days, there aren’t so many gardens and sadly, not as
many fathers who spend time with their children. I would urge dads to plant a garden with their
children. Happiness and love grows
abundantly when you do, just as it did with me and my daddy.
It is said that “He
who plants a garden works hand in hand with God.” Oh, how I miss you Daddy and all of our
gardens. I can imagine you now in a
heavenly, lush garden filled with luscious fruits. In your new home, I am sure that you are one
of the “Master Gardeners”, indeed working hand in hand with God. Someday I will join you once again in the
garden and make you a divine mud pie!
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