by Laura Harrison

Created on: June 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Gardening is literally my life. I earn my living working as a gardener, and landscape designer. This wonderful field of endeavor has brought me tremendous joy and satisfaction.
The best thing about it has been the people I have met,along the way. There was one very out of the ordinary woman, who influenced me greatly. This vignette is written with her in mind, with love.

I started a small gardening business, in the south, in 1996. As a life long New Yorker, the country environment was beautiful, and very different than the city life I was accustomed to.
When clients would call to make appointments to meet me, finding them was a challenge.
The addresses were no longer 236 Main St., They were " Go six miles, over the bridge, and turn at the big red barn, down the hill from the goat farm. Locating each property was an adventure.

Early one spring I received a call from a woman with a lovely southern accent. The directions to her property were very complicated. I left early in the morning, allowing myself time to be on time. The scenery along the way was absolutely beautiful. I was in a wonderful state of mind, when I finally drove up the long wooded drive, leading to her home.

This property was a miniature horse farm. Located on at least 86 acres of farm land, up in the mountains, shaded by trees. The house was a modest structure, surrounded by glass, overlooking the river below. It was a place that I would come to love, and where I would not only increase my knowledge of gardening, but also learn so much more about life.

When I tapped on the glass door, Mrs. Wilson didn't come to meet me. She called to me from the back of the house, telling me to come in. I found her sitting in a small sun room, a blanket on her legs, surrounded by books, plants, and little porcelain bird replicas. She was around 70 years old, impeccably groomed, and absolutely lovely.

I sat on a hassock by her feet, taking in the room around me, admiring the birds, and feeling quite at ease. She asked me to tell her about myself, my life, and my move to the south. Then she began to tell me about herself.

She had been a stay at home wife, and mother for many years. This beautiful place was she and her husbands retirement home, and gardening had been her passion for many years. She told me that the previous year she had been diagnosed with lymphoma, and that her life expectancy was approximately seven years. She could deal with the discomforts of her illness, but it was difficult for her not to be able

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>