Okay I was raised on a dairy farm so I have been gardening and farming since I was about 6 years old ….When I was a child my family was quite poor so it was mostly out of necessity … We had orchards as well and my mother and I spent so much of our lives back then canning and freezing stores of food to get through the harsh north eastern winters …. Many years later I would meet a gentleman that would change my life ….He became like a grandfather to me but at the same time I would become his apprentice ….I learned much from that dear old man He was a bee keeper and he was an alchemist a healer and his most prized and secret herb gardens were amazing….I soon developed a love of plants and the gifts they stow upon us ….no longer did it seem like a chore ….So here is the whole rambling story of how I met him and why I am here as an avid garden lover today
“YOU KIDS GIT OUT ME YARB PATCH OR I WILL SICK THE HUNGRY BEAST ON YER DAMN
ASSES” “Oh No he saw us” Dennis whispered and again the nasty voice “ALL I
WANNA SEE IS ASSES AND ELBOWS NOW GIT” …..with that we jumped up like jack
rabbits and scampered away down the hill, around the bend through the mud
crusted ruts then a left onto the path over the rickity bridge and across
the fields to home never looking back afraid the crazy old man must have had
a shot gun and had to be so close I swore could feel his hot breath on my
back or worse yet the breath of the hungry hound……We run till our hearts
were about to explode out of our chests and we swore the end was near ….we
would bend over place our hands on our knees and pant until we could breath
normal again……Once sure old cranky had turned back we would find a spot
in the shade and go through our pockets…..Of course some of the berries
were mush by now and much to the shagrin of my mom on laundry day but all
this was worth the sweet taste of those bright ruby gems …..sometimes we
would manage to get a couple handfuls in our mouths before we got caught and
these were especialy rewarding as the suns warmth was still upon
them……This cat and mouse game played itself out year after year while I
was in grade school …afterall it was an adventure what did one expect some
bored children to do in the dog days of august …..We couldn’t wait all
year long for this time of year, but by august the days just seem to drag on
for a child , we had swum, hiked,biked ,camped under the stars…betting
each other one of us would get scared and go crying into the house ,built
forts ,defended forts , played baseball until the sun went down , had
pretended to be gangsters in chicago even pretending to “wack” and “burry”
each other…..(my god where were our parents when we were watching such
rubish on t v)….Anyway back to “old man Selms” Our parents told us to “leave that
man alone” “He is not bothering anybody and you do not need to be going up
there and aggravating him” Well tell an 8 year old “Do not go up there” and
guess what happends ….Hey they weren’t paying any attention to us anyhow
…..the moms were too busy gossiping and sipping thier afternoon tea to
even notice we were gone …well actualy we would lie and say we were going
to the park a quarter mile in the opposite direction and we would start to
head that way …..then we got to the fields took the well worn paths and we
were right back to sneaking around that enchanted garden……The old hound
was as old as he was and if we were very quiet we could tip toe right past
him as he lie snoring under the sycamore tree ……The house was a slate
blue three story ramshackle disaster with the upper porches falling from the
house, broken windows and hanging shutters but there was something so
charming about it at the same time and it had the most incredible gardens
all around it ….If fairies realy do exist I would have expected they too
loved it here……There was a squeaky gate that to our fortune was usualy
ajar so we could creep inside without making any noise . On the gate there
was a crude plywood sign , hand painted that said "YE OLE YARB PATCH " “the
fruits be sowed and reaped with love” I remembered thinking he realy loves
this old herb garden ….but so did we ….We would position ourselves
amongst the tall growing bee balm as it was good cover we just had to be
careful not to upset the bees while they worked …..Funny thing is that it
became sort of a game after a while and it just was not any fun the times we
did not rouse the old gent into chasing us …..Sadly one summer when I was
nearing my junior high school years Dennis’s life ended in an auto accident
…..soon after that I grew up and the summers spent pestering old Alfred
Selms became a memory …..The year I turned 17 and got my drivers license I
found myself pulling unto his road …..It was late in the spring ……Up
the bumpy road I went through the ruts and round the corner ….It seemed
like such a long way when I was a mere child…. Up ahead the old house
still stood ……The dog was long gone and Alfred himself was no where in
sight……For the first time I opened the screen door and yelled inside
….Still no answer I walked further inside calling out all the while
……He had the most beutiful herbs hanging everywhere and so many lovely
wood crafts ….as I was admiring his handywork he came through the door and
asked “what the hell all the fuss” was about he had heard me but was
gathering honey and could not exactly move at that time ….I went to
introduce myself and he said" I know who you are….. you are that red
headed brat I had to chase out me yarb patch every chance I got"by now he
grinned and let out a laugh "I am Kim " I said ….he said he knew and with
that he walked me out to that herb garden and prceeded to teach me what they
all were and thier medicinal purposes ….Why it had been important not to
disturb them and how mad we made him at the time ……I came to find out he
was a healer and a historian and I learned more from that man than any one I
have ever encountered in this life since …..He treated me at first as a
student then an apprentice ….we would forage for wild foods to eat and he
taught me survival without ever killing another living thing…..He followed
an earth based religion that to this day suits me better than any I have
ever in my life practiced …..Later in life we became so close that I
called him grandpa …His family had all passed on several years earlier
and my grandfathers had all died while I was young so we adopted each other
….We brewed more teas in his little kitchen over the years and that
amazing rasberry bush was as big as his house at the time he left this
earth……I miss him terrible….
these days I am a vegitarian and the gardens are where I find my peace ….If the plant is available in my seed stash then chances are it is available for swap : ) ….I do find however unless we live close to one another live plants just do not transport well