Pansies always make me think of my grandmother–a master Bridge player, cook, knitter, imagination weaver…and gardener. The living gateway to her garden was a row of mature boxwoods, edged to the right and left with azaleas and hydrangeas, and the far side, a brick wall hidden by camellias and gardenias, and even more hydrangeas and azaleas. Daffodils, hyacinths, roses, primroses, zinnias, lilies of the valley–gosh, so many more I can't recall–lived there as well. It smelled as beautiful as it looked, with hints of spearmint, peppermint and parsley in the back right corner. One of my favorite childhood memories is jumping off the garage roof into the compost pile…we had NO idea what went into it (even if we had known, we still probably wouldn't have cared).
But it's the pansies that make me think of her, statuesque, regal and One Who Knew All Things. She had the most fabulous jiggly arms on the planet and she didn't mind us playing with them a bit. Forever I thought pansies were named "Kitty Faces" simply because she told me so.
I wish she had lived long enough to cultivate her gardening knowledge in me; I'll have to settle for a genuine affection for a flower's beauty. A single stem has the power to transform my day.
Not-so-Wordless Wednesday
I love it when you can think of something like that. Makes me miss my grandmother
Pretty flowers 🙂 Don’t you just love spring?!
It’s funny the ideas we get from an older family member that we believe and carry with us.
Lovely spring flowers 🙂
We say in Dutch paarse violen 😉
Beautiful flowers. Such a lovely memory, too. Thank you for sharing it.
missed my grandma too! she’s also good in gardening and cooking, btw that’s beautiful blooms you have! happy ww!
Violets are so happy. I love them.
I love the pansies myself. And those sure are beautiful.
My mom called pansies “the pretty faces.” My husband and I both love pansies, and lined our front yard with them.
It must be great to see this sea of purple.
Spring beauty! Awesome photo!
She sounds like the gardener I wannabe! (Except for the jiggly arms. Which is probably the only way I’m destined to be like her.)
Fabulous Pansies!! We have winter pansies here in Virginia and I just love them!! Even in the spring and summer – and, sometimes, the actually last that long – almost clear through till the next fall!!
What a beautiful image, and such nice memories to go along with it!
What lovely memories and flowers! Thanks for sharing your story.
Yeah, our grandmothers were related!!
What a lovely, lovely photo!!!
Pansies are so beautiful! I’m sitting at the computer now, but not for long – the lilacs outside smell so good, i can’t stay in any longer. 🙂
They’re so beautiful! What a lovely story. I would love to have visited your grandmother’s. 😀
jealous that you had a grandmother who taught you about kitty faces. sniff.