How to See Your Mother, Even After She is Gone, Or Eleanor's Garden as Seen by Her Son

Red Poppy




Peony





Peony






This is our third summer without Eleanor, my mother-in-law, but she is still here. Here in the plants she so lovingly choose, planted and nurtured.




Some miss her enough that they have not returned. Eleanor was an extra ordinary gardener who could coax some plants from other environments to take root here, but they left the summer she was no longer with us.


"Queen of the Pararie" Astilbe

Bronze Fennel


But oh, the beauty of those that stayed. My husband has such an artistic eye that he captures their moment on the stage.






This is one of the many things I love about my husband. His ability to see beauty, to pick out a single thing, from a sea of fauna and an explosion of color.

Purple Iris


He notices what many people would see, but not take note of.



I love the fact that I see that same talent blooming in my daughter, too.

Rose


And then there is Ethan and his bees. The bees are happily at work. If you stay out of their flight path, they are fine with letting watch while they work.



These bees realized that it was getting too hot in the hive so they opted to hang outside for a while. After all, everything must be perfect for the queen.


The other hive had some sort of disease and had to be shut up for a while. Ethan may replace some of the artificial comb and open that hike up for business.