Forest of the Plains

The relationships you inherit via marriage can be interesting. I first met Stan at a wedding shower. He brought a hoe and rake decorated with raffia and ribbon. And he apologized that Arlene couldn’t be there. Arlene had cancer, and this was not a good day for her. I learned that Arlene dearly loved gardening and she was pleased to see we had registered for gardening tools.

I met Arlene about two years later when we took a meal to her. I was impressed with her strong spirit, despite the turmoil cancer was causing in her brain. She died about a year after that visit.

I am not a gardener. (Though maybe I was in another life because it seems like something I should enjoy.) But, each spring I get out my garden tools to plant a few flowers and spread mulch around the bushes. And each spring I think of Arlene.