Gardening

Dad was a gardener; he grew vegetables. Flowers were Mom's department, but she took over growing vegetables after Dad died. Neither Mom or Dad were great cooks, so I don't remember specific family recipes. What I remember are delicious fresh vegetables--tomatoes, string beans, corn, zucchini, broccoli, lettuce. No tomatoes or corn have ever tasted as good.

In retrospect I understand that gardening was the perfect way for Dad to unwind from his actuarial job and his long commute. I remember his encouraging us to start our own little gardens. I remember helping him plant strawberries. I remember picking off Japanese beetles from the plants and putting them in a jar of something that killed them.

Peter and Michael have definitely inherited the gardening gene. I tend to garden in the spring, then neglect the garden during the hot summer.