We had just started to work on a client’s property and I reminded him that the dogwood needed thinning in the area where we would be planting.  He said he had used a tree company a few years ago and agreed that it needed work.  I responded with, “It’s Ok; I have a chain saw” and we proceeded to thin the tree.  It will now receive more light through the canopy, low hanging branches will no longer knock into the unsuspecting, and  more light will be available to assist the plants growing in the bed below.

It was only as I was driving away that I remembered one of my Mother’s favorite stories about me as a young child.  Apparently a well-meaning adult had cautioned me that I was getting my clothes dirty.  My response:  “It’s OK my Mommy has a washing machine.”  My Mom loved this story; she wanted me to be able to play and not worry about dirty clothes.

Thanks, Mom, not only for the wonderful memory and a reminder of how you live on in my life, but for what you taught me about the purpose of clothes and the love of gardening.