On Sunday, I dreamt about my maternal grandmother, Ina. I dreamt we were sitting by a garden by the sea. You could smell the salt in the air as the breeze played with our hair. We were sitting on a wooden bench in silence, her hand holding mine, as we admired the hundred of red hibiscus surrounding— so many of them, red as rubies.
I woke up smiling, because every time I garden, my thoughts are inexplicably linked to my memories of her. I remember her working in her garden surrounded by roses, hibiscus, aloe, marjoram, oregano, and other assorted plants. This garden that was like a different world for me, enclosed by a sea foam-colored picket fence. And I would sit in there with her making mud pies and decorating them with clovers and flowers. That memory always makes me smile.
Grandma Ina (her fabulous name was Alejandrina) is always with me when I garden-- she had such a big personality that I am not surprised. I like to believe that residue from our souls stays in the universe as out footprint that we were here. When my hands are in the soil, there I feel closer to her. I like the feel of the moist dirt as you work it, which is why I do not wear garden gloves unless extremely necessary. I need the tactile reminder that I am making a little bit of magic happen.
My garden in the Midwest is definitely not like grandma Ina's was nor like the one in my dream. But it is mine. And slowly as I build it, I create memories that one day I will look back on and remember. My only regret is that due to our zone, I cannot grow many of the plants we would have in the island. But I have the satisfaction that this little piece of dirt will in a few months be bursting with beauty. And the dream I had was so special that it will forever be linked to this little garden I am creating and grandma.
I may be sharing these beauties with these awesome ladies: Weekend Green, Garden Like Link-Up, Floral Friday Fotos, In a Vase on Monday, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (15th of the Month), Simple Saturdays, The Homemaking Party, Home MattersGardens Galore, Home Sweet Home, Gardens Galore, Floral Bliss, Home and Garden Thursday, Vintage Charm, Friends Sharing Tea, Tuesday Cuppa Tea , End of Month View (31st of the Month), #MyGloriousGardens, Six on Saturday