In memory

Posted by Bookfool (Mississippi, United States) on 21 April 2009 in Plant & Nature and Portfolio.

Before I begin posting photos of Costa Rica, I must put up a little tribute to my mother. The 9th of April was the first anniversary of my mother's death. I planted a purple clematis in her honor, shortly after I returned from her funeral, thinking it would be a nice way to remember her because she had a purple clematis that she loved. And, guess what? This bloom -- the first bloom of the year -- appeared on the 9th of April. How cool is that?

Tomorrow, I'll begin with a rather pitiful first photo from Costa Rica.

Comments (9)

Linerberry from Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand

This is stunning!!!!

21 Apr 2009 7:52am

@Linerberry: Thank you! So far, it's only had two blooms and the first was a richer color than the second bloom -- which was, as my mother loved to say, "Big as a plate!" :)

grouser from Ludlow, United Kingdom

Was i hallucinating or did you say you had returned with 2,000 pics but would not be posting all of them? My 1,000 comment was just me being facetious, ignore it. This is lovely by the way. Bookalicious in fact.

21 Apr 2009 9:46am

@grouser: Oh, yes Sir Grousalot. Sorry, I was a little fuzzy on the 1,000 reference. I did indeed take 2,000 photos and at least half of them are awful. I'm working on trashing the bad and cropping the good. It's a rather gigantic job and I'm afraid I'm going to have to go back. We were a bit too far from town in both cases, so most of my photos were taken around our hotels and the camera was almost always in the bag when we were driving through the countryside -- big mistake. The panoramas in Costa Rica are breathtaking and the people are out there, walking, sitting on their porches, riding bikes, mending fences. I will at least use a point-and-shoot on drives, if/when we return. There's so much that I missed. And, thank you. :)

Judy from Brooksville, Florida, United States

What a beautiful tribute to your mom ... and what a blessing to have it bloom on the anniversary date!

21 Apr 2009 12:54pm

@Judy: Thank you, Judy! I thought that bloom was a gift from God . . . or a sign from beyond. It was so perfect. :)

Lesley from Lincoln, United States

Has it really been a year already?! I think this is a lovely tribute and I'm not the least bit surprised that it bloomed on the 9th. Sending hugs your way, BF.

21 Apr 2009 2:35pm

@Lesley: Yes, hard to believe, isn't it? And, 2010 will be the 20th anniversary of my father's death -- even harder to believe. I thought it was absolutely awesome, like a lovely message from beyond. Thanks, Les!