Remembering....

We don't do a lot of planting flowers.  Too much garden, fruit tree and lawn care already.  But we do have flowers that come up each year on their own.  Clumps of daffodills, bluebells, and violets both white and blue.

I love violets!  They remind me of my childhood in Hanover, PA.  We lived in a duplex on York Street.  Next door there was a vacant lawn and then an old gray two storey house, unpainted and grown up with bushes around it.  Two very old (to me as a child) men lived there.  My Mother thought the place was deplorable, an eyesore.  I loved it!  It was old and mysterious and no one ever got inside.  (I bet they had lots of interesting antiques!!!)

Anyhow, each spring, in the high grass and shade the most beautiful long stemmed violets came popping up.  I always had to sneak over, and hope the old men didn,t catch me and pick a nice bouquet.

Today Zip wanted to get some new nusic books for his quitar playing.  They have a large music store in Hanover.  He did;n't know I had an extra stop I wanted to make.  After purchasing his books, I asked him if we could ride past my old home and take a picture.  They have tarted the place up from a modest brick home with white trim to a place with fake stone and modern railings.  And the old gray house has been done in siding.  There are no longer any bushes and violets.  Things sure change in 40 years.

But my aunt (my father's sister) still lives across the street even after all this time.  And she happened to be home.  She didn't recognize me at first- it's been 20 years!  She was so happy that we stopped to visit! 

She had plans for the evening, so we didn't get to stay and talk as long as we both would have liked.  We hugged goodbye and I promised to come back soon and she said she'd get out pictures and family history information.  I had to cry a little bit as we drove off.

We were on the Lincoln Highway coming back toward home when I discovered I had left my purse there.  With the emotional excitement, I had forgotten it!  No driver's license, no credit or debit cards, NO CAMERA!!!  And a three-day class starting tomorrow!

I guess I'll be making a return visit sooner than expected!