Pawpaw's Flowers

My Grandfather grew lot's of plants. He did all kinds of stuff after he retired from the railroad. He had two small workshops in his backyard. One for gardening and one for woodworking. I think he did woodworking out of necessity. I don't remember him ever really building a piece of furniture, I mostly remember him repairing stuff. Like furniture for himself, family and neighbors. I remember different aunts and uncles dropping off a chair or a table that needed repaired. My Dad remembers him building small, wooden boats, but that was before my time.

When school was out for the summer my little brother and I spent a lot of time at my Grandparents house. Every day we ate a huge breakfast and lunch, dinner time was about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. In between we helped Pawpaw work in the yard. Tending the lawn, flowers, ferns and some vegetable plants. There was a huge pear tree and Pawpaw shot the squirrels that tried to eat them with a pellet rifle.

Pawpaw often gave my mother plants. About fifty years ago he gave her a cutting from an Angel Wing Begonia. I think Mom is still growing that plant. About five years ago she gave me a plant grown from a cutting off the same plant. Above is a picture of a flower on that plant. It is growing in my kitchen. So I guess I'm the third generation growing that plant. There is a lot of pressure involved in growing that plant. Some folks have jewelery or art or cars or something like that passed along in their family. Not mine. I've got a plant and unlike jewelery, art or cars, one can kill a plant.