I have a blue hydrangea bush on the side of my house. Someone gave me it to me when Lilly was born 9 years ago and this year it is abundant with blooms as usual. I always admire the pictures of those houses in the Southern Living magazine with long-stem hydrangeas in a vase on a mid-century modern coffee table. Those long stem just make everything look richer. This year, I did that. I bought a $3 vase from Dollar General (you know the whole rich feeling doesn’t really need to actually cost $$$, right?!) and cut 4 hydrangea blooms and placed it on my dinning room table. It makes me smile when I walk by and see those blue beauties; but I do think I could have cut them a little longer….I guess I still need some work on that “rich” look.
My first encounter with a hydrangea bush was when I was in junior high. New neighbors moved into the “big house at the top of the hill” and they were looking for someone responsible enough to pet sit their dog and cats while they went on their yearly vacation to Myrtle Beach. My sister and I fit the bill and we went to their house every morning and evening to feed their dog Pepper and the two cats. To aid us in being responsible, the neighbors made a step-by-step list of chores for each visit (which was printed for us over the next 10-15 years that we watched the house during their vacations). In the morning, “water the hydrangea bush next to the porch” was on the list. It wasn’t anything special, but now it’s a link to a memory.
I never really watered my hydrangea bush but I do this year. And every time I do, I think of the neighbor lady, Mrs. Kozlina. She passed away a few years ago from cancer. She loved flowers, animals, family, and she must of had a huge heart because she was a teacher. I remember after I had Lilly and Lucy (I was still their go-to responsible person to watch their house and pets while gone), she gave me some motherhood advice. “Kiss your babies. You can’t kiss them too much. Because now I often wonder, did I kiss my kids enough?” I thought that was interesting, but guess what? I kiss those baby cheeks as often and as much until they won’t let me anymore.
Not sure I know how to end this, but I guess you never know what you are going to question “Did I do____ enough?”, so consider the advice of others because they’ve been there before (like trying convince kids that they are going to miss naps…). And regrets? No one wants them.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your day!