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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: K.C.
Posts: 11,731
M.O.C. #5980
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Mr. Roberts' garden
I ran across this story I wrote in honor of Mr. Roberts, a man I shall never forget, although we never met. We were touched by his life and the loneliness of it's end.
Mr. Robert’s garden.
One early Sunday morning, I was looking out the kitchen window at Mr. Robert’s garden. After a night of gentle rain, the grass is dark green, the flowers are open, with their Pinks and Reds that blend so beautifully, just as nature intended.
His small flower garden is complimented by a Three tiered fountain we set, that the birds love to splash around in, and drink from. We supply Two bird feeders, a large one for Sunflower seeds and a tubular feeder for Thistle, where the small Finches and Chickadees love to dine. The Squirrels and Doves are more than happy to scavenge the dropped seeds, as the Woodpeckers are rather messy eaters.
I placed these feeders, fountains and flowers so Sue could see all of them when she is in the kitchen. Mr. Roberts’s garden was our first addition to the view.
Many years ago, when I was in the business of investment real estate, buying, repairing and selling homes in an older part of Kansas City, I happened on a home just vacated due to illness. When I walked in to Mr. Robert’s home, it was left as if he was next door, or at the market. All the antique furniture, dishes, area rugs, and many personal effects were in place. The lace doilies on the dresser and end table, Bone handled brushes and hand held mirror, and family pictures on the wall. It was like stepping back in time.
Mr. Roberts lived there with his mother, until she passed, some 20 years before. He kept busy by working in his yard, with many beautiful flowers and a vegetable garden. The yard was overgrown by tall weeds and grass now, but you could still see the fruits of his efforts.
We immediately bought the home, inquiring where Mr. Roberts was, intending on getting his personal effects to him, the Broker gave us his address at the nursing home, and my parents went to visit him. He had all he wanted and needed, he was in the declining days of his life, and was in good spirits.
Mr. Roberts kept a Diary, documenting most of his life in his small 2 bedroom home on a corner lot.
Mr. Robert’s daily routine was to rise, have a breakfast of cut Bananas and cereal, read the paper and work in the garden. There was no sorrow in the diary entries of his lonely life.
When Sue and I went through all the boxes of cards, souvenirs and diaries, it turned out he was quite a world traveler in his younger years, there were cards and momentos from New York City and a worlds fair.
We knew from the start we would remember Mr. Roberts, by transplanting many of his Tulip and Daffodil bulbs and grasses to a garden spot in our yard, the Squirrels love to bury Walnuts there, as if to help expand the garden, but, they usually dig them back up. We weeded and mulched the Four foot square garden recently, talking to Mr. Roberts with the promise we will not forget him. I occasionally have a breakfast of cut Bananas and cereal in his honor.
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