When my family moved from Connecticut to New York, Val-Kill was still privately owned and separated into several apartments and the main cottage. We lived on the second floor of the furniture factory. Once the first Spring of our stay there arrived, I had never seen so many daffodils in one place. The front property was truly a sea of yellow. Adjacent to the tennis court we had started to work the soil for planting a vegetable garden. In the same area, dozens of dark green leaved plants were growing. I knew they weren't weeds but not any more. As they reached a height of 3 to 4 feet, hundreds of golf ball sized buds appeared. In the next few weeks a profusion of peonies bloomed in shades ranging from white to pale pink to the darkest fuchsias and the scent emitting from these huge flowers was intoxicating. I have loved the peony ever since.
In my self proclaimed hometown of Poughkeepsie, I can tell you where almost every peony is blooming in every neighborhood. When my husband and I became homeowners, we did some planting in the fall and we HAD to plant peonies. It took a couple of years for them to fill in and bloom, but now they are glorious. I do take the time to smell them and clip them for vases in doors (even though they could bring ant or two with them). I just wish the flowers lasted a little longer and they bloomed more than once a year. But I guess good and wonderful things come to those that are patient and appreciative.
I guess that really is a pearl of wisdom that I need to be more conscious of. I hope this works with my kids!
Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.
Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.
I too, lived at Valkill after I graduated from college. I was looking for an affordable place to live and I saw an ad looking for someone to share a house. The house was Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer house . It was surrounded by trees and next to a glistening pond. This was my Walden. I shared the house with 7 other people. I had my own room, a mattress on the floor, and my whole life in front of me. I didn’t connect with the other people living at the house, but I was approached by these three cherub faced kids that lived in the building next door and I immediately adored them. They were smart, funny and just a pleasure to be around. I then met their mom and I saw where they got their good nature. She was down to earth, an artist, a maker of baskets who embraced everyone she met. Their dad was a wise and helpful man, who helped me to get tires once, to get me through the rough Hudson Valley winters. We all had to eventually move because Valkill was being restored. I moved into an apartment in Poughkeepsie and the cherubs and their parents moved to a house across the river. We stayed and touch. I remember bringing the cherubs into town and just enjoying their company. Their mom would always invite me to dine with them. I remember a fabulous meal she made out of a can a spam and some potatoes. All 7 of us ate and none left hungry. The family was always warm and inviting. They lovingly filled my void of having no family and no friends in the area.
ReplyDeleteI moved a year later and lost touch.
That was over 30 years ago. A couple of weeks ago, my family and I went on vacation to New England. I had such a vivid dream about these cherubs, that I knew I had to try to track them down. How delighted I was to find that the oldest cherub had become a writer , a wife and a mom. I am also glad that she seems to have kept the qualities that I loved in her as a child, into adulthood.