"Take thy plastic spade, it is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants, they are thy colours." William Mason, The English Garden 1782

I was going through some old photos the other day when I stumbled upon one I had taken several months ago for a young women's night. Our activity was, "Remembering Our Ancestors", and each of the girls were supposed to bring something that represented someone from their family. Most of the girls brought old family pictures, personal ancestry stories, or heirlooms that had been passed down through the years. I'm not a genealogist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do have strong personal ties to all of my grandparents (since most of them are still living today). I love to hear stories about the old days when life was simpler, or how much the price of a movie ticket cost when my grandparents were my age. I've discovered for myself that when you learn about your ancestors, you are essentially learning about yourself.

So, for ancestry night I decided to share a painting which features my great grandmother Ida Renfro Biegler standing in her famous garden in Elko, Nevada. The picture was painted by my aunt Lynn several years ago, and hangs in my grandma Maggie's living room. I love this painting for several reasons, but the most important of which is that my great grandma, grandma, mother, aunts and myself all love to garden. For some unexplainable reason, it's always been something I have enjoyed doing. In fact, whenever I was asked if I would rather clean the bathroom or pull weeds, I always opted for the latter. I love getting my hands dirty, pulling up the nasty weeds, watering, watching living things grow with my help, and of course smelling and seeing the fruits of my labors (no pun intended). The parable of the olive tree has always been my favorite scripture story. There is something so deeply satisfying about watching your little patch of earth blossom.

My grandma, Margaret, always hates it when someone asks her if she has a favorite flower, "Because it would be like choosing a favorite child." However, I do know that she has a special affinity for Iris, which also happen to be my favorite flower. She has given me many bulbs, plants, seed starts, and especially tips for taking care of my babies. I love that gardening is all about sharing! When I left on vacation a few weeks ago, I tearfully told my sister-in-law (who was watching the house) to take good care of my flowers, and take lots of pictures of the Iris because they would be blooming while I was gone. I wouldn't expect anyone who doesn't love gardening to understand this, and at times I'm not sure I understand it myself. It would almost be like dressing up for a party, and then deciding at the last minute that you weren't going. I love in the painting that Ida is standing in the garden next to her colorful Iris. Ida was an amazing gardener, who had several acres of flower beds, trees and a finely manicured lawn. My grandma says she remembers waking up to see her mother in the garden, and going to bed at night watching her mother still working outdoors.

Great grandma Ida also helped plan the layout and design of the Elko City park, which is still there to this day. I loved being able to share these stories as well as the painting with my young women, and be able tell them how people would come from miles around to see my great grandmothers beautiful yard. When I'm outside digging in the dirt, watering my flowers, or sitting on the porch watching the clouds roll by, I can't help but wonder if my ancestors are there enjoying it right along with me.