Recently I was in my first traffic jam in Grantham. Instead of being impatient, I was having fun. I was part of a line of more than thirty cars driving past Judy and Bob McCarthy’s homestead on Fernwood Lane to join a group of friends wishing them well on their move to their new home in Lebanon. Close enough to continue seeing friends and still coming to garden club meetings, for them the hard part was leaving their garden and their trees.
The year that Judy and Bob bought their house, their first grandson Sam was born. To mark this wonderful event, they planted a Red Maple tree in their yard. Sam now attends Berklee College of Music as a promising jazz musician. Little did Judy and Bob know at the time that they would end up planting six more trees to celebrate their grandchildren’s births. A Hydrangea tree was planted for Madeleine; Phoebe’s was an Ornamental Cherry, and Cheka’s tree was a Dwarf Blue Spruce. They planted a Viburnam for Griffin. The Virburnam grew very quietly. By the third year, it sported a single beautiful white blossom. In 2019, after fourteen years, it was covered with gorgeous blossoms. A Magnolia was planted for Lu, and Agatha’s was a River Birch. Beside the newly planted tree, they would place a rock with the newborn grandchild’s name. They would often take pictures of the growing grandchildren beside their growing tree until they couldn’t fit both in the picture.
As they prepared to sell their house, they learned that a new septic system had to be installed. They watched as two of their cherished trees were demolished to make room for the installation. Maybe you, as I did, experienced a cringe of horror when you heard about the lost trees. Of course, our reaction is minor compared to how Judy and Bob must have felt. Ever the optimist, Judy was proud to report that five of their trees are still standing. They still have all those pictures, their rock mementos and their beloved grandchildren.
This is how Judy expressed her feelings on living at and leaving their Grantham home:
One of the blessings of having made 11 Fernwood Lane our permanent home for 17 years, was the opportunity to create a natural world around the beautiful house with which we had fallen in love. Prolific blueberry and raspberry bushes, three raised beds in which tomatoes, herbs, rhubarb and garlic flourished, a lavender hedge that wound around the path to the front door, and perennials galore gave us so much joy. All of us, humans, animals and plants, are connected; severing our connection on Fernwood was not easy. However, we have always been happy in whatever place we have lived and anticipate our new home will have its blessings too. Bloom where you are planted!
The year that Judy and Bob bought their house, their first grandson Sam was born. To mark this wonderful event, they planted a Red Maple tree in their yard. Sam now attends Berklee College of Music as a promising jazz musician. Little did Judy and Bob know at the time that they would end up planting six more trees to celebrate their grandchildren’s births. A Hydrangea tree was planted for Madeleine; Phoebe’s was an Ornamental Cherry, and Cheka’s tree was a Dwarf Blue Spruce. They planted a Viburnam for Griffin. The Virburnam grew very quietly. By the third year, it sported a single beautiful white blossom. In 2019, after fourteen years, it was covered with gorgeous blossoms. A Magnolia was planted for Lu, and Agatha’s was a River Birch. Beside the newly planted tree, they would place a rock with the newborn grandchild’s name. They would often take pictures of the growing grandchildren beside their growing tree until they couldn’t fit both in the picture.
As they prepared to sell their house, they learned that a new septic system had to be installed. They watched as two of their cherished trees were demolished to make room for the installation. Maybe you, as I did, experienced a cringe of horror when you heard about the lost trees. Of course, our reaction is minor compared to how Judy and Bob must have felt. Ever the optimist, Judy was proud to report that five of their trees are still standing. They still have all those pictures, their rock mementos and their beloved grandchildren.
This is how Judy expressed her feelings on living at and leaving their Grantham home:
One of the blessings of having made 11 Fernwood Lane our permanent home for 17 years, was the opportunity to create a natural world around the beautiful house with which we had fallen in love. Prolific blueberry and raspberry bushes, three raised beds in which tomatoes, herbs, rhubarb and garlic flourished, a lavender hedge that wound around the path to the front door, and perennials galore gave us so much joy. All of us, humans, animals and plants, are connected; severing our connection on Fernwood was not easy. However, we have always been happy in whatever place we have lived and anticipate our new home will have its blessings too. Bloom where you are planted!
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