Homegrown: Tribute to grandma

Grandma's backyard was an enchanting place, teeming with flowers, birds and other wildlife.

From her porch, we would watch hummingbirds silently dart in and out to hover at the feeder.

It was grandma who identified the beautiful bird I saw one day as an indigo bunting, the only time I've seen such a striking shade of blue.

When lilacs or liatris, cosmos or cleome were in bloom, she would gush over the homegrown bouquets we'd bring to her house. Fresh vegetables were also sure to please.

You'd think they were magnificent gifts, but those simple things seemed to bring grandma the most happiness in her later years.

One snowy night, from her kitchen window, I watched a barred owl on a stump turn its head to seemingly stare straight at me. At least I think it was a barred owl.

By then, grandma couldn't make it to the kitchen to confirm my guess. Her body was fading, but her mind stayed sharp.

Every spring I would ask her the recipe for hummingbird nectar to make sure I had the right proportions – was it 1 cup of water to ¼ cup of sugar?

Next spring I'll be on my own.

Grandma would have turned 99 this week.

She died in October, just a month shy of that milestone.

I'll buy extra birdseed this winter to fill the void left by her departure.

And when the hummingbirds return, I'll remember those summers on her porch and keep alive the memory of my grandma, Louise Hadish.