Of Ponies, Presents and Perennials: 7

My friend Eileen pined for a pony, but I never did. Practical even as a child, I always wondered what she could possibly do with it on our Brooklyn street. I wasn't into that whole pony thing; I wanted a houseboat. But still, it was pretty exciting when my niece Sherrie got a pony on Christmas Day, 1982.

The picture shows the Theys family that day. Sherrie and her brother Jeffrey are sitting on the new pony. Peeking out from behind Sherrie is my father-in-law, Johnnie, and standing near the kids with one hand on Sherrie's leg is my mother-in-law, Georgia. John's brother Jeff--Sherrie and Jeffrey's father--is next to Johhnie, and Linda--their mother--is in the back next to Georgia. That's John on the end in the cool, cream-colored turtleneck, and next to him is Bill, who is married to John's sister Georgia—in the pink pants and holding the dog. In front of Bill is Katharine, a friend of the family and holding the horse is John's sister Jackie.

Sherrie and Jeffrey were the only grandchildren then. The other eight wouldn't begin coming along for another year and a half. Those two have children of their own now—two little boys and one little girl. Sadly, two of the people in the picture are no longer alive. Katharine died about 8 years ago. My brother-in-law Jeff died in 1991 at the age of 43. Of the siblings, I think Jeff was the one who loved the farm the most. He lived for years in a house he built right next to the farm, and he loved gardening. I often think of one time when Jeff was showing me around his greenhouse and his beautiful yard. This was before I knew anything at all about gardens and I wasn't even sure of the difference between annuals and perennials. Jeff said, "It's the perennials that make the garden. Annuals are just an afterthought." I didn't understand that at the time, but as I came to become more of a gardener, I knew he was right. It's the plants that establish themselves and stay that make the garden. Planting perennials is an investment and you reap the enjoyment of their beauty year after year. I think Jeff would have liked the idea of seeing his family farm become a special place for people who appreciate the natural gifts of the earth. It's very perennial.