May 2009 Calendar Picture and Story

Thursday
Feb 9, 2012
1:20:54 PM

Welcome

Calendar Photo and Story For May 2009

This wisteria vine, blooming at my parent's house, is about 40 years old and was given to me by Mrs. Squibb who used to live in the house in the background of the photograph.

Mrs. Squibb's house is a triplex where she lived in one part, her daughter Ella lived in another, and a couple, Will & Grace Glascock, lived in the largest section. Ella kept Chihuahua dogs that I used to enjoy playing with. They were all very kind to me when I was a kid, putting up with my antics, and often spending time teaching me things. Mrs. Squibb was especially kind and would even purchase used Reader's Digests from me when I needed to raise a bit of change to take to the store. She always had a few minutes to spend talking with me about whatever topic was pressing my young mind. She had another daughter, Belinda, who had a boy, Joseph, about my age. They didn't live in the neighborhood, but I met him during his many visits to his grandmother's and we became friends. He got on so well with our neighborhood gang that we were delighted when they eventually moved into the area and he became part of our crew. He now lives in California with his wife and children, but we speak on the phone and are still good friends.

The vine Mrs. Squibb gave me was a volunteer from a huge one that grew on the white picket fence which used to surround her corner property. After I planted it at my parents, it grew on the backyard fence and nearby trees and spawned many volunteers of its own.

In the spring, the vine grows so fast you can almost sit and watch it move. It grew across this gate in a matter of a couple weeks!

You can see it's putting out feelers, searching for anything to grab hold of. I've seen these feelers grow as much as 8 inches a day!

This wisteria, a volunteer from the vine at my parents, grows on a trellis in front of our house. We have to cut it back regularly to keep our doorway open.

This close-up, from just to the left of the trellis above, shows two phone lines we've never mounted and one nice wisteria runner crossing our front porch. This runner has rooted itself to the left of our door where it's growing several new plants.

So, many thanks to Mrs. Squibb and her family for a gift that keeps on giving. It may be a bit hard to train and contain, but the beautiful blooms every spring and dense foliage all summer are welcome additions to our decor!

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