Richard Joseph Flanagan - Part 8

I never realized how hard it is to write about someone you knew.  The emotional response makes me stop and pause often.  Lots of memories have come flowing back to my mind.  I think to myself, should I write all of this down in such a public forum.  Yes, "write it down, I say!"  It may not really be so public.  People have to be looking for my blog to find it.

As for Dick, he was a quiet, patient man.  When he spoke, people did listen.  He did not "gab" on and on as I sometimes do.  I'm still wondering where I got that gift of gab.  I did receive so many other gifts from Dick.  Maybe my desire to garden came from him.  I find it a relaxing outlet in my life when I have the time.

Dick's own vegetable garden was pretty amazing.  At least a quarter of his backyard was his vegetable garden.  From green beans (bush and pole) to squash and tomatoes, this Flanagan home had fresh vegetables at least 6-7 months out of the year directly from their backyard.  Let me not forget to mention that Dick's wife, Dorothy, was an amazing cook.  She was not a baker but did make tasty, delightful dinners.

From the time that I could walk and recall the backyard of Dick and Dorothy Flanagan's modest home on Spencer Street in Napa, California, I can remember the vegetable garden.  Dick tried growing peas when I was quite young.  We'd go out into the backyard and pop open a peapod right off the plant and nibble on the fresh pick.  The pea crop never produced much in the way of a meal for maybe more than two people but that memory has stuck with me all of these years.

As a young adult, I can remember picking pole beans in the backyard with Dick.  Even on the day before Dick's funeral, my mom, my aunt (from my Napa Borchers family) and I picked a huge amount of green string pole beans.

I must admit that gardening may sound so mundane.  To write about it may or may not be the most interesting topic.  What is interesting, is the story, memories, and feelings that it generates.

To be continued.......................