the other day i looked down on the garden from my bedroom window and saw little j mucking about in my garden! as hard as it was to see him drag a small trowel through the ground where i was sure there was new bamboo shoots growing – there wasn’t, i should have known better – i had to admit it made me happy to see my 11 year boy singing and playing in the garden. since m and i adopted j almost 5 years ago, it has been clear that he was an artistic individual that was affected by environment. he is always one to point out the interesting shape of a tree, the way the light comes through an open window or the rainbow of light gleaming off fresh fish at grandville market, so it didn’t surprise me when he wanted to plant something of his own.
the next day at the garden store we spent an hour looking at plants. we talked about growing things from seed, as he always enjoyed watching spring unfold, but what really caught his eye was the hyacinth in all the various stages of flower that were available. we ended up choosing 12 plants with just a hint of colour in the buds and planted them in a simple terracotta pot. every morning since j heads out into the garden, after he makes sure that he hasn’t been attacked on some online game overnight, and checks on them.
i took this photo a moment ago, as the sun came out from behind the neighbouring building and have to say, i am happy to share my garden(ing chores) with him.
a shawn cornell project 