My Grandfather's Garden I remember summers in Central, New Mexico where all my cousins roamed the orchard behind my grandparents house. It was always a hot summer and it never passed without some adventure in store for me. The yellow two-story home my grandparents lived in was situated in the middle of town on Bayard Street. The General Store, as my uncle and grandfather named it, was next door and I would watch as my grandfather would walk through the yard, open the fence gate and enter the backdoor to his store. Then, sharply at 1:00p.m. he would come home for lunch. Sitting in front of the television, my grandfather enjoyed his hot lunch my grandmother had graciously prepared for him while he watched "The Edge of Night." My grandfather, a tall and huge man with a large belly, always wore beige pants and shirt, and a straw hat. Smoking a cigar and whistling some obscure tune, he was jolly and happy-go-lucky. Raised on a ranch, my grandfather had five brothers. When his father died and divided the ranch among his siblings, a battle ensued. All the brothers couldn't agree on what was the best way to run their ranch. So, after much fighting and arguments, the six brothers sold the ranch and divided the profits. It was with the skills of ranching and farming, my grandfather used his expertise in his orchard. The orchard I remember consisted of apple, plum, and peach trees, grapes -- not to mention corn and other vegetables. It was during this time I remember spending all my summers with my grandparents. Recalling one particular day, I roamed the orchard. Sampling every single tree and vine, I became bored. I turned around and curiously noticed the peeling plaster on Aunt Minnie and Uncle Willie's house. My Aunt Minnie, a kind woman, who lived next door to my grandparents with Uncle Willie, always took me to the drive-in movies on Friday nights. The best remembrance was the movie "Black Sunday" with Barbara Steele and she bought me a huge pickle. It took me all night to finish that pickle. I always had a curious salty tongue, climbing the apple trees with a salt shaker. Green apples were the best with salt. Eating plaster off Aunt Minnie's house was something my grandfather didn't tolerate. Getting caught, my grandfather pulled me inside the house and warned me of the danger of eating plaster. I didn't listen. Next time I would be more careful and not get caught. It was June 1960 when my grandfather died. On a hot summer day, my mother, grandmother and aunt were in the kitchen preparing lunch for everyone. All of us, my brother and sister and myself, were outside playing when we were called inside to eat lunch. We rushed to the downstairs bathroom to wash our hands. Then we were told to wake up my grandfather who was asleep upstairs in the middle bedroom. The three of us ran upstairs to wake him. We pushed and nudged him, but nothing happened. After a few minutes, we still had no luck in waking my grandfather. Finally, the three of us walked downstairs and announced we had failed to wake my grandfather. All the adults marched upstairs to investigate. Then we heard crying and screaming. I didn't exactly know what death meant, but I knew at that moment my grandfather had caught it. [Back to Terre's Place] Background Set by Bannerz~R~Us