Cooperative Living April 2023 - 34

RURAL LIVING
Saints Preserve Us
Then, one day about six months
by Margo Oxendine, Contributing Columnist
Making things grow, with a lick and a prayer
O
ur poor
excuse for
winter is over
now. At least, I'd like
to think so. The latest
I've seen it snow is
April 19, though -
so there's still time to be walloped by
a flurry of flakes.
But, it's April. And you know what
that means: time to start the garden.
Time to plant the seeds and hope to
watch them sprout and grow.
Many of you in the warmer rural
parts may already be enjoying daffodils
and crocuses and hyacinths. Here in the
mountains, nothing has broken through
the ground just yet. But the flowers and
the buds are coming. I hope they don't
get buried in a late snowfall.
Perhaps you are already planning
your garden. My sister is one of those
planners. Her layout for planting flowers
and shrubs and whatever else is as
carefully mapped out as something an
architect might create. And they all
grow, and they all look beautiful.
Not so, for me. My sister got the
gardening gene from our dear late
mother. My mother used to have roses
everywhere, and gladioli, and daylilies
and tulips and cosmos, and many other
varieties scattered throughout the yard.
She even had what she called " The
PHOTO COURTESY CHOPTANK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Church's Garden. "
This was a plot dedicated to
flowers that she could clip and then
arrange for church every week. My
mother, Dorothy McCollum, was
known for her flowers. She was
dedicated and had a real talent for it.
That's why I was so thrilled and
surprised to find in my mail in late
February a prayer card commemorating
Saint Dorothy, the patron saint of
gardeners. What? Who knew? Even a
good friend who is a master gardener
was unaware that there is a patron saint
of gardeners. Now we know.
Catholics have a penchant for patron
saints. And many other denominations
know the chief ones - Saint Francis of
Assisi, patron saint of animals; Saint
Christopher, patron saint of travelers;
Saint Anthony (one of my favorites),
patron saint of lost things.
I cannot count the number of lost,
important things - and even not-soimportant
things - that a quick prayer
or two to Saint Anthony has brought
home to me.
Once, a lovely gold earring my
mother gave me fell out of my ear
somewhere, and I didn't notice. I
backtracked and looked everywhere,
but no earring was to be found. I said
several prayers to Saint Anthony,
but ... nothing.
later, a workman knocked on my
door. " Ma'am, " he said, " Is this
yours? " In his hand was my
gold earring. He'd found it in
the driveway, and I had driven
over it several times. No matter:
It was gold, which is quite
malleable, and the earring was good
as new in short order.
But, back to Saint Dorothy, the
patron saint of gardeners. I'm afraid no
number of prayers to St. Dorothy will
help me with gardening. I have one of
those " brown thumbs, " rather than a
green one. I used to at least try to grow
some flowers. I'd spend a day choosing
them, and paying a goodly price for
them, haul them home, and spend a
day or two planting them in pots. Then,
I'd stand at my front door and call,
" You're on your own! " Within a few
weeks, they'd leave for greener pastures,
so to speak.
My yard now consists of perennials
that my mother Dorothy planted, which
refuse to give up. I have some daffodils,
some tulips, a couple of cosmos and
crocuses. I have a pink flowering
dogwood tree - each year it looks more
tired and worn, much like me. But the
peonies? They are still hearty, God bless
them. And the hostas go crazy every
summer.
Maybe St. Dorothy has something
to do with that? I sure hope so. 
To order a copy of Margo's " A Party of One, "
call 540-468-2147 Mon-Wed., 9-5,
or email therecorderoffice@gmail.com.
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32 ● Cooperative Living ●
April 2023
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Cooperative Living April 2023

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