The Modern Victory Garden

You might have noticed I did not post my usual mid-week blog post this week.    The reason is that I was called away to be with my father as he passed on.       

One of the many great things about my dad is that he was a brilliant craftsman and artist - able to visualize something and transform it into reality.   He was also a gardener.   One of my favorite planting areas he created was a little island rose and flower garden that showcased a charming "Flower Mill" (with a working water wheel) that he had designed and built.                           

Sadly, my dad had been battling alzheimers for more than five years now and had entered into the last stages of this horrible disease late last year.    This past week he contracted pneumonia.   They were able to successfully stabilize him for several days, but on Tuesday night I got the call that he had taken a dramatic turn for the worse and was not likely to make it through the night.   It turns out he did make it through to Wednesday morning, but he was struggling mightily.   I made the decision to drop everything and drive to Spokane to try and get there in time to say my farewells and if I was too late for that to at least give my mom and sisters the support they might need.   It is an 8-hour drive one way to get there from our place in North Kitsap - so I left on the journey Wednesday morning with a high probability I would only arrive to find him already passed.   However, it appears he was waiting for us because when we arrived around 5:30 pm Wednesday we found that he had hung in there.   The next many hours were then spent in the long vigil with my dad as he struggled to let go.   He passed away on April 22, 2010 at 3:15 am in the morning.   My mom, my three sisters, and myself were all with him (surrounding his bed) holding his hand and talking to him as he took his last breath.       

May we all be so lucky as to have a room full of loving people surrounding us as we depart this earth.        

C. Ray Hood

April 1, 1928 – April 22, 2010