Peas in the Garden

Posted on by Elicia Hyder

Dear Phil, Pop Pop, Pops,

It’s been a fast year since you left us.

But I planted the 6-Week Peas in the spring, just like I told you I would. Even as summer draws to a close, I check each morning for those delicate, purple blooms.

six-week peas purple bloom

Before the first harvest, those blooms grew into pods long and green and plump. There are fewer now each day, the pea pods growing shorter and ripening quicker than when they first appeared. They get hard and dry fast, which feels like a metaphor for the world since you’ve been gone.

The peas have fed us (me, happily; my husband, begrudgingly) all season. They’ve fed my neighbors and friends too.

They’ve provided LONG hours (you didn’t warn me about this part) of shelling—time spent with my kids, chasing green peas all over the kitchen. We’ve turned it into a contest. Addy reigns supreme with distance, one pea shooting all the way to the living-room stairs.

Elicia shelling peas at home

I’ve given dried pods to everyone I know who tends a garden. Spreading your beloved peas throughout my tiny corner of existence.

And each day that I step into the garden, I wear your old, soft, red-plaid flannel. It keeps the vines and tomato plants from making my arms itchy.

It still feels like one of your hugs.

I miss you. Your kids, grandkids, and Jolene miss you.

Maybe even the peas miss you, as they’ve nearly dried up on this the anniversary of your departure.

You may have thought the world had forgotten you even before you left—but you’re still here, inside all of us, and you and your memory will grow again next Spring.

elicia hyder and pops

I still love you, Pops.

Even more than I did a year ago.

peas in elicia's kitchen

Want some 6-week peas for your garden? I’m happy to share seeds. Send me a message or leave a comment below.

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17 thoughts on “Peas in the Garden”

    2. This is so sweet! I would love to grow Pop’s peas here in NJ. We love tending our garden all summer and are always looking for new things to grow! I will share with my family as well.

      Reply

  2. Such sweet, sweet words from one of Dad’s favorite people! I cannot tell you how often he told me how much he loved you! Even more than those peas!

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  3. I’d love to share and carry on Phil’s garden over here in Maryland. Thanks for sharing. If you can pass along any tips that you learned about nurturing the seeds/buds and when to harvest, I’d be really appreciative. I can also share and pass along Phil’s 6 week peas to gladly continue on what he started.
    Jenn

    Reply

      1. Hey,
        I’m so glad because I can keep some plants alive but lack the knowledge required to be considered green thumb worthy… lol
        Do you need my mailing address?

        Reply

  5. What a blessing. My sister and I are still growing the columbine seeds from our mom’s beautiful garden. I have 2 apple trees my dad planted 30 years ago in my first and only house.

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  6. I would love to keep your Pops peas going in his memory. Send and they will be in his memory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin since we no longer have our Authors Convention in April any longer.

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  7. That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. If it’s really ok, I would like some. My mother passed away in April and although I live in Nj, my mother moved to Texas to watch her only granddaughter grow. She was able to see her become 12 so that’s wonderful. Mom was 80, 2 weeks shy of 81. I started gardening when she passed because I feel the need to bring life to the world, to grow things I can share with my neighbors and friends and enjoy myself. So, after days of cleaning out her home, I decide to jump on here and I feel like it’s perfect. My mom loved peas, and I would like the chance to grow them for her and your Pop Pop. Also, go Addy! Keep that record of the longest pea popper!!

    Reply