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Stone Flowers

March 2025

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Stone Flowers

By Lady Mo Pascoe-Hoyal

Illustrated By Heather Graham

Read by Matilda Longbottom

Listen Now:

/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Stone-Flowers.mp3
 

Touching a little girl’s—and a grandmother’s—heart. By Lady Mo Pascoe-Hoyal

More and more, less and less seems to get planted in the grounds and gardens here. Could it be because I live on a road named Pandora? Hardly. I’ll be 67, November, on disability, with three areas of my spine injured pretty badly. (I’ve had five gruesome spine fusion surgeries.) But, after all, I’m still a cowgirl, with one beloved horse remaining in the barn, and we don’t give up so easily. In the meantime, God has blessed me with some of the cutest grandchildren in the world. (Of course, I am biased.)

I don’t focus on disabilities and nagging chronic pain. Instead I’m grateful I can still walk, do some useful things, and cherish beautiful memories—like this one about my granddaughters.

At the time this story took place, they were still young. Shaylee wasn’t quite four, and McKenzie was approaching age seven. I had divided my garden into two plots, one for each of them, and let them do pretty much what they wanted. That year, McKenzie, the elder and more methodical, had planted with order and determination. Shaylee had always taken great pleasure in burying all kinds of things in any dirt anywhere, so that’s pretty much what she did in her garden.

Both girls watered and waited, watered and waited. Suddenly, one day we had a “greening of beanings” moment (we speak our own language at my house). McKenzie finally had beans sprouting in her patch! Shaylee, on the other side, still had zilch, zero, nada. I hated to see the disappointment on her tiny face. Gazing into her sad, angelic eyes was heartrending.

McKenzie’s green beans climbed their trellises, flowered, and put forth. We harvested, cooked, and enjoyed. Shaylee’s side was still barren. What could I do?

Then, from the far reaches of my aging mind, a memory came drifting back. Shaylee hadn’t planted seeds. She had planted colored stones from the old goldfish bowl! For gosh sakes, no wonder nothing grew!

Then one evening, as I strolled through the garden at dusk, the old lightbulb finally came on! I quickly gathered up twigs that had fallen from an oak tree—the one sporting the ceramic eyes, nose, and mouth we’d ordered from a gardening magazine. Taking the twigs into the house, I promptly plugged in the glue gun. A woman can fix darn near anything with a glue gun.

I brushed the twigs clean and then glued on all sizes and colors of toy gemstones, fishbowl stones, and shiny gold pieces from a broken bracelet. Voila! Stone flowers!

The next morning, when Shaylee arrived for the day (Big Girl McKenzie had gone to school), I took her by the hand and asked her to keep her little eyes closed tight. I cautiously led her to the garden, to her patch where nothing had grown before. When she opened her eyes, miraculously growing before her in all their magical colors were her beautiful stone flowers.

Shay lee put her tiny hands up to her face. “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it!” she gasped. Oh, my heart melted instantly, and a lightning bolt of love speared itself right through me. I was more thrilled then Shaylee, if that could have been possible.

We may end up with fewer flowers and vegetables growing around here. Most of our produce will be purchased from the grocery store. But anyone can manufacture stone flowers when times become bleak and there is a need. I still thank God today for the idea that came my way on that day years ago, my gift to that precious baby who smiled the day she was born (I saw it, plain as can be!). Shaylee still warms my heart every time she smiles at me and says, “I love you, MeMo.”

How blessed can one woman be? ❖


About the Author: Mo Pascoe-Hoyal is a published writer, songwriter, and avid gardener residing in Central Louisiana. Despite facing various challenges, including disabilities from multiple accidents, Mo remains an ardent advocate for growth and resilience. Inspired by the spirit of aloha and the beauty of nature, she continues to find solace and joy in the art of gardening. 

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Tags

beans, flowers and vegetables, gardener

Comments
  • Lady Mo P. February 21, 2025

    Thank you so very much for reprinting this story so precious to me!

    Reply

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • At The Gate
  • Club Notes

  • Pickle Mania Sweeps the Nation!
  • Spring Prep and Small Steps
  • Down Time
  • Grilled Peaches
  • The Golden Bloom: Healthful Chamomile?
  • Rare Courage
  • A Packet of Lessons
  • It’s Not Easy Being Green
  • PLANTS WE LOVE

  • The Radishing Life: A Love Letter to the World’s Crunchiest Crop
  • Broccoli: From Ancient Harvest to American Hero
  • Cabbage, Cabbage, and More Cabbage
  • STORIES FROM THE GARDEN

  • The Enchanted Garden
  • Diamonds in the Bean Patch
  • Our Soothing Fountain
  • Blossoms in the Big Apple: A Green Odyssey
  • The Curse of the Unyielding Radishes
  • The Robin’s Reign of Spring in West Virginia
  • The Great Plant Swap Mishap
  • Gardening with a Twist
  • Hose-Dragging Hilarity
  • Daffodils, Dumpster Dives, and Daffy Delights
  • Stone Flowers
  • Thumbelina’s Ancient Fairy Garden
  • Product Review of The Secret Lives of Herbs: Tales from a Village Herbalist
  • GARDEN TO TABLE JOURNEYS

  • A Warm Irish Welcome to Our New Recipe Collection!
  • Salmon Serendipity: A Smoky Dublin Adventure
  • Irish Roots and American Traditions: A Saint Patrick’s Day Feast to Remember
  • Potatoes and Possibilities: From the Emerald Isle to Your Table
  • Irish Soda Bread: A Baker’s Bond with the Past
  • Shepherd’s Pie: A Tale of Layers and Love
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding: A Sweet Irish Legacy
  • Irish Cream Cheesecake: A Luxurious Slice of Ireland

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