when i was a child the colonel, who lived in the corner house across the street from us (and who was very elderly), would call me over and load my arms with lilacs from his bushes. they were enormous and deliciously fragrant! i loved toting them home to my mom who would take out all the vases and adorn shelves, windowsills and the dining room table.
when i was a child i thought every corner in the neighborhood had its own colonel. supposedly, he fought in the spanish american war in 1898, which would make him in his 90's when i was little in the 70's. once or twice he left an old fashioned carpet type bag on his lawn, beneath his many trees; open and filled with interesting little trinkets and dolls which enticed all of us little ones to run over and devour its contents, stuffing our pockets and hands and then running home. in high school i did a photo montage of him with my neighbor's 6 month old baby for my photography class. i took the photo in his home where he had stacks of magazines and newspapers all about his living room, dining room and hallways. my mom did his shopping for him each week. i would run over and get his list and i remember his handwriting growing more and more shaky. i don't remember his death, so i think he died when i was in college. i do remember visiting his niece at her house in new jersey with my mom and dad when i was home one summer. her name was grace and her daughter was there also . . but i don't remember her name.
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