Every now and then, I get the question, “what was your dad like?” Without hesitation I reply, “he was a Man’s man” What does that mean exactly? Better yet, what does it mean to me? Do I say that because of all the things he could do with his hands, like building or fixing things? Or was it because he would argue when he was right, and double down when he was wrong? I do not recall Joe ever backing down from a fight, or a job. Even when they were more than he could manage. Throughout my life he would say to me, “No job is beneath you, if it provides for your family.” Always following up with, “it has to provide.” To me, my father was a Man’s man for so many reasons, especially because he was the hardest working person I will ever know. Dad is not unique. He is not the only person to work physically demanding jobs. In fact, he comes from an exceptionally lengthy line of people who provided for their families through physical labor.
I will not claim to be 100 percent accurate when telling this part of Joe R’s story. He was not alive when it started. My grandfather was barely four years old when his dad, my great grandfather and his siblings moved up north, twenty miles south of San Antonio. To a place where my roots still run deep.
They found jobs as field hands. Clearing acres upon acres of thick wooded areas. Using tools such as a machete, a hand ax, and a couple of mules
They worked seven days a week from sunup to sundown. This went on for years. They were turning what was then unusable land into farmland. Initially they used the land to grow peach trees, and then other types of fruit trees. Years later they would add ornamentals to the mix. They sold those trees throughout Texas, and the southwest region. Thousands of them have made it as far as California. In 1935, my great grandfather and his brothers planted the seeds for a business that still stands today.
Steve, who was born in 1901, was in his thirties at the time. He had three young sons, the oldest not even a teenager yet. Later he would add two more sons to his family. His middle son never made it to adulthood.
He died at 15 years old. My dad said it was a drowning accident. According to Joe my grandpa was remarkably close to his younger brother, but rarely spoke of him. In fact, I did not know there was a fifth brother until I was an adult myself. He had a rare and unusual name, is all I know about him. My dad’s uncles would go on to inherit the family business. Or at least they would get a taste of it.
Grandpa Steve and his brothers may have cleared the land and planted the seeds, but it was my grandpa and his brothers who made the business grow.
Be sure to keep an eye out for my other blog.
Spring Gardening tips, Courtesy of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
SPRING
Begin to fertilize your roses with granular fertilizer (once a month) or liquid fertilizer © (twice a month) to promote healthy and strong plants and to ensure continued
flowers.
Mid-April is a great time to plant your summer annuals
including angelonia, pentas, salvias, vinca, and purslane or portulaca for sunny spots.
Weed, weed, weed! The more o you stay on top of it now, the easier it will be next month.
Begin to mulch your beds with at least 2-3 inches of
mulch to help retain the moisture through the heat of the summer.
As you begin mowing and edging your lawns, remember to avoid string
trimmers right at the trunk of the tree or you will cause damage (girdling) to the tree that can weaken it.
Deadhead flowers
to promote repeat blooms on things like roses, daylilies and salvias.
“ NO, Not like THAT!”-Joe R. 