The Mystery Bamboo In The Room...

Mrs.Cadbury: Tell me what you know about yourself.

Anne Shirley: Well, it really isn't worth telling, Mrs. Cadbury...

But if you let me tell you what I IMAGINE about myself you'd find it a lot more interesting.

~Anne Of Green Gables~

The tall, green bamboo plant sits in a pale blue bottle type vase on a white dresser where the black ottoman used to sit. It sits in a room that is painted "Belle Of The Ball" pink. This color is a very pale, pale shade of pink. At first you would never even know it is not white it is so pale. The color was chosen after weeks of going through paint samples. This room once had a bunny mural painted on one wall. It was a Beatrix Potter type bunny working in his garden. The bunny wore blue faded overalls with a floppy hat as his long ears poked through. He was pushing a wheelbarrow heading to his garden to pick his vegetables. It was about 4 foot high by 3 foot wide. It really was something to see. But as happens with most things, it was outgrown and a change was needed. There are no photos of the mural. But if you were able to take several coats of paint off the wall you would see that it was painted with so much love and enjoyed by someone very loved. But the mural is a memory along with everything else in the room.

Inspiration for mural-bunny went other way and included a garden

Many years ago, when the first redecorating was in progress, the walls were painted a warm pink/brownish color. One wall was painted from floor to ceiling. Two other walls were painted from the floor to about light switch high. One wall was left white. Then butterflies and yellow sunflowers were placed like a border above the paint on the half walls. A black paint pen was used to write the "Fruits of the Spirit" with the butterflies and flowers. Two big wooden shelves were added for lots of precious treasures to be displayed. There were 2 "Guess How Much I Love You" bunny pictures framed and hung on the wall above one of the wooden shelves. The room color was made to match the bunny pictures that had been framed. Oddly enough, the 2 bunny pictures have been placed back on the wall where they once hung many years ago. The bunny pictures are now over the white dresser where the blue vase sits with the green bamboo plant in it.

The bunny pictures-shelf with stained glass nativity-Christmas 2005

Many of her treasures, showcased for Christmas-2005

 The latest idea for the new room was bright pink, bright orange and white, with black furniture. To be very airy and cheery. The bed set was white with bright orange and bright pink huge flowers on it. Lots of pillows adorned the bed. Black frames and shelves were placed on the walls. A dorm room lamp with 5 arms with the shades in pink was in the corner. A black framed black and white Audrey Hepburn poster was placed where the bunny pictures and wooden shelf once hung. Many of the treasures that sat on the black shelves included a perfume collection, Barbie photo holders and a black and white fame with a photo of the day the cancer ribbon came down in it. The black desk was very simple; it had a large top, sleek keyboard pullout drawer and spindle style legs. Classy and elegant. An antique looking telephone lamp sat on the corner of the desk to light the work that was done there. A small, black nightstand sat beside the bed. It had one small drawer that held many treasures. On the top of the nightstand sat a low profile, square vase with real looking fake cream and pale pink roses in it. Next to the roses on the nightstand stood the pale blue vase with the green bamboo in it.

Antique telephone lamp

 The room was made over in March of 2008. It was thought that she would spend many days being in bed in her new room after she had her tonsils out. But come April, and for the next 6 months, the only time that she was in the room was when she was on 200 mg of steroids for a week and not able to sleep. The light would be on all night long as she wrote letters, played on her computer, knitted and went through all her treasures. She only lived in the new room a total of 6 months. But she lived in the room and all its many different looks for 15 years. Despite how the furniture has changed and that someone new is now making memories in her room, it will forever be her room, her memories...MY memories of her.

The pale blue vase with the green bamboo

Many nights a week I sit in a wicker chair, next to a small wicker table that sit where her black desk used to be and where she would put her Christmas trees so they were in the window. I look at the black shelves that hold new photos, books and treasures that belong to the new occupant. The black frames that have photos of someone else in them. I look at the crib that sits where her bed used to be. I sit and I think and I remember all the nights in that room. I can see all her things in there at different times. I look down to the little girl in my arms that has taken up residency in her Aunt Missy's room and I know with all my heart that Aunt Missy would want it that way. Aunt Missy would be so pleased to have Pea living in her room. Yet, every time I go down the hallway, somehow when I walk through the door of "Heather's" room, I in some way expect to see it the way she left it. A mess, with all her things still there. But sitting in the room in a pale blue vase is a green bamboo plant. In the 2 years that it has been in this house no one has ever added or changed the water in this vase. It is still growing and green. There is no reason why this water is not rancid and the roots have not rotted.The mystery bamboo...