Intriguing how quickly that ordinary objects can suddenly bring back memories and feelings at unexpected times.  I was looking through the weekly CSA delivery of vegetables – in hopes of finding another watermelon – when this eggplant took my breath away.  Sounds strange I know, but seeing that eggplant brought back bittersweet memories of a special person.

I met a local artist a few years ago, and his wife was one of the most incredible, caring, sweetest people.  She was working on watercolor illustrations of fruits and vegetables for a cookbook, and the paintings were absolutely captivating.  She could paint a fruit and vegetable to where the viewer could be as captivated by it as by a scenic landscape.  She was excited about her cookbook.  Then she had a health scare, and I talked to her last July.  Everything seemed to be fine after she received medical care, and we talked about when we would see each other again and the paintings we would work on.  I still remember the place on the interstate, on the way back from Orlando last August, when I received a call about her unexpected death.

Today when I saw that eggplant, I realized that it was almost exactly a year ago that I talked to her for the last time.  It took my breath away at this reminder happening almost to the date that I talked to her last summer (especially since this was the first time I’ve looked through the CSA vegetables; normally I don’t).  She used to get up early to go to the farmers’ market to find the best produce for her paintings and would have loved this eggplant.  I couldn’t help but photograph it tonight.