Tea Room Tales & Tidbits
Table of Contents
The Proposal
On April 20, 2002, near the end of a busy day, my knight in shining armour came into the kitchen through the mudroom door.
There's something weird on one of the grapevines in the back yard.
He announced with his hands on his hips. He was looking somewhat relaxed so I continued with the dishes and put away the teacups.
I tell you, there is something weird on the grapevine outside in the back yard.
He repeated, pacing a little now Aren't you going to go and check it out?
What weird thing?
I finished drying my hands and paused to contemplate the next task. You know as much as I do about grapevines, I doubt I will know what it is.
He was pacing a little faster now. Just come out and look, you need to see it for yourself.
I put down my tea towel in a huff. My mind was busy. There were plans to be made. I had things to do - improvements to the menu to consider and a shopping list that needed to be completed. I made my way outside and stood in the centre of what would be our rustic cedar arbour and patio. Each corner was marked with a freshly planted grapevine. As I stood squinting at the sticks poking from the soil I thought to myself, it will be five years at least before this looks like the arbour we had seen at the vineyards.
Should there be buds yet?
I was kneeling on the ground now, examining the first hopeful producer of future winemaking.
Mark wandered off to look busy at something in the yard. I don't think they are supposed to have buds yet. Just keep looking.
I went to the next plant in the back left corner. It looked the same as planting day to me - just a bud-less stick in the ground. I moved to the next corner. This vine was in full sun. Buds were beginning to peek through the papery bark. I was excited, we had growth! I bent down on my knees in front of the last vine and smiled as I noticed the unfolding green leaves of late spring. There were more curly tendrils on this plant than there had been on planting day. Mark was standing over me now, hands on hips, waiting. Did you find anything?
What's this?
I said as something sparkly caught my eye. Mark plucked the gold band out from behind a velvety new grape leaf. The ring had been slipped over a dried, woody stem and tendrils. He then handed it to me. The weight of the ring in the palm of my hand felt warm and inviting. I turned the ring slowly between my fingers. It had seven, silver grape leaves, each representing a family member. There were also three tiny amethysts set as grapes nestled between two of the leaves. I gently stroked the relief work allowing the sun to catch each tiny detail. My heartfelt full as it gently pounded in my chest. There was more engraving on the inside of the ring. Two of the symbols were familiar to me but the third I wasn't sure of. As if hearing my thoughts, my knight in shining armour answered my question before it even left my lips.
They mean Love, Life, and Eternity.
He slid the ring on my finger while salty tears spilled down my cheeks. I was choked with emotion and hugged him as if I would never let go. Later that evening, while we were sharing the news with a group of friends I realized that I hadn't actually said Yes. I was so happy and taken by surprise that I forgot to answer. We had all laughed (even Mark, thank the heavens). I was so embarrassed.
We held our Tea Party-style wedding in our completely made over backyard on July 6th, 2002. As I think back, the accomplishments achieved in that incredibly short period of time were mind-boggling. In a matter of months, we prepared for the wedding and added many structural and aesthetic yard features. Those included a rustic cedar frame grape arbour and a pond which transformed our yard into a tranquil outdoor living space.
