January Nordman, a designer-native plant landscaper, was the co-caretaker of Throop Learning Garden in Pasadena, a member of Transition Pasadena, and a past contributor to ColoradoBoulevard.net. She passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 from complications of lung cancer. Besides Throop’s garden, January’s design can be seen locally at the Altadena Library District’s Water Conservation Demonstration Garden. The Celebration of Life for January will be held at Throop Church on Sunday, January 28, 2-4 pm. The service will be followed by a reception in Throop Hall. .
GUEST OPINION
January Nordman (Photo – 5miradius.wordpress.com).
A Woman Named January
We’ve reached December,
yet January is gone already,
only eleven months left,
like the lives of a cat.Somewhere
there is a December;
when she dies,
we will all be out of time.Only a few months ago,
on a warm summer morning
in her beloved church garden,
January said, “Sit with me a moment.
I have something to tell you.”Not, “Have you cleared all the brush
from around the fruit trees?”
Or, “I think it’s almost time
to pick the squash
I planted in the winter,
when no one thought
it would survive
the cold rains.”You, January, are
winter’s remedy;
your squash is sweet.
I will pick the first ones.No, none of that.
Although I did pick them
after she told me,
“I have stage four cancer,
and it has metastasized.”See how ripe the squash is.
Its time has come.
Thom Hawkins
December, 2017
Thom Hawkins was a staff writing instructor at UC Berkeley for twenty-two years and has published books and articles about teaching, as well as short fiction and poetry. He is currently preparing his first book of poems and editing an 800 page anti-war novel.
Thank you Thom for your beautiful poem. To me, January’s legacy is that she found her true purpose.
RIP January ~ A lovely person