(eweed) Ernest "Ernie" Weed

Longtime member Ernie (aka eweed) Weed was from Washington state and joined Davesgarden on August 30, 2003. Ernie passed away at his home on March 10, 2016, surrounded by his family, including his wife Linda and three children, along with two grandchildren.

Members knew from their conversations with Ernie that he loved Golden Retrievers, and had three when he passed.

In his younger years, he worked in Alaska and served in the Navy, and spent some free time fishing and catching large salmon. Ernie had 2 greenhouses, started all of his flowers and vegetable seeds, grew them in the greenhouses, and always had the most beautiful property because of the abundance of the flowers and hanging baskets.

Despite numerous health issues, Ernie was an online and real-life friend to many DG members and visited several of them even when his own health made traveling difficult. His friends will miss his sense of humor found in his posts in the "Coffee and..." chat threads.

I was searching for my Dad on Dave's Garden and found this wonderful post about him. Thank you for being such wonderful friends to him over the years, I know how much his Dave's Garden bunch meant to him! I miss him beyond measure and was hoping to find some of his notes and writings, and expertise to capture and share. Anyway, I don't know how this group really works ... but thought I would leave a little note and you can write to me if you know how I would find my Dad's brilliant advice. I did a little garden this year. He would have been thrilled so see me and the kids having so much fun with it. Sorry for rambling ... I'm my father's daughter :)

Welcome to Dave's Garden. Your Dad was well loved here and is greatly missed by many. I am so sorry for your loss.

In looking for your Dad's posts, have you found his home page? It lists threads he started. http://davesgarden.com/members/eweed/

Also if you do a search on his DG name eweed, up will come many threads where he contributed. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/search.php?q=eweed

I think you will find lots of great information he shared with everyone!

Sparkling_101, welcome, and I am glad that you found the Memory Garden post. Your father was loved by many here, and is greatly missed. If I find any of his postings, I will come here and post a link.

Sparkling_101, glad you checked in here and identified yourself. Your father was a great contributor here and will be missed. Thanks to DG's wide reach across the country, we all benefit from a lot of gardener knowledge and experience. Even though we might be in different zones, there is always a story to tell, and your Dad was one of the most giving with his time.

Sparkling 101, so good to see your post. Your dad was a true treasure. We spent much time talking on the phone and he had blessed me with many flower/veg. starts and garlic. I am still growing his hardneck garlic, and I had sent him some of my soft-neck that my dad had gotten from an Italian co-worker probable 40 years ago.

The pictures he posted of his flowers and pets were truly wonderful. I hope you can find many of our treasured memories of your dad.
Joy

Sparkling, Coffee and... isn't the same without your dad's sass, and teasing. He really kept us on our toes. If you go to Parking Lot you will find the Coffee threads which link all the way back to the dark ages. Or you can just track backwards page by page. He was still posting until September I believe. The very start of Coffee was http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/475344. We didn't post daily at that time, anbut you can track to the next page with a link at the bottom of the page., I don't recall when he joined us but if you keep going forward eventually he'll show up. It will be like a conversation with him that you might enjoy.

I have to amend this, the best way to find the old threads is to go to Julie88, and look for threads she started. Try year 2005 because he wasn't with us in '04,

This message was edited Oct 12, 2016 9:09 AM

Sparkling_101. I posted above but failed to mention that it is me who is in the picture with your dad. I went with him to Mass. 3 years ago, (I think) to visit Maria. They were such good friends, but by then he was experiencing some walking problems and needed someone with him in the airports

He also visited me here in Kentucky and fished with my DH (dear husband) for pan fish. Bass, Crappie, Blue Gill, etc. I told him for someone who had wrestled 50 pounders (and bigger) it didn't seem like much of a challenge to fish for the fish that mostly weighed a pound, or less. He loved them to eat, and while he was here, we had fish several times. He always would compliment me on the "southern meal" fried fish, hush puppies and cole slaw. He knew that the fried fish wasn't on his diet, but he justified it by saying it was at most a once a year thing!

I try to talk to your mother about once a month. I have never met her in person, but I know she is a wonderful woman. Give her my best. defoecat (Bonnie Ethington)

Miss you, sweet Ernie. Thanks for all your support.

Ernie is missed. :-( He also participated in the ongoing Nightowls threads.

This message was edited Dec 14, 2016 12:01 PM

Miss the Nightowls thread Kim. Ernie was such a loved part of that thread. He was humourous, kind and told it like it was.
I was looking through some seeds the other night and there was an envelope from Ernie with heirloom tomato seeds.
Miss you guy !!

Miss you Ernie!

To all of you wonderful garden friends, coming here has been a hard reminder that my Dad is gone.

It has been one year today since we said goodbye. It is one of those things in life I suppose. He told me "sweetheart, you don't need to cry over spilled milk". But ... my Dad was hardly spilled milk. I could always count on him. I knew he would know the answers to my questions or give advice. My Dad had a LOT of advice (smile).

A year has been long and I miss him. I would still like to put a memory book together of his advice and am still hoping to find some photos of my dad on here. I was very clumsy navigating the website when I first joined and I used to cry when I would read his posts to you, so I took a little break.

Anyway, I know he truly found joy in all of his plantings and gardens and in your friendship. I really appreciate you for caring so much and continuing to keep him in your hearts. And I am sorry if this seems like I am rambling...maybe it is the way to get through the 1 year mark?

On a lighter note, I am trying to get my plan together for the garden the kids and I will try this summer. I wish I had paid even more attention to the lessons. And I WISH I had asked him what tree to plant in our front yard. :)

Dad -- maybe you can send me some hints. Love you.

Sparkling, the 1 year mark or anniversary of a death is a very HARD time. I know from experience as I have lost my parents and my only son. Some are easier than others, but not a one has been EASY.

I predict that from here on, you will begin to remember and hold dear those things and times that you shared with your father.

I would say that the last 3-4 years of his life, we were close friends. We talked about once a week on the phone, and even if he repeated some story that he had already told me, instead of interrupting and saying "you have already told me that" I would settle in a comfy chair and listen to him retell it. We made a trip to Massachusettes one year to visit another dear friend of his. I knew her and was glad to see her, but my main job was as chauffeur to your father, and companion during the times we weren't visiting the friend in the nursing home. That was an experience.

He visited me at my home, and my husband took him fishing. I couldn't get over the fact that he was content to sit on a pond bank and catch the little bluegill when he had fished in the ocean and landed fish weighing hundreds of pounds. But it wasn't the size of the catch, it was the experience that he said took him back to his boyhood.

I loved your father, and have spoken often to your dear mother. She was a true loving caring wife and mother. You are so very lucky to have had him as your father, and of course your mother too. I hope your children have good memories of "gramps" or whatever they called him. Count your blessings, because you truly have been blessed.

Defoecat (Bonnie Ethington)

Sparkling, I remember you dad with fond thoughts. We spoke off and on the last couple of years he was here and he always had a story or two for me.

We swapped garlic and he also sent me flowers plants that he started in his greenhouse. When we plant the garlic the rows are Dad's, Ernie's and elephant. We always harvest them in their own basket.

I can still see the pictures he posted of his yard and gardens. Oh, my, beautiful.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting with us. You were blessed with a father that cared so much for his family and friends. Yes, you will miss him but the memories become sweeter and sweeter as time goes by.

God bless you,
Joyous (Joy Danforth)

Sparkling your dad holds a special place in my heart. He truly was a force of nature.
I am so glad that your dad and Bonnie made the trip up to see Maria.
Dianne

Bonnie - it was nice to read your note, I sure appreciate those sentiments.

I can very much appreciate what you have shared and know you are right. It definitely isn't easy but I do know how hard things were at the end for him. Sometimes I ask myself how did he manage for so long under the circumstances but I know it was his strength and determination. Plus the kids LOVED and adored grandpa which I know kept him going. So many great memories to keep close.

Thank you for telling me about the trip experience. I remember how he would go and have fun and I would ask my mom about the friends who would help him get around. That is so wonderful.

I can picture him sitting there fishing and just enjoying it. He loved his time on the water. So many great moments on the water with my Dad. Thank you for entertaining him at your home!! And for the chauffeur part...and I hope he was on mostly good behavior ... :)

Anyway, would love to stay in touch with the group. Maybe you guys can adopt me. Smile!

I am working on putting my list together for our little garden. I thought I would try pickling cucumbers this year. I like to do canning. I am not sure how those seeds work. If you have any advice please let me know.

I was going to try radishes but my mom said hers got worms. I don't know if that has been since my Dad could not get to his plantings or if he didn't like to plant radishes.

The other thing is I am kind of prissy. I don't like slugs and they started to attack. With kids, it is a hard balance because I have told the kids they can go grab a carrot or cucumber from the garden so using pesticides doesn't really work. I am not quite sure how to combat "critters" so that it is safe for the kids. I want to encourage them in the garden and not have to "police" them.

I guess it is always an adventure :) !

Joy,
Your comment made me smile, a story or two....I am sure it was ...two or more! I know my Dad -- hee hee!

I would love to know about your garlic and what he taught you or the tips you traded. Did my Dad ever share any photos with you? I am planning to put together a book.

Maybe some of what advices he gave to others, or photos of his work. I want to package them up for each of my kids to have for when they are older.

Call me sentimental. I just think it would be a wonderful thing to have as the kids are on their own. Unfortunately, I am not as fluent as their Grandpa was but if they keep at it they can enjoy his advice and tinker themselves through the years.

We always had gardens, smoked fish and it just came naturally to my Dad. He had pages of his notes on things about plantings. I never got it until I actually started canning and planting myself. I noticed he commented to someone that he had 50 years of experience. Trial and error -- plus my Grandpa (his Dad) was a total green thumb.

I would love to see any pictures or hear anything else. It is kind of a fun way to honor my Dad.

Maybe I should try to grow a garlic in his memory? Can I do that using a raised planter? Maybe you can teach me?

Have a nice Saturday!

(PS - I do not know the rules on DG about posting. I do not know if it is okay to post here this lengthy message.... )

Meezers5 and Kell - thank you so much for your posting how to go back to some of my Dad's posts. I am working at it!!!! I have to say, I did not give my Dad enough credit on the "technology" side of things, ha ha! He was WAY better at DG than I am. I know he is totally chuckling at me right now! :).

Dianne - Did you get to meet my Dad during his trip with Bonnie to see Maria?

Sparkling. I am sure that the longer posts are okay here. We are sharing memories of your Dad with you, and that is what this forum is about.

If you want to meet some other folks who were friends of your Dad's, go to DG home page, then communities, then find Parking Lot and then Coffee....and. This is where he main luhung out. There used to be a Night Owls forum where I know Dianne and your Dad and others would talk "after hours". This was mainly for the people who had trouble sleeping at night. They would talk instead.

No on the trip to see Maria it was just me and your Dad. His itenary was he flew into a city (can't remember what one) and my flight took me from Louisville to that city whatever it was, then we had a flight together to Maria's. We stayed a week, visited Maria every day, and explored in the late afternoons and found some wonderful eating spots. I had promised that I would eat certain sea food for some people, so if I was eating lobster, it was for so and so, and we would toast that person. No, your Dad did not stay on his diet while we were gone. He loved his Cokes, and coffee. He carried his metal cup with him everywhere he went. He lost it, and we had to try to find a suitable replacement for it.

I loved your Dad and I may have some pictures stored on this computer that he accidently downloaded while he was here. That was a fiasco. I will look.

Ernie and his beloved dogs.

Sparkling your dad was one in a million. You would never know what he was going to say next.

He emailed me once wanting me to join Coffee (a thread on DG) so I could protect him from all the ladies on coffee. It's his fault I used to plant anywhere from 60 - 80 plant. He so wanted to come and see the snapping turtles come up and lay their eggs.

Like Bonnie I loved our Ernie.
Dianne



This message was edited Apr 23, 2017 8:55 AM

Sparkling..............Ernie was ALWAYS on my case about salmon. He would go on and on ad nauseum about how wonderful salmon was and my reply was always "GAG"............(we used to have salmon patties for school hot lunch.......the smell was enough to make you gag and it put me off salmon forever). He just kept twisting the knife about it. Finally one day he called me and commenced to tell me "you don't want this kind, you don't want salmon that has come from this place, you don't want fish from this other place..........." ..........when I could finally get a word in edgewise I said "Ernie, instead of telling me what I DON'T want, tell me what I DO want................I think it will be a much shorter list". He did, and it was. :>) So, I got the kind he told me to get, fixed it the way he told me to fix it, and yes, I had to admit it was good. Not fishy tasting at all. And at $15.99 a pound, I thought when I bought it that it had BETTER be good. LOL

Anna Z.

I chatted with Ernie on Sharon Brown's Blue Gardens Cubit. He was always engaging and interested in what others had to say. Such a nice person.

And now they are both gone, gardening in the great garden............Eden.

Anna!!! That sounds about right. So what kind did he tell you to get?

I know we got some tilapia and he told me to get rid of it depending on where they caught it.

I should probably toss that out now because I recall it wasn't from the right place!!!

Your story is definitely a good one!

I think it was either King or Sockeye.

I don't think i will ever eat tilapia again.......i ate quite a bit of it several years ago.....i did not care for it in the first place, it was too fishy tasting for me.