Ellen May Reilly born: December 18, 1927. A dark haired Irish beauty, swept off her feet by a tall handsome man; soon they were married at Blessed Sacrament Church in New York City. What would I tell her if she were alive today? I would thank her for loving each of her 8 children unconditionally.…
Vote: Election 2024
I taught elementary school for 32 years. Every September I welcomed students into my classroom with open arms. I loved my job and considered it to be an honor. When my daughter was trying to conceive she had a difficult time getting pregnant. I prayed every day, that she would get pregnant and have the…
October 25,2024
Hendersonville, North Carolina. It seems like only yesterday. In 2 days it will be a month since Hurricane Helene devoured parts of North Carolina swallowing everything in its path. 4 days of rain. High winds. We woke up to no power, no water and no cell phone service. We couldn't turn on the tv news.…
Moments of Wonder
Turn off the news. Silence the turmoil. Slow my beating heart. Find refuge in the beating heart of the garden. A sense of calmness. The musical songs of trilling birds. And the delicacy of winged visitors. Let the mesmerizing rose scents rekindle memories. Feel the velvety leaves of Lambs Ears. And breathe in the calming…
Hummingbirds
"Daily he appears; His buzzing flight alerts me, Stirs my sense of wonder." ~ Linda C. Seifried A flash of iridescence. Wings that beat at lightening speed. Hummingbirds can fly forward, straight up and down, sideways and backward. They hover using bills that are long and slender making it possible for them to get sweet…
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
I was in awe when I saw this spider on my Hydrangea bush. I thought is was beautiful. About two inches in size with bright yellow and black markings made of thick hair that looked like velvet. It's an orb-weaving arachnid. The spider makes a protein fiber called spider silk and uses it to spin…
My Potting Shed
"No worries", I told my husband when we moved into our new home. "There's plenty of room for my gardening paraphernalia in this garage." I claimed a corner, and added some old crates; eventually those crates were buried under a varied amount of essential necessities for work in the garden: hand trowels, pruning shears, an…
“If you have a Garden and a Library, you have everything you need.” ~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Our mild winter ended when biting cold temperatures caught a ride on gusty winds and held fast. Yes. Winter is here. Cocooned, safe from the elements. Enjoying the solitude winter brings. My garden sleeps except for the beautiful Hellebores blooming in the depths of winter. I sit in my sunroom overlooking one of my favorite…
“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” ~ Gertrude Jekyll
Last October I waited in anticipation of a package soon to be delivered. Bulbs. Did I really order 500 of them? Oh my! Allium Purple Sensation, Allium Christophii, Camassia Leichtlinii Alba, Gladiolus Communis Byzantines, and Ornithogalum Ponticum Sochii arrived in cardboard boxes labeled with their names. It felt like a holiday opening the boxes. Large, small and…
September Rain
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. ~ Langston Hughes
Always the Garden 