Hello!

 I have been absent from posting because I cannot seem to get myself out of the garden!

My whole family jokes around and totally does not understand why I like to weed or garden for that matter. I have tried to get them to share in my enthusiasm with coaxes like, “Come on, it will be fun!” or “It is so peaceful out here. You can just let your mind wonder.” I have tried bribery, paying them and all sorts of cajoling, to no avail. They just do not share in my enthusiasm! Except for my oldest son Christopher, who reads National Audubon Field Guides and the likes for fun. He and his friend Ben have helped out tremendously in all the varied garden areas this year and with the extra helping hands…it shows!

There is something to be said for the sense of accomplishment one feels when the fruits of their labors are so evident. When the seeds unfurl their tiny heads and push through the soil to reveal the beginnings of a new plant…be it vegetable or flower…there are rewards that are measurable. This time of year is so wonderful in that there is never a time during the year that the hard work that you put in last year (and the year before that) is so VISUALLY evident!

Everything is bursting forth in all of its glory!

Each color is so vibrant and varied.

In danger of sounding cliche…it looks as if an artist took a paintbrush and added bold strokes of color to the green landscape creating beautiful displays of interest that will not be repeated in the same designs again this year.

From the gift of color and beauty outside, you can create other beautiful vignettes with the materials that you have coaxed, sweated over, fed and coddled.

One of the best things about gardening is using the gifts that the earth gives you to create more gifts of beauty.

You can even eat what you grow and sometimes drink it!

It does not have to be a large area that you have to take care of. Start small, use pots and planters. Dig in the dirt a little and see if you catch the bug!

It can make your life more beautiful!