New House, New Garden

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. -Audrey Hepburn

New house, new garden:

to

plant 

a 

new life

of blessed tomorrows.

This is not just a dream but a soon-to-be reality. We have a large patio that was built to my husband's specifications but not the garden. We also have a gardener who was recommended by three new neighbors. At his suggestion, we visited three nurseries. The first one was an awesome sight with pavilions of annuals, perennials, statuaries, showcase rooms, trees, and more. The second one was a small enterprise that did not have what I was looking for, and the third one was a wholesale flower center. Little did we know that we needed a gardener to accompany us at this nursery. The owner being a friendly person decided to let us take a look around and gave us a tour. He added little stories about the type of flowers that grow in Virginia as opposed to Long Island. Now with a better idea of what flowers will grow on my property, I am ready to create two gardens: a herb garden and flower garden. Let's see what I choose and how the gardener plays out my ideas. 

Day 29 March SOLSC! #SOL21 at Two Writing Teachers

Happy Birthday Greetings To My Daughter

There is a special bond between a mother and her daughter that lasts forever despite any interruption. When my daughter's birthday rolled around, I decided to share some old photographs to celebrate the day since we could not be together. The internet interrupted my plans.  For six hours I attempted to rectify the internet-disruption-of-service issue we have been experiencing for a month. As time rolled on, my stress increased until a picture popped up on my screen. It offered a solution. Take the modem's yellow wire and place it in the red connector box and not the yellow one like the service provider said. 

With that issue resolved, I proceeded to beat the clock in time for a happy-birthday-wish-video chat. Old photos were scanned and created into an e-card. A text message was sent out and birthday wishes exchanged. During the video chat, I shared more old photos while my daughter, husband, and daughters were traveling home from an outdoor picnic. Three-year-old Sierra was especially intrigued by the photo of Mommy as a little girl with the American Girl Doll, Samantha, waving at her. 

This morning I decided to add a song, "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Wormack, for the festivities. Its line, "Time is a wheel in constant motion" offered an uplifting message: live a life full of taking chances and not being afraid to move beyond the comfort zone. With this thought, I rest assured that my daughter will pass on her spirit of hope and resiliency to her daughters.

Pause for a moment and listen to "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Wormack.

Tonight a birthday cake will be shared video-style and a pandemic-style birthday

will be remembered forever.

Sending my slice of life into the universe of writing at Two Writing Teachers.

In Praise of Springtime Blooms

“Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is.” 

-Jessica Harrelson 

Every spring, nature offers a gift to the world, an explosion of buds in an array of colors.  Even though there is a pandemic still raging and the sky is gray on many days, spring's new life signs are continuing to bloom and flourish.  I take a walk into my garden and my heart is lifted.  The hosta plants are a bright green and the peony bush is starting to bud. 

On the other side of the globe, my slicer friend, Terje Akke, is also admiring springtime blooms growing in her Estonian landscape.  She often shares photos from her native land and I add them to the galleries I create. The following blue flower spread is one of the pages from my upcoming new gallery, Nature Nurtures 2020.  I added a 15-words-or-less poem connecting our love of nature and photography.  Thank you, Terje for your beautiful photos and thoughts.

Nature is a constant source of comfort, the main character in my upcoming new gallery, Nature Nurtures 2020. 

Enjoy Vivaldi's Spring to further awaken your senses.

“The poet, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, the architect, seek each to concentrate this radiance of the world on one point, and each in his several work to satisfy the love of beauty which stimulates him to produce.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature

It's Slice of Life Tuesday and time to join Two Writing Teachers.