so let me begin with the visuals of the garden where i left off. each summer as you know, i plant a full porch of botanical beauty which, by mid august, takes on a life of its own as it's tired of sticking to the framework of perfection. so it stretches the boundaries and becomes something with more personality. kinda like me actually.
by september, it's a tropical jungle and everything is enormous and all over the place just full of themselves. i let it all go wild & rampant because the show is short and i want to see it to the fullest.
too many to name them all but a good show nonetheless. hidden gems of hostas, heucheras, hakoenchloa (japanese grass), lysamachia, helichrysum and more.
colocasia & ferns. i have to bring that monster of a container off the wall every time it storms fearing that it will commit suicide and lean too far over the wall.
eddy can tell you the name of the corner plant. euphorbias, plectranthus & agapanthus
are the others
eddy's succulents on display he overwinters for me
a delicate echeveria variety that i found hiding in a greenhouse nearby with its soft lilac rose pinks & pale dusty sage. just stunning.
my showy caladiums that a family of chipmunks ravaged one by one. they were shown the way off the porch via a little trip to the lakefront in a comfy vehicle of sorts.
the legendary marigold. pungent smelling. deep & rich in color.
sacred in it's offering to many.
the "i will out perform everything on this porch" coleus & salvias. they never let me down. tucked in there are heirloom geraniums of eddy's and mexican portulucas.
the summer also provides endless & i do mean endless beauty in bouquets at the farmer's market. i could buy everything and still long for more each week. the flowers are simply stunning and i am in awe of Mother Nature daily as i stare at my prizes each day when i eat my breakfast. i know you already know how i feel about investing some time & money at the farmer's market, so i will keep trying to inspire you to go.
lilies & tuberose whose scent will make you drunk on its sweet syrupy heavenly nectar. i could smell them all night long. it's sublime. the gladiolas in every color to last the whole summer.
i didn't even capture the beauty of the fall bouquets as i ran out of time. the dahlias, sunflowers, salvias, lavender, hairy balls, ornamental cabbage heads, pincushions and much more.
and then as the summer transforms itself into fall, the porch does the same. it's hard to keep it all up until the freeze sets in, so the change comes sooner and i do a favor for my future self by cleaning most of it all up. i make way for the textures of fall - the chrysanthemums, gourds, ornamental cabbages changing of the grasses and coral bells. the drying of the buds and the changing of the shapes. the massive floral heads of the hydrangeas i love so.
through it all, i am gone a lot. when i am home, i stare long at each plant & flower & blossom so that i might not ever forget them. i imprint them in the limbic part of my brain - the long term memory where our emotions are stored as well. i savor how i feel as i soak up their beauty. i feel gratitude for every single farmer and person who brought them into my life. i wish that more of you could experience what i see and feel. i think it would change you forever.
that brings me to gratitude on a grand scale since we are now hours away from this national holiday we all breeze past, much less acknowledge. well at least in the retail world it's like that. it's fine if you don't celebrate the history of the holiday yet you might be obligated to be with folks to eat the traditional fare and catch up sort of.
i celebrate the history. what i also choose to celebrate more of is the meaning of gratitude. it is something that many of us truly take for granted daily. maybe not you - you are saying "not me" out loud as you read this. ok. many i said do. i bring awareness to this principle because when you shift your perspective and spend ten seconds a day around being grateful, things shift in your world.
yes everyone is grateful for their job, their health, their loved ones, their family. i want you to be grateful for all the other things that you overlook, you don't even see, you simply take for granted. the fact that you got up today. the luxury of clean water daily pouring out of your faucet without fail. your house. your car. the luxury & gift of food in your house. your senses. your surroundings and the beauty in each leaf on every tree. the bugs. the irritating squirrels. a butterfly. on and on and on.
so. my gratitude is wide, deep and far reaching. i have gratitude for all of the above i mentioned and much more. i have deep gratitude for people who don't like me or people who put up with me. i have gratitude for people who teach me lessons both good & not so good. i have gratitude for the pain i feel on all levels, which at the moment is deep, for a dear friend i am about to lose is making her transition to a better place. i have gratitude for every emotion i feel and what it teaches me about myself. i have gratitude for the people who take care of me & my well being, helping me learn to move towards a healthier place. i have gratitude for all of you who are taking the time out of your busy life to look at my blog post. i have gratitude for the gifts i have been given and the inspiration i am able to share.
i am grateful that i have a bed to go to right now and dream such beautiful landscapes and stories.
may you have a lovely, gratitude filled and very yummy Thanksgiving in whatever way you celebrate. be well.
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