It has been so hot here...
HOW HOT IS IT?
Well,
so hot that even the squirrel
needs to give up his
quest for nuts...
...and just
chill out!
We chilled out in San Francisco
to celebrate with Tami and the family,
for her 13th year
as a walker in the
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
and her 13th year
as a breast cancer survivor.
We are all
so proud of you,
my girl!
Now
for the rest
of the story.
This
tells the
whole story...
...so find a leafy spot,
and while the cooling breeze
stirs the wind chimes...
...grab a glass of lemonade
and listen to
how something old
can be made
new again.
You might remember
the Secret Garden.
It was a place
of peace,
a place of pride,
and a place where we could escape
and enjoy the serenity
of nature
around us...
...also
it was a place to enjoy
a good meal and a cool drink.
The ultimate space
for relaxation
UNTIL...
they moved in!
I won't go into full detail
on my thoughts about birds
and I apologize to bird lovers everywhere,
but suffice is to say...
I love to hear them sing
and I love them in a ceramic state
or any other inanimate objects
(as you will notice),
but I do not love
to share my personal space
with the real thing.
They came two years in a row
and their visits,
while cute at a distance,
were not conducive
to a relaxed
state of mind...
...nothing
was sacred
anymore..
...and can you imagine,
just because a bird house is there,
they would have
to use it??
So
the Secret Garden,
once again,
was locked behind
the ivy covered gate...
...that is,
until the Captain and his apprentice,
who has now been promoted
to journeyman,
took on the job
of bringing the Secret Garden
back to life.
It has been
a long labor of love,
done on a strict budget
and has used almost all
of what we
already had.
We did go for a quote
to have screens made for the porch...
$250.00
plus all the wood that was needed,
possibly an additional $150.00.
We ended up at Home Depot
and purchased screening
for a total of around $50.00.
With a staple gun
it was actually
pretty easy
to install.
Instead of using redwood,
which is super expensive,
we opted for pressure treated wood...
you know the kind
that looks like a telephone pole
that has seen one too many
garage sale signs...
...then covered it with
redwood lath strips
to hide all the ugliness
and the stapled screening.
Now
we can eat and relax
in solitude again
and we don't have to share
with anyone, or anything,
we don't want to!
There is still
a pretty little garden spot
under the gazebo
that is seen from the screened porch
where the birds may come
and sip from,
and bathe in,
the fountain
and mingle with the memories of
Mary Lennox, Colin, and Dickins
and all their mystical woodland creatures,
along with a few hot squirrels...
...and a mother
who still needs to feed
her baby
even though it
is trying to
leave the nest.
"However
many years she lived,
Mary always felt
that she should never forget
the first morning
when her garden
began to grow."
Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden"
Side view of the gazebo with the orb hanging in the center
You will remember seeing these objects used elsewhere in past posts
An old porch post that came from a neighbor when we moved here almost 30 years ago. The medicine chest we have had in storage for quite some time and I am debating on painting it green
This is the vent from the gas stove in our bedroom on the other side of the wall. It is quite an eye sore so I made a blackboard out of the door of an old wall cupboard to hide it. Since we turn the pilot light off in the summer I can hang it here but when winter comes it will have to be removed because, as it says, it gets pretty hot.
A twilight picture taken through the screen
Top of the potting bench. I stenciled the GPS coordinates for Grass Valley on the back of an old board
My great-grandmother's old steamer trunk that I'm sure came over from England in the 1800's
The only new objects that were used in this space are the back pillows that I got from K-Mart for $9 each. I stenciled a bird on them just to make them stand out. I painted the seat cushions with General Finishes Halcyon Blue milk paint and then waxed them with a clear wax...
...it covered in one coat
The perfect spot for my Mother's Day gift from the kids
A pretty evening view
A pair of pressed back chairs that we replaced the cane seats with pierced boards which I am looking for cushions to sit on and an old drop leaf table that has sat out in the weather for 30 years. There is just a little of the chipped green paint left and we decided not to repaint. I really like the rustic look of it
A bunch of alstroemeria from the grocery store, three bunches for $12, makes a beautiful and long lasting bouquet.
A mixture from The Dollar Store, Pier One and Home Goods set a pretty table
One corner
Another corner with the potting bench/drink station
Up close and personal with the potting bench/drink station
The door leading into the master bedroom off the porch. This side of the house used to be an alcove between the master bath on the right side and one of the sun porches which is now my storage room on the left. We added the roof and the porch decking and the door into the bedroom was a window. We wanted to be able to enjoy the porch this summer so we didn't paint the walls. That will be a project for next spring. We are also going to be adding pea gravel to the Secret Garden. There is some there now but it needs to be refreshed and we will cover the gazebo floor with it also.
For all of you dear friends,
who still are holding true
to the myth that I am a gardener:
It was really late in the season
to put in my flowers
and there wasn't much still available
at the nursery.
I knew that I wanted
to plant some impatience in the pots.
I knew that because
we won't get too much sun
in the Secret Garden
that they would do well there.
I had been wanting to have
a white garden
as it would look so pretty
in the moonlight,
but as I said,
it was late in the season
and not too many flowers were available.
I did spot one flat of impatience
that looked pretty healthy,
even though it was of assorted colors,
so that was my choice.
As some of you
might have already surmised,
what I actually got was vinca,
which thrive in the hot and dry sun.
So,
if you have been hanging onto
that impossible myth,
you may now let go
and I won't ever
hold it
against you!
I am, however,
a little proud
of the topiaries
that I trimmed up
from some blobs
of heavenly bamboo!
Thanks for sticking with me.
It has turned out to be
a pretty long post
and I hope you enjoyed
the new "old" Secret Garden.
It is a "rustic, rusty, radically refined" little nest;
a bird and bug free zone,
that is just cozy enough
for the three of us.
...Judy...
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