WHEN SOMETHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN...

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...

Sharing this week at:

Dishing It and Digging It Link Party

Share Your Style Link Party

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage