Sometimes, when I sit still in the garden for just a minute, the old woman at the door comes and pays me a visit. Long-time readers, you remember the old woman at the door, don't you? She seems quite familiar to me, and when I look her in the eyes, I sometimes see my own reflection. She keeps me on the straight and narrow and reminds me what gardening is all about. Sometimes, she reminds me that it isn't all about gardening. Occasionally she insists I hire help with some of the more … [Read more...] about The Old Woman at the Door teaches me about balance
old woman
The Old Woman returns with an apple and advice
I was startled when the doorbell rang. I was not expecting anyone. My package of dwarf apple trees had already arrived earlier in the afternoon, so I was also not anticipating any more deliveries, especially on a Saturday. I should not have been surprised to see the Old Woman at the door. She has an uncanny knack for showing up just as I finish a project in the garden. For this visit, she was dressed in her usual attire, which I had begun to think came from my own closet. She was wearing … [Read more...] about The Old Woman returns with an apple and advice
Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Sixteenth Secret
OSO EASY™ Cherry Pie Rosa 'Meiboulka' by the green chairs. Now that it is June, the weather has done a complete reversal from last weekend's temperatures in the 90's to today's shivering temperature of 60F. I guess June got the memo from March, April, and May about how fun it is to be some other month than what you are. Ha! Fun indeed. These unseasonable months are mostly just confusing and unsettling for gardeners, plants, and critters alike. Yet, even with the confusing … [Read more...] about Achieving Happiness in Your Garden: The Sixteenth Secret
The Old Woman at the Door Makes an Observation
The Old Woman at the Door showed up again this morning. She seemed familiar to me, dressed in blue jeans and a dark green sweatshirt. I let her in right away, as I always do. She has visited often enough over the past year that we didn't really need to spend much time hem-hawing around. She came right to the point of her visit. "Carol," she said, "I think you spend too much time sitting around and dreaming in the wintertime." Ouch. Had she been looking in the … [Read more...] about The Old Woman at the Door Makes an Observation
The Old Woman at the Door Visits Again
I was working about in the garden on Sunday when out of the corner of my eye, I saw her walking toward me. She was wearing her usual attire, this time it was jeans with a long-sleeved green t-shirt. Once again she reminded me of someone I should know, but I wasn't quite sure who. As she walked toward me, with a smile on her face, I greeted her like an old friend, wondering all the while what she wanted. She admired the flowering cabbage and told me she was a bit surprised that this was the … [Read more...] about The Old Woman at the Door Visits Again
The Old Woman at the Door Returns: Part 2
"Come and walk with me over here, but be quiet as you walk." With that the old woman tiptoed quietly across the vegetable garden to a large snowball bush that had been growing for years on the southeast corner of the garden. Pointing down at the base she rather excitedly exclaimed, "Did you see that rabbit go under there?" I hadn't seen any rabbit but didn't want to admit it, so I offered a meek yes. She turned and faced me again and said, "I think that was Bountiful Bunny." Up to this … [Read more...] about The Old Woman at the Door Returns: Part 2
