It's cold today! Cold and gray and spitting rain on occasion. Anyone who has visited northeastern Ohio for more than a day knows that this is common fare around here. I always tell my kids that you have to be tough to live in our part of Ohio. Gray skies roll in around October and remain for the most part until late May. I guess someone told the weather that it was officially October therefore, the clouds have arrived.
As I sighed heavily many times today at the weather, my thoughts couldn't help but reminesce of sunnier days filled with flowers. Daydreaming is my little survival kit for dark, dreary days.
If you have been to my home you know the most impressive piece of landscape I own is dinosaur-sized weeds. I'm not sure why the weeds always respond as if on Miracle Gro, but nonetheless, flowers, shrubs and trees are resistant, while weeds remain prehistoric in their enthusiasm. If I had to depend on my ability my daydreams of gardens would have to come from works of fiction. Fortunately for me, my friend Elizabeth has a passion and gift for growing beautiful flowers.
Elizabeth and I met when our oldest daughters were little and now they aren't. We have been "bosom friends", as Anne of Green Gables would say, for 12 years. She adores all things English and educates me accordingly. Her English garden is a passion of hers that she shares readily with everyone. Being a dear friend gives me privy to many hours sitting in the garden with of course, tea to sip and bumble bees to watch. Once you are settled in a comfortable chair in the garden the world slips away and so do your worries. I have called it "enchanting" on more than one occasion. A gray October day makes me wish I could escape to her home for a dose of garden therapy.
Elizabeth understands the importance of beauty in the world. Her garden, of course, is representative of that. She understands the need to daydream and the creative spirit. Along with my mother, she is my biggest fan, greatest cheer leader and dearest friend when evaluating my writing. She will tell you she wishes she could create beautiful music or write poetry, but I think she misunderstands her gifts. For without her passion for flowers, her dedication to the science of horticulture and her willingness to share them the enchanting little garden of my daydreams today would not exist.
Some people dream and some people inspire the dreamer. I am blessed to have found a true friend that understands my need to dream and enjoys the process with me. Together we spend many happy hours discussing, dreaming and encouraging one another. Thank you Elizabeth, my bosom friend.
Comments
Oct. 3, 2008 - To my bosom friend,
Posted by GardenGirl639
Words cannot express how deeply this touched me. I sat here all choked up. Thank you for this beautiful gift. Thank you for sharing your writing with all of us. You know it has enriched my life greatly! To many, many more summers of sitting and watching the bumble bees!
Oct. 3, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by FencedInFamily
Hello! Elizabeth's garden sounds absolutely beautiful. I'm also very enamored with "all things English" and wish I had a truly English garden like hers. I can just imagine sitting in the cool shade on a lovely bench among the flowers and trees. You're fortunate to have such a wonderful friend.