Respite In A Special Place

A few days ago I needed to take a break from the rush of life.  I knew where to go –a favorite place of mine called out to me!  Like sweet water to my soul, it nourished my tired, weary body and filled my heart with joy. I ‘sneaked’ away for just a bit of time to this special place that always seems to take me away from the noise and the rush of the world for a bit.  This place I love is in the middle of a big city.  Traffic comes and goes all around but if you listen with your heart you don’t hear it – all you hear are sounds of peace.  And quiet.  Let me take you there.
It’s a place of beauty. . .

A place for quiet reflection. . . 

A place where nature peeks through and makes you smile. . .    
A place where a secret garden calls you to go beyond the gate. . .  A place where the unseen can be seen if you look for it. . .

A place that changes every day. . .
A place where little things are all around you. . .    And a place where sunshine can highlight simple beauty.     I’m going there again today.

This time I won’t be strolling through the gardens. Instead, I’ll be upstairs to help take down a vintage wedding gown display. The gowns will be packed away to be seen again some other day!  It’s a chance for me to help give time so this special place can continue to be a place where time seems to stand still.  A place that touches the heart.  A place that is a respite from the busyness of everyday life.

Salem, Oregon

Garden Color

I love the colors of my garden - the green of the leaves, the rich brown of the soil and little bits of color showing up as plants bloom and blooms turn into edible delights.  That would be enough to delight my heart.  But this year I found something that just needed to be added. A yellow tomato cage!

I could have used the old, gray metal tomato cages that are stored neatly in the garden shed but I just couldn’t resist this one when I saw it a few weeks ago as I walked through my local hardware store!  I know I could – but why?

There are two more tomato plants to the left of this one that need cages soon.  They will be bigger than this cherry tomato plant and they need larger cages that don’t come in yellow.  They will get ‘new’ ones soon!  They get the big, old cages but they aren’t worried – theirs will look like this one.  The day I bought this yellow cage I went straight to the paint department and bought spray paint the exact shade of yellow as the new one.  What’s a girl to do?  She has to color coordinate her garden – doesn’t she?