Originally cultivated in Eastern China, peaches now grow in the gardens of a wonderful and generous friend literally ten minutes from our home.
An abundance of peaches….
In many cultures, the peach is a symbol of prosperity and abundance. These trees, planted three years ago, are bearing fruit for the first time. The boughs are so heavy laden with fruit that supports have been put in place to keep the branches from breaking.
Baskets of peaches.
Four, four litre baskets of freshly picked peaches and the trees hardly notice.
Reaching for that perfect peach..
In the words of the late John Prine.
We blew up or TV Threw away our paper Went to the country Built us a home Had a lot of children Fed 'em all peaches They all found Jesus on their own.
We spent a wonderful Sunday afternoon enjoying brilliant, healing vibrations as a beautiful harpist made magic with her harp.
Our, almost ten year old, granddaughter found it rather amusing to be the only child in a room full of aging hippies. A fact that she stopped noticing once that she was totally absorbed into the music.
The relaxing sounds of the harp brought a relaxing, peaceful feeling to the room as the harp filled the room with its vibrations.
We, our granddaughter, more than anyone, loved the two encores that were gifted to us.
And the day just kept getting better….
Our day got even better as we were given a basket and permission to gather fallen apples and feed them to the horses.
Six gorgeous deep brown horses soon gathered near the fence by which we stood.
In the words of our granddaughter, the horses had come to say thank you for the sweet treats that we had provided them.
Just as we had said, thank you for the gift of a wonderful afternoon of music, fellowship, and horses.
Pick a bouquet of wild flowers from the side of the road. Inhale the scents of the pinks and whites, the mauves and golds. Wrap the stems with string, and tie a bow.
Eat a big piece of chocolate cake. Allow the intoxicating aroma a warm cocoa to tickle your senses.
Take a walk in the forest and bathe in its goodness. Breathe deeply, sit quietly, and observe nature. Hug a tree.
Read your favourite book again. Remembering the journey of self-discovery and joy that it opened.
Write a poem. Share ideas, express ideas, and create imagery.
Dance like no one is watching. Be full of joy and let your spirit dance and sing.
Grab a canvass, a paint brush, and three of your favourite colours. Watch as your lines, colours, and composition light up what once was white.
I began the process of building this garden when my children began leaving home to pursue post secondary education.
Back then, the area was a small forest partly on our lawn but mostly in our field
A large, three trunked, old Manitoba maple tree was its focal point. Under its enormous boughs was the remaining sands of a large sandbox that was slowly being over run by a variety of ground covers and grasses.
An old apple tree, a lilac bush, and a number of oak and maple saplings covered the area. I trimmed and clipped and trimmed some more. I added a bench, a bit of a stone wall, a few hostas, and some English ivy.
A beautiful shade garden emerged. A canopy that provided shelter from the rain for the person resting on the bench.
Then, one day, while I was away, one of the three large trunks of the manitoa maple tree came crashing down, taking with it most of the oak and maple saplings. By the time I returned home, the remaining two trunks, now unsafe, had been taken down. A mass of branches and wood were all that remained.
I cried. I mourned the loss of my beautiful trees and the comfort they had provided me.
Then the sun came out. New opportunities poked out their little heads.
The hostas and the periwinkle began to bloom. The stump ends of the fallen trees , I covered with beautiful pieces of stained glass.
A Soul Sister project. Beautiful women creating beautiful art.
Another stone fence was added.
Friends shared pieces of their hydrangea bushes. My husband shared his lilies.
a small clipping…becomes a huge bouquet.
A pet cemetery found a home in the old sandbox.
Fairy houses found themselves a home.
Birds moved into the bird house.
Little feet run along the pathway that runs through the center of the garden.
Monarchs fly amongst the milkweed.
Lily of the valley and english ivy run rampant, as does the goutweed.
New joys….
I celebrate my new garden as I pull weeds and apply grass clippings to keep them from coming back.
Mostly, I enjoy sitting on my bench.
My favourite resting spot…
As I celebrate my new sunny garden and the blessings it brings, I continue to mourn the loss of my shade garden and the protection it gave me.
Groovy Tales of a Well Adult 