Yesterday my sweet little cherubic neighbor girl asked me “Why do you plant 
things all day??” I laughed and replied simply “because I love it!” She clearly wasn’t convinced. And frankly, sometimes I’m not either.
Like the cold rainy mornings when the last thing I want to do is be digging in the mud, shivering, dreaming of when I can get home to warm up and shower. Or the days I just can’t seem to find my energy for hard physical labor.
But then there are days like today… when a garden sparks an almost magical experience. Picture this:
Early-ish morning, about 8:30am (EST), a small backyard garden providing the visual transition from somewhat tamed (suburbian) woods to manicured lawn and patio. I had done most of the work on this garden last fall, but just had a few plants to add today … the finishing touches.
The morning sunlight kissed the chill away and on my iPod Shuffle my current favorite song came on: “Lost” by Michael Buble. (Do you know it? If not, you MUST listen to it!!! ). Standing there, music infused directly into my heart, sunshine and shadows holding hands, the crayola colors of early spring, the scent of fresh mulch, and the intoxicating perfume of the tiny wildflowers carpeting the woods…
Overwhelmed, I simply looked up to the heavens, feeling the sweet tears of overflowing gratitude and beauty on my cheeks.
And that, my dear young neighbor angel Norah, is why I plant things all day. Because something…. Something… happens out there.
Kristy said,
April 17, 2009 at 11:40 am
Well Starla, you’ve done it again….beautiful and inspiring…
I LOVE this section: Standing there, music infused directly into my heart, sunshine and shadows holding hands, the crayola colors of early spring, the scent of fresh mulch, and the intoxicating perfume of the tiny wildflowers carpeting the woods…”
It makes me feel like I am and wish I could be standing there right beside you.
Onward Wise Auntie, onward…
kat said,
April 17, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Wonderful and beautiful.
And I hope that sharing a couple of bottles of wine with Canadians will only intensify the “something” that you see happening in our backyard.
Nancy said,
April 17, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Chills on this warm day in the windy city…
Hope you gift that little angel girl Norah with a copy.
Hmm, the power of a curious question.
NJD
Lisa said,
April 17, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Beautiful post! I’ve been outside ranking leaves off our daffodils and what not and thinking: I wish Starla were here. Not just because then I could lay down in the hammock and be lazy or because I am a bit rammy and sloppy and likely killing things or because I don’t know what I am doing or because I have about four separate splinters because I’m too lazy to look for gloves…but because it would be truly lovely to see the magic at work. And you! …As I periodically glanced over from my hammock, sipping some wine. Why aren’t you here? Canadians need you.
JOan said,
April 18, 2009 at 4:07 pm
STarla,
I just came in from cleaning old stuff off the gardens, finding those tender shoots coming up, seeing the indeed my rhubarb survived the winter!!! Came in to read this, lovely, lovely, lovely!!!!
Patti said,
April 19, 2009 at 6:43 am
Let me just say how thankful I am that each time I get the chance to sit out on my own patio…enjoying a beverage…coffee, wine, or ice cold beer…I can look at my own back yard and see the efforts of you and Sandy! Warmly remembering the back-breaking weekend we all spent planting tiny trees that had only 5 leaves or three little branches, shrubs that fit in the palm of our hands, and other tender perennials in “soil made of sand”…hoping something would happen out there
And now, just 4 short years later, the lawn is lush, the trees are now so big we can no longer touch the tip tops, the shrubs are so big we can’t get our arms around them, and the perennials greet us throughout the seasons over and over again!
And all of this happened when “Signature Gardenscapes” was more of a dream than a reality…look at the magic you created even back then! So I hope those who are the benefactors of your creations now understand just how special the final product is and will be for years to come!
A Different Kind of Thank You | OutWrite Living said,
March 23, 2011 at 12:53 pm
[...] Thank you to the business that cultivated in me an eternal deep spiritual connection to nature…and the miracles that happen out there. [...]
Rebecca P. Cohen said,
March 23, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Yes! Something happens out there for all of us and connects us at our heart’s center. And, I love how this post met you again once more with the beautiful spring blooms of OutWrite Living…
Starla J. King said,
March 23, 2011 at 3:50 pm
it did come to “meet me again” didn’t it, Rebecca? I love the idea of spring blooms of OutWrite Living. And I love seeing the name of that company here on this blog post. With you.