lulu
Roughly 11 miles from home down a curvy road leading to the woods where the only sounds are bird songs is a special place.
Arriving at this little cottage slows my heart and calms my spirit.
I love walking beneath the arbor where the sweet smell of roses perfumes the air.
All around is a profusion of colorful blooms that last until leaves fall and there is a hint of frost.
They are tended by the same loving hands that know all the secrets of my body.
Carrying outside images in my head, I enter the cottage, take the stairs to the second level and nestle on the massage table beneath a light cover. I close my eyes and a peacefulness washes over me as I await the touch of those hands.
As they begin their work relieving the tightness and tension of muscle and joints, my mind stills.
I breathe. I sometimes cry softly when I remember my brother or a friend or wonder how to resolve a troubling brokenness that from time to time occurs in the family. The hands stroke my hair with understanding.
Two hours fly by and when they are over I am renewed and so appreciative of those tender loving hands that exist in this very special place.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Arriving in Maine, the first thing I do is walk around the yard where so many varieties of blooming plants color the landscape. This year we missed the azaleas but were in time for the rhodendrons to be in full splendor.
Alongside them, the sweet smell of lilacs fills the air.
I was pleased to see the viburnum blooming more profusely than in recent years, but they also remind me how important it is to keep them trimmed or they can crowd out everything else.
Peonies are staked thanks to advanced help and are filled with tight little buds that won’t pop for another week or two. Just the thought of those beauties makes my heart race.
To my surprise, bachelor buttons had sprung up among the ferns.
Beautiful alliums are hanging in there, but it will be only a matter of days before they are done and ready to dry for fall arrangements.
It is too late in the day to do more than look around, but that’s time enough to plan what needs to happen next. And, with all this beauty, it’s impossible to resist cutting a few blooms to take inside where they add color and joy. It doesn’t take much to make me feel right at home.
Every Houston winter is different, and this one has been no exception. The first few weeks of 2018 have been colder than usual and mostly gray causing me to stay inside and focus more on preparing comfort food.
Sadly, there were just enough below freezing temperatures to do considerable damage to yards not designed to tolerate the cold. Now, much of what is in my yard is cut back to the ground waiting for sunshine and warm weather to bring it back.
As I walked around, I noticed little hints of green that promise regrowth.
Weather here can turn on a dime and today is warm and sunny, perfect for a trip to the nursery to gather a few things for repotting.
With the planting done, it was a treat to sit on the porch for some leisurely moments enjoying a simple lunch and reading.
Folks in Maine like their gardens. The blooming season may be short, but it is alive with color and texture that enhance the state’s natural beauty.
It is unusual to pass a home, no matter how modest, that doesn’t have a neatly manicured yard and some blooming things.
In addition to individual gardens, there are several public spaces that are delightful. A popular one is the 
The gardens have something for all ages, and I have to admit that I have a hard time getting past the children’s area.
It is filled with energy provided by vibrant colors and activities that keep kids entertained for hours.
When children need a break, there are quiet spaces filled with games and books.
For overwhelming beauty, there is no place like the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor .
It is full of vibrant color, and the buzzing of bees fills the air.
There are calm areas perfect for quiet reflection.
This is a private garden open one Thursday each month from July through early September. 
In nearby Northeast Harbor is
Most of its blooms are gone by early July, but that doesn’t keep the garden from being a delightful place for a relaxed stroll.
Gardening is a bit of a challenge as much of the growing area is on a rocky cliff which makes footing in some areas rather treacherous. 
Much of the area facing Rockport Harbor is in shade, and I have learned the hard way that not all plants do well without lots of sunshine. Hostas are one of the exceptions, and right now they are coming into their own. The oodles of varieties make them a most interesting garden addition when it comes to color and texture.
Day lilies are doing their thing, and I do love their vibrancy, 
Peonies have been deadheaded though there is one lone bloom that refuses to give up, perhaps because it doesn’t want to leave its insect dweller homeless.
I don’t know where they came from, but this year dainty forget-me-nots have shown up in every garden area. Earlier in the summer I was pulling them up, but the task was never ending and I decided to leave them as ground cover. Their little blue blooms are sweet, but I’m still not sure how I feel about their presence. Any ideas for getting rid of them?
A favorite part of the yard is what the kids call beautiful land. Among the rocks, ladies’ slipper, mosses, ornamental thyme and other ground covers flourish. Best of all, this area requires little maintenance other than some weeding.
Wherever I look there is something of beauty whether it’s lining a pathway
or adding its own unique touch in another garden area. 
Even the unruly, unkept areas that belong only to nature make their individual statements. One thing’s for sure, I won’t be scaling the rocks to try to get any of it under control. That’s a lesson learned early on!
While I may not be very experienced when it comes to laying out a garden and choosing complementary plants, the garden does provide bountiful beauty from spring until fall.
Gardening is a learning process filled with errors and rewards.
The reward comes when the garden blooms making it possible to cut a few stems varied in color and texture.
The rhododendrons are all but gone,
to partially open teasers
to full blown beauties.
They don’t last long, especially if it rains, so I cut them and fill the house where they can be enjoyed.
Their differing colors and textures make each bloom a special gift. Salvia, which tries to take over my little garden, provides wonderful contrast, and the alium which is past its prime adds an interesting texture.
All you have to do to see that is visit a nursery
where the selection of growing things edible and decorative is overwhelming.
My attempts at gardening so far are mostly trials and even more miscues. What I am striving for is a cutting garden with blooms lasting through the summer and into the fall. While that is possible, there’s lots to learn about what works. Take delphiniums which are beautiful to look at, but they get so top heavy they topple over, especially after a rainfall.
And, that flower around them, which I think is a type of geranium, is the right height, but rather than stand up it spreads all over the place destroying other plants with their weight.
Perhaps the most important lesson is that successful gardening can be done in pots! It is ever so much easier to combine interesting plant materials in pots than to try to balance them in a garden. 
As I continue to learn to create the bigger picture, I’ll not abandon my successes!