Grief Work

After losing our sweet kitty Surely last week, our labors in the yard became a good form of grief work, helping to pass those initial days of missing her. Baird worked on putting in the fence posts for our new picket fence which will go around the south side garden that is abutted by sidewalk on 2 sides. I did various clean up projects and helped him with the fence posts a bit. On Friday I took the day off and tackled the picnic table, sanding it and re-staining it colony grey. We have a long way to go in the next 7 weeks for the Tour but, I think we've made a good start.

Surely 4/8/04 to 4/24/08

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life."

Our sweet, 4 year old Maine Coon, Surely, lost her battle with lymphoma today.
Surely -- You were a good kitty and we loved you lots! We all miss you. Rest well sweet one.

Emily Dickinson's Garden Week 3

On Monday I strolled over to Emily's garden, this time with my "grand-dog" in tow, as I was dog sitting for a couple of days. We've been having a heat wave here in Massachusetts....no joke..it is supposed to be 80 today and I am already having to water my garden! So, in the past week the plants have been growing like ... well... like weeds. Emily's garden has still not had its Spring cleaning. I am not sure what is up with that. Amherst College (which owns the Dickinson properties) has a gazillion grounds workers and wonderful landscaping. They must be focused on getting their campus ready for graduation weekend or something. If I wasn't so busy getting my own garden ready for the Tour, I would go over with my rake and do some guerrilla gardening. Have you heard of the global guerrilla gardeners' activities?


Well, I digress. In Emily's garden the magnolia was blooming, the tulips we brilliant and a large (cherry??) tree was in full bloom. In several places the foliage of Bleeding Hearts had gone from barely peeking out of the ground to about 8" tall in one week. This week is another hot one here so stay tuned for pictures of next week's Spring happenings at Emily's.

Maggie's Splendor - Part 2

On Friday I had showed you my huge old Magnolia at it's peak.
On Saturday AM I couldn't help but take another picture -- since the clear blue sky morning showed off her beauty even more so than the day before. I was disappointed that I missed a photographic "first" for me...... a perfect picture of a bright red cardinal amongst all the white blossoms but.... another "first" was to come my way.....



Not long afterwards, as I was staining fence sections in my back yard (UGH!! enough said about that endless task!!) ...... my husband came to say, "Honey, grab your camera & come quickly!




There is a wedding party taking pictures at the Magnolia tree!" Sure enough this bride and her photographer had also noticed "Maggie's splendor" on their way to her wedding ceremony at the church across the street. They were kind enough to allow me to take a few pictures for my own record of this historic occasion. A bride in my garden! It was a first for me, but it makes me wonder how many other brides may have posed there for pictures in all the years the tree has stood?

Maggie's Full Splendor

My huge old magnolia tree is today at the climax of its bloom for 2008. The whole neighborhood is awash with its sweet perfume and since my garden is in the center of town, across from a town park, people stop at least hourly, to smell, take pictures or even sneak a blossom. Who could resist?



I've also put my new "garden tool" (aka truck) to work this week buying compost, potting soil, 2 rhododendrons and... the biggest news..... my new cedar picket fence for around Sweetside Garden (the sunny beds,facing south, with the 30' stream). Tomorrow I will start staining it white and maybe the proverbial "we" will get a couple (?) of post holes dug. There are 12 sections to install and a couple of gates to build.

I still hope to put up a tall board fence along the back property line for privacy, but that has to be phase 2 or 3.

Spring Visit #2 to Emily Dickinson's Garden

Today marked my second visit this Spring to Emily's garden.

As I strode along the granite stepping stones toward the garden I could see there were no striking changes to report. The snow drops have passed and the crocus are on their last.

The tulip leaves are quite tall, but no tulip buds are yet visible -- perhaps next week.









The shaded granite bench in the far corner of the garden looks to be a pleasant place to rest and ponder come the heat of summer, but for today, the entire area awaits it's Spring cleaning.



My magnolia tree, 2 houses to the west, has begun to bloom. The shaded one at Emily's Homestead, though covered in buds, has not yet burst to reveal its gentle petals. And the lilac hedge separating the carriage house from garden is lightly tipped with green. In another few weeks I imagine it, laden with blooms.

Spring at Sweetside Garden 4/12/08

It's finally Spring here at Sweetside Garden in Amherst, Massachusetts. A good dose of warm weather, interspersed with some rain, has led to many buds popping and blooms opening. Here are a few scenes from around my garden this weekend. Red buds of the maple, as seen just outside my kitchen window. Magnolia bud popped (I love their fuzzy buds). The south facing garden bed, top dressed with MooDoo. And, Scilia in the front yard, under huge maple tree.