Welcome 2010 from Garden Gnome Wanderings

Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

~♥Out With The Old...In With The New♥~

Glitter Graphics

A New Year's Prayer

by Kay Hoffman

Another year is dawning

With the chance to start anew.

May I be kinder, wiser, Lord,

In all I say and do.

Not so caught up in selfish gain

That I would fail to see

The things in life that mean the most

Cost not a fancy fee.

The warm, kind word that I can give,

The outstretched hand to help,

The prayers I pray for those in need--

More precious these than wealth.

I know not what may lie ahead

Of laughter or of tears;

I only need to know each day

That You are walking near.

I'm thankful for this brand new year

As now I humbly pray, 
 

My hand secure in Yours, dear Lord,

Each step along the way.

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All the best to you and yours
in 2010!

♥ Kim

Favorite Places: Mount Vernon

George Washington's Mount Vernon is a reminder of the self-sufficiency of farms of historical significance.

Did you know that Washington introduced the mule to America? Washington improved the soil at Mount Vernon by practicing crop rotation and mulching. He brought in a gardener from Scotland to manage the kitchen garden and greenhouse.

The farm and reconstructed gardens are worth a visit alone, but touring the house, outbuildings, grounds and museum for at least half a day will give you the best insight into life during Washington's time. There are trails around the grounds to the cemetery and the different areas of the farm. A restaurant and a food court are available if you want to take a break during your visit.



My husband's family has a connection with Mount Vernon through John Jacob Frobel, a musician and teacher. Frobel also had a love of growing flowers and introduced a camellia that he named after Washington's nephew, Bushrod. Visiting Mount Vernon with my husband was enhanced by his knowledge and stories that he shared with me about the Frobel connection.

The setting of Mount Vernon, in the Virginia countryside south of Alexandria is beautiful. Overlooking the Potomac River, it must have been wonderful to take in the glorious view each day.





Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Mount Vernon, Virginia, August 2009

Playing in the Snow

It snowed down here from Christmas Eve until the 27th and then it rested until soemtime late last night and it has been snowing off and on today. What does this mean?  It means a chance to play in the snow. The other day the kids went outside as it was slightly warmer than it has been and made small snowmen and some forts. Today, they are currently making a fort that the plan to turn into an

HONEST SCRAP a n d RANT

Those of you that are long time bloggers are familiar with the "HONEST SCRAP AWARD'. The premise is  a fellow blogger suggests your blog and you are to tell 10 things about yourself that most would not know about. Then I am to suggest 7 bloggers to receive the award. Having trouble with the latter, this has been around so long everyone I researched had already participated.

Being a new blogger I am late to the "party". Deborah of Boxwood Terrace, whose blog I LOVE suggested me.

So here I go................and honesty................no problem. Deep dark secrets?......still are :-)


When I was twelve a life altering event took place, my Father died suddenly on a ski slope, I was with him.
No, no, I am not courting sympathy nor drama but to share how that shaped me into the person I am today. Learning at an early age that life is fragile and to be savored, I found the quote below that mirrors my thoughts as if I wrote it.

1)  Adventure Sports

I earned my skydiving professional license and a portion of my income from "jumping". A life metaphor is  "leap and the net will appear"

 

Within 498 dives I have leapt from a variety of planes, helicopters, a hot air balloon, into water and at night. My favorite was into the puffy cumulus clouds. Did you know they are filled with tunnels? And that you could wend your way through? PS;  that was in my youth

 

Scuba Divers License; colorful fish, manta rays, eels, sharks, octopus...........but my favorite was the manatees. Living in murky springs and rivers, I was going along one day hoping to spot one. Suddenly the feeling of not being alone enveloped me, looking to the side was a form then an eye..........a mother manatee was right next to me, baby in tow. Dare I reach out to touch her, she was a mother after all? Not being able to help myself, I touched her, then kept touching her and before you know it she is bringing the baby forward..............heaven! These gentle creatures are endangered.  

 

Fencing; a life long passion. It wasn't till I was in my thirties that I found a club to learn the sport. Fast, elegant, similar to a moving breathing chess game. here are a few fun facts;

• while fencing all of my cellulite disappeared!
• most of your sparring partners are men
• there are many fencing scholarships that go unclaimed.
  

2) Will always try to take my own path and never fear getting lost
I was a dismal candidate for the corporate world. Yes there was a fear of starting my own business and leaving the "safety net" but I have never looked back.

Getting lost in the car.........have made great discoveries, shops to explore, new scenery, inspiration and a life long friend.

3) England. Nothing new to those that know me..........but feel as if I once lived there, feel complete and at home there.

4) Enjoy alone time. Mind you I LOVE people, am in a people pleasing industry..........but being alone means; recharging, regrouping, seeking new inspiration..........thinking.

5) You want me near you in an emergency. Yes, have been tested, many times, I leap into action, without forethought. Once I was in a large hotel and in the middle of the night heard a woman screaming in the hallway, blood-curdling screaming. Immediately jumping up I ran out, I was the only one. Fortunately it was a break-in and her purse was snatched, the thief was gone and she was physically ok. 

6) Mad for Dogs, actually ALL animals but have a soft spot for our loyalist companions.

7) Want to go on a trip, call me! I live to travel.

8) Men in kilts! So far my husband is not cooperating..........can you imagine? And if the man in a kilt is playing a bagpipe watch me make a fool of myself.

9) Laughter. Deep belly busting laughter, being silly, getting ridiculous. My favorite partner in crime here is sister.......... only problem, she reminds me, is I "forget" when to stop :-) .............and what on earth would we do without our women friends??!!

10) Faith in God. The comfort of knowing He is there, my reminder to be a good person and to trust in Him.

Now, onto my RANT, it's a local issue...............so if you do not want to stay, know I warned you

I am having an affair..............

Yes, you read that correctly.........I am having an affair...............I want to scream about it

Because my heart is breaking. And since I shared so much above I might as well keep going. But really, it is not what you think............the affair is with my home and with the village I live in.
Didn't you think Bunny Williams book My Affair with a House, was the best title?

I am passionate, vocal, obnoxious even on this topic because my home and village are threatened.

I live in a village named Wayne, Illinois. Wanting to live here came first, the house second. Wayne has a remarkable history and most that have moved here enjoy the story, love open space, preservation of land and tradition. What I did not know was that I would have to become a rabid fighter of "progress". You know the sort; massive subdivisions, shopping malls and strip malls everywhere in the surrounding cities. These necessitate more traffic and new roads.

One battle that is ongoing but picking up surprising speed after four years of silence is a classic case of the city next door, St. Charles, wants a bridge over the fox river. Countless and expensive studies have been paid for but with a slant...........they do not want the bridge in their community and find every reason to eliminate other prospects all the while paying and hiring their own firms for results.

Why am I so worked up? The traffic for this two lane bridge will spill through our village's only east west road.  Our much larger neighbor will no longer admit their future plans, which was at a previous meeting, showing the bridge becoming a four lane and then our road needing to go to four lanes. On those engineering plans my home is gone.

When we moved here I saw the potential and possibility; 4 acres, an 1856 home in need of love and attention, space to build a barn, gardens beyond reason. Our families thought we fell from grace but we knew what this home could be and has become...........slowly restoring ourselves with only one room remaining.

 

bridge  (noun)

• link or means of approach
• structure built over an obstacle
• a connection, a means of coming together
  

Instead we have a classic David and Goliath story. The city versus the village. I do not dislike St. Charles, I own a business there, shop there and seek entertainment there. I have clients there, family and friends. So I am fighting and asking for help.

The road in controversy. I would like to share other pictures of our village, all photos along this road.

When I started this blog it was not to have an activist format, hardly! Of course it is a tool to enhance your business but I wanted to talk about design, indoors and out, people and places I discovered, a recipe..........a tip

I had no idea I was entering a new world I would become passionate about. Friends have developed around the world, ideas exchanged, support and inspiration galore.

So my 'rant'has become public as I feel helpless and feel fear.

Oh, did I mention that less than two miles to the north a four lane bridge is under construction? Can't we wait St. Charles to see how that turns out versus spending 30+ million? Did I mention that forest preserve will be taken?

I apologize to my long distance readers..........do not mean to bore you with local issues. But I do wonder, "have any of you faced this problem?", any success?

If anyone wants to add your voice. St. Charles has given us until 12/31 to deliver comments.
Wayne would love to hear from you too.

So, I will try, along with many on both sides. Am not afraid to try but will admit to fear in defeat.

To all my readers...........thank you for reading my rant. Thank you sincerely for subscribing to this blog and for your friendship extended. I am excited about 2010, many great topics formulating. My best wishes for everyone in the new year!

xxo  Debra

~♥Friendship Tea♥~

I made this Friendship Tea mix to give as gifts.  It was pretty inexpensive.  I put the mix into pint jars, used paper doilies to cover the lids, put a rubber band to hold it in place, and used ribbon to cover the rubber band.  I made tags that I printed on cardstock.

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Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups instant dry tea mix
• 2 cups orange tang
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup lemonade mix
• 2 tsps cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup cinnamon heart candies

Mix together in a large bowl and ladle into glass jars.

For the tags: Stir 2 heaping teaspoons into a mug of steaming hot water.

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Thanks for stopping by!  I always appreciate your visits and your sweet comments :)

♥ Kim

2009: A Year In The Garden

January

Southerners exhibited their normal snow behavior. But, there were many days in the garden when the light was warm and fabulous.

February

I gave into the temptation and ordered more annual seeds. Fortunately, I was rewarded with spring, summer and fall blooming annuals.

March

The weather warmed up and I was back out in the garden. With help from The Musician, we cleaned up the gardens and refreshed the grit path in the cottage garden.

April

The happy hummingbirds returned. By April 12, I saw the first one and captured it on camera the next day.

May

While the Musician and I went to Paris and Monet's Garden in Giverny, the garden here at home burst into bloom with the poppies growing over four feet high!

June

Fall plantings of echinacea and monarda did not disappoint in a mass planting in the cottage garden.


July

Mid-summer brought drought, but agastache stayed alive and bloomed so well that I continued adding more varieties in the heat of the summer.

August

The Monarch butterfly migration brought these beauties to my garden where they laid eggs on the asclepias and sipped nectar from blooms throughout the garden.

September

Common hardy mums created a big display in the cottage garden. I have also been testing one out in the deer resistant garden and have had great success with no munching of the foliage so far this fall and winter.

October

Annuals sown from seeds continued to reward me with autumn blooms throughout October. By then, I declared both marigolds and zinnias (Benary Giant) to be deer resistant - at least for 2008! I did a lot of rearranging to combine perennials into better companion color schemes.

November

My Encore® Azaleas bloomed again and continued blooming into December, brightening up the cottage garden when little else was still in bloom. I sowed annuals seeds and planted allium bulbs for the 2010 growing season; added edging to the outer gardens and cleared out old spaces for new gardens.

December

Torrential rains washed away seeds as well as compost and gravel that we added in the fall. I continued to collect seeds from gaillardia and echinacea. The year is ending with many days of 20°F low temperatures, hard freezes and more torrential rains and wind. Already, winter is taking a toll on the garden. I was finally able to venture out today for a stroll to check on the conditions as I've been under the weather for several weeks. There will definitely be casualties from the weather, but the majority of perennials look well and I can see tiny green sprouts of poppies, larkspur, cornflowers, nigella, echinacea and gaillardia. All-in-all, it was a good year.

2010 is a few days away and I look forward to seeing all the garden surprises next year.



Words and photos by Freda Cameron; 2009