Private World

I will sweep my rooms, tend my cloistered garden, brew my tea . . . and one who mocked my dreams will never know the heart of me. © Margaret Longenecker Been Published in MORNING IN MY EYES . . . poems of the meadows, rivers, woodlands, and seasons of life, by Margaret Longenecker Been. [...]

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A Hot Garden

Our outside thermometer registered 105° F this afternoon, in the sun.  Later in the day, near sunset, the reading dropped to 100°.  Perhaps the temperature gage (not showing in the above photo) is a bit off, as it was a “cheapie” sale purchase which I bought mainly because the instrument is encased in a cute crow which [...]

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Junk, Junk, Wonderful Junk!

Our daughter, Laura, made this whiligig at a workshop near her home in Washington State.  The beauty is a composite of treasures culled from rummage and estate sales in her area. ——————————————————————————– Those of us who enjoy junking are NEVER BORED—and we’ll probably never be tempted to go off the deep end financially with our passion for collecting, because the stuff [...]

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Gardens, Pachelbel, and the Man Upstairs

When we moved into our Southern Wisconsin condo home in September, 2009, we were immediately “warned” by a neighbor woman that the man in the condo above us was “grumpy”.  Joe and I simply smiled at this indictment, as we prefer to follow our own instincts where people are concerned, and we do not truck with [...]

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Autumn Joy!

A week ago we were sweltering in Southern Wisconsin’s famous heat and high humidity.  Then suddenly we experienced the annual turning, always around Labor Day weekend and always exciting to behold!  Now the days are once again crisp, and the wind is whooping through our “wind tunnel”—that alley space between our condo building and the [...]

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Our English Garden in August

Here it is, after 4 months of growing weather.  The garden faces due east and is protected on 3 sides, so it thrived victoriously—spring frosts notwithstanding.  Our hot, humid summer has agreed with this garden, as it gets sun in the morning and shade from 1:00 p.m. on. The rose bushes which were decimated by [...]

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My English Garden

Back in 1993, Joe and I went abroad for our first and probably last time.  We spent 17 days traveling back roads of England, Scotland, and Wales—in a rented car which Joe drove on the “wrong” side of the road. We stayed at sheep farms and small town inns, and it was wonderful.  Touring the British countryside had [...]

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