I had an epiphany of sorts last week.
Audrey’s oldest son, 3-year-old William, is getting very interested in letters and words. I happen to have a little sign hanging on my back door inside doorknob, and he was studying the words on it: In the Garden.
“What does this spell,” he asked.
I answered, “In the garden.”
“What does it mean?” he innocently asked.
“Well, Honey… I hang this little sign when I am going out to work in my garden. That way you’ll know where I am.”
Silence. Then he walked four little 3-year-old steps to gaze out my bay window.
Finally, “Grandma, where’s the garden?”
Oh, yeah. Little detail. There isn’t one.
And I got to thinking that this little guy has never seen me work in my garden. My husband and I moved to our home 3 years ago. We had sold our home a little north of here when William was a mere 6 months old.
Now THAT home had gardens. I had a garden for each of our 4 children. We celebrated Audrey and Jane’s graduations from college in those gardens. I had a grandchildren garden (we had 5 grandbabies back then, and William was the youngest).
Audrey and Jane dressed for their weddings in that home, and we captured my gardens in the photographs.
I had a garden tea party baby shower for Audrey when she was expecting William.
My neighbors and I divided our beautiful plantings and often stopped to chat, have a lemonade… or a beer!
I had bountiful blueberry and raspberry bushes. My granddaughters had the greatest fun picking those little fruits.
I had exquisite garden decorations (stone, granite… each with a precious meaning). Thank God my home purchase and sales agreement specified that I take these with us. Oh. They’re in my shed.
But anyway, back to William and his question. I realized at that moment that William was too young to see my gardens. He never saw me at sunrise, noon, sunset, and even in the dark… planning, digging, planting, watering… loving the earth and its glorious bounty.
I realized that he couldn’t know that when we moved to our new home (well, old home… our home was built in 1780), my husband and I spent two years renovating the interior, and almost three years renovating and rebuilding the back of our home. We added decks. A pergola. A shed with its own little cupola, with a rooster weather vane. We leveled the yard of all its weeds and growth and nastiness.
William didn’t know that I would awaken at night and stare out of my bedroom window onto the front lawn below. I actually had nightmares about the front. One day I took a sledge hammer from our shed and hammered the crap out of a horrible fence that smothered the front yard. I felt a twinge of bad for the former owner… and then it seemed that all of my neighbors simultaneously were shouting “hurrah!” I raked all the dead things away… and that’s where we are today.
Ah… my little William who loves to work with his daddy in his own gardens (Audrey is not the gardener in her family) didn’t even know about grandma’s green thumb.
Long story, well, long! I have entered DIY Network’s America’s Most Desperate Landscape contest. I’ve gotta get back to the soil. I’ve gotta hit dirt.
But I had to have a little fun doing it. So. Have a couple of laughs on me (and my son-in-law, Steve, and my granddogs in their breakthrough acting rolls) in the video HERE.
And while you’re there, rate my landscape as the worst in America so my front yard will get a little respect! Rate it as ONE shovel (“landscape emergency!”). I’ll thank you all on the Today Show if I’m a finalist!
Thanks!
– Sharon
I would love to vote for you. I’ll have to do it later, my lunch is over. I sent myself an email not to forget.
That is SO funny! Sharon….you’re a hoot! I can’t believe your son-in-law threw trash in your yard! hee, hee…I have to admit I saw the dogs and thought, “No way! He’s not going to let them poop in her yard, right here on the video!”
I can’t find the video. I am NOT a gardener either. At all. Our yard is a disaster area too. We had a pool put in last year, and in the process, they killed all the grass.
At this point I would just rather move than mess with fixing it.
Which title garden is yours so that I can find it to vote?
Very funny – I wasn’t able to see the video at work. I voted from each computer!!
I remember Taylor picking berries in your yard in Bristol when she was 2!
I hope you win
Love, Nik
Good Luck! Steve and the pups did a great job with their cameo appearance and you were a riot!
That was such a charming video! Wow the history of your home is so cool…I think it’s America’s responsibility to take care of your yard wink wink.
Good luck, I voted
Hehehe! I hope you get a good makeover for your garden!
Could you tell me the name of your video. When I click on the link, it tells me I’m having “issues.” Well, I knew that already! đŸ™‚
Hi, Sharon!
I clicked on the link, but was unable to view your video! It says that I’m experiencing some “issues”…LOL! How did they know?!?! đŸ˜‰ Anyway, I’ll try again later! I hope you get a great make-over! xoxo
The correct URL is
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt_988_leader/text/0,,DIY_26336_66846,00.html?sortby=recent&pn=8&vw_arrange_order=DESC&vw_sort_order=MOST_RECENT&pageref=Photo_Video-877427
Ok, I still can’t find it, but I’d love to vote for you. Leave a comment on my blog about the title or something so I can go vote. I put in the URL listed above and it didn’t take me where I needed to go either.
Good Luck! I love your description of your former gardens, and hope you can begin having new memories in your new home soon!
HI EVERYONE WHO READ MY BLOG AND LINKED ONTO DIY NETWORK TO GET TO MY VIDEO! THANKS TONS TO ALL OF YOU!
THE LINK WORKED FOR SOME, BUT NOT FOR OTHERS!
I AM “desperately” WORKING ON AN EASIER LINK TO MY DIY NETWORK America’s Most Desperate Landscape VIDEO AND WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS UP!!!!
Thanks again,
Sharon – Pinks & Blues
I’m looking forward to seeing it AND voting. Will check back soon.