Trowel and error
Cindy on May 28th, 2009
“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” — Gertrude Jekyll
Longtime friends of mine know that the garden — almost any garden — is my “happy place.” I’ll spend hours sorting through problems or pushing past writer’s block while working the soil with my hands. It’s my way of making sense of my world while making it a wee bit more beautiful. In this month’s issue of Michigan Women’s Forum, you can read a short essay I wrote about gardening and midlife lessons. The essay is reprinted from my book, Writing Home, and was I surprised (and thrilled) earlier this year when it was selected for inclusion in an upcoming anthology titled At Home in the Garden (Guideposts Publications).
And speaking of Writing Home, a brand-new, signed copy is up for grabs in a special blog book giveaway this week on Pam Stout’s Beyond Just Mom. You can enter Pam’s giveaway by leaving a comment on the BJM site through May 31. –CL
– Garden photo by Cindy La Ferle –
May 28th, 2009 at 11:28 am
What a wonderful essay Cindy. I feel the same way about gardening, puttering around in the tomato patch and zinnia gardens, it’s about so much more than the plants. It’s about inviting beauty into our lives, the flowers attracting goldfinches and monarch butterflies. It’s about sweet food for our bodies and our souls as we contemplate and cultivate, all at once, beneath the sun.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I recall reading this lovely selection in your book, Cindy, and it was one of my favorites. The title alone is stunning! Like you, I have never dared call myself a real gardener. For the most part I still can’t tell a weed from a flowering plant, so my garden tends to get overrun until I am certain the pesky thing is safe to pick. One year in my haste I pulled out all the Sweet Williams, certain they were weeds. Oh, boy. I’m learning and growing into my green thumb–just as I continue to grow into my truest self.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Being outside and gardening have always calmed my mind and heart.
Flowers in bloom remind me of my mother. She loves to garden and truly enjoys “talking” to the plants.
Do stop by theMotherhood and share us your book, “Writing Home”, our recently created circle, Featured-Author-Book. It will be a big treat for all of us!
Have a great weekend.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I enjoy reading your posts – it does make my world more beautiful.
(PS: Thanks for the visit. “See” you soon =D)
May 30th, 2009 at 7:29 am
Sigh- gardening! I will have to get a copy of that book!Also, go to read that column/article!The sun is shining today and I’m going out!