I was out turning compost when I spied my neighbor struggling with a pile of fresh wood chips. She leaned across the fence and asked if she could borrow my shovel. I gladly obliged. As she plunged the spade into the steaming pile of fresh wood chips I couldn't help but notice her shapely hips and firm buttocks. The red wigglers in my compost pile giggled with glee as I made my way closer to my neighbor. She welcomed my advance and we fell back on the warm pile of fresh wood chips, our bodies tangled like an english ivy vine in a pine tree. Later we would laugh about the time we pruned the rose bush in December.

I could probably sit down and write a whole book about this. The concept is fascinating to me. The book "The Secret Garden" had a profound influence on me. After reading it for the first time many years ago I became aware of the idea of the garden as metephor and gardening as a transformational experience. A secret is a mystery. One is first intrigued by the existence of the secret and is then lead on to the place where it may or may nto quite be reveiled. A good way for me to give you some ideas is to describe Jon's garden. You can't see it as you approach. There is a tall hedgerow by the road, but you do see a few errant blooming rose canes falling over. You enter the garden through a rose covered gate. You pass through into an enchanted rose garden all pastels and soft greens. You can't see all the garden at one time. Charming paths draw you on. There is clematis growing through mnay of the rose bushes. All around are tall wild walls of ramblers climbing and tumbling. You pass a small timeless looking bird bath. Around a corner you find a tree that has roses and clematis climbing through and hanging down. Else where you find a bench enclosed in a little roofed structure that you can sit in unobserved. Though this is not at all a large garden you feel as though you could wander for a long time making new discoveries. This is Jon's secret garden.

"Spiritual Window Shopping " Written by Jalaal'uddin Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks) and now taken from a page of a book written by Robert Beer, "Tibetan Symbols and Motifs" These spiritual window shoppers, who idly ask. "How much is that?"-"Oh I was only looking" They handle a hundred items, and put them down again, shadows with no capital. What is spent is love, and two eyes wet weeping. But these walk into a shop, and their whole lives pass by suddenly, in that moment, in that shop. "Where did you go?"-"Nowhere" "What did you have to eat?"-"Nothing much". "Even if you don't know what you want, buy something, To be part of the exchanging flow. Start a huge foolish project, like Noah. It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you. "Jalaal'uddin Rumi> Reading this reminds me that I am greatfull for simple minded use of the word Zen that have touched my life indirectly leading me to Japan and Eastern thoughts. From Chevy Chase in "Cady Shack" goin Nanananannnana NAaaaananananaaaaa while puting those golf balls to the Link Herb has willingly provided showing commercial enterprises of Zen garden boxes . Read the bottom of this poem again. For I do not know anything. Please excuse my ignorance. I little confused. I am starting to wonder if anything that has the word Zen is good. Maybe its not good for you. But why not just get the word out ? Keep repeating Zen. Let a culture learn and adopt new concepts slowly. Two women claimed an infant. One who riased the infant and one who is natural mother. King Solomon said , "I will solve this, I will Cut the infant in half and give and give each of you half. One women says ,"Noooooo ! She can have him ". King Solomon then knew this to be the real mother. Moral of story is aside of illustrating remarkable intelligence of King Solomon, true nature of love is not intelligence. Wisdom is not intelligence. When the Buddha Shakyamuni suddenly held up a flower and looked at it, Mahakashayapa smiled sharing in the true nature of the shared reality seen in the flower.Essence of Zens founding Wisdom. I have very little understanding of these words . No idea. I think I do. But really deep down inside I know I cant grasp this. Hard to swallow the truth. Wisdoms are complex . Absolute truths are simply amazing. Peak expereinces..now those change me in a huge way.I would like to be a good man. "What Makes a Zen Garden" is teaching me this path. My path started when I picked up a pebble in our backyard when I was around 3 years old. I dropped it when seeing my father. Lost concentration of pebble.. I remember his legs. haha. Thats all I recall of that moment. Another day I picked up pebble again. My father said white. I recall his bending down and taking the pebble in both of our hands. He looked in my eyes and said white. I loved my Dad. dropped the pebble when he let go of my hand. I followed him . Sometime within that week my mother took me outside. I recall finding a pebble and going to my mother white. She looked at me with wide eyes smiling. I dont recall my feeling. When she took the pebble from my hand to look. I went to the ground and looked for white. I do not remember anymore of this learnings. I do recall nursery school. Going to the car with my mother and picking up a Quartz stone . While in the car wearing my Cowboys Footaball leather jacket I held this Quartz in my hand. " White" The thought creeped in and I knew I had not seen a white stone since the week with my father teaching me white. From this thread of thought I came to know of white , quartz . Somewhere in there is pebble and stone. I dont recall. But those were Peak Expereinces. Those are the memories that bring me to Japan. I seek to know who I am. Materials of a garden need words. Without words one does not see. I see white quartz pebbles everywhere now. Zen, Japanese Garden , Kare San Sui , Suiseki ,Zen. How one comes to know a word is more importent than the word itself. Zen will not come untill I know how I became me. I am part of the Flow . Zen and Japanese Gardening is within me. One must have the will , desire to find new words to see with. Keep open heart to see wisdoms also. Dogen. King Solomon. Basho. Three new influences in my life this week. Good thread : )

I'd suggest getting rid of the elements where possible..for example you have both a shelf and a towel rack-there are many shelves that combine hooks or bars for towels or even both. Go for wood/bamboo in these. Check Etsy for shelves like these, both vintage and handmade..or maybe you're handy enough to DIY. I wouldn't move the shower rack to the opposite wall even though it makes sense-it requires for you to turn when showering..a little thing but once I sprained my back like that:) Think whether you wouldn't want to borrow a deeper color for your walls, from your curtain, say, a shade of green. Darker colors generally do great in small light-less spaces,enveloping them and giving them the liveliness. Light colors reflect light=no light and they have less to reflect, so mid tone colors in spaces like bathrooms and bedrooms with not a lot of light can work very well-they hold their own, so to say. Definitely bring a plant. I don't know what plant would be considered Zen...they're all pretty Zen to me. Just find out what works in darker damper spaces. I know ferns, maybe stag horns, some kinds of orchids..Justina Blakeney's blog has Plant-o-pedia, where you can read about dozens of plants and a care for them. But I'm sure the internet is full of suggestions. After that, I'd consider a rug that reminds me of nature. If you craving something happier-then maybe pattern of leaves etc. If something calmer-wooden mat, teak or maybe bamboo one, would be great. There are all sorts of rugs like seagrass that always look cool, calming, and nicely textured, but I don't know about them enough to recommend them-maybe they withstand the moisture not that great. I hope other posters will chime in with more experience in different rug qualities.