B R E A T H T A K I N G !!!!!!
Oh my gosh...... I was so deeply moved by your story... I was reading each word... like .. ... .... .....what is going to happen next.... I was on the edge of my seat... and then...you kept drawing me in.... further...
T H E N >>>>>> THE P I C T U R E !!!!!!!!
w o w
W O W !!!! I think that is probably one of or even T H E
most beautiful... wonderful.... works of ART that I have
ever seen...
GEE WHizzzzzzzzz Cait, Thank you soooooooo much for sharing that.... I feel like I was there with you !
GOD BLESS!!!
M E R R Y + C H R I S T M A S !!!!!
susiesunshine
P>S> I almost forgot... I had cookies in the oven I was so lost in the story... and the FANTASTIC Picture !!!!!!

Wow, Cait! What an incredible walk you just took me on. You just posted a picture in my mind! I felt as if I were right there with you, meandering through your beautiful gardens and, yes, helping you stomp on those critters (CRUNCH! CRUNCH!). Your gardens sound like they're flourishing! The moon was full here Thanksgiving night. I was standing out in my gardens looking up at it and getting some fresh air (even though it got down to 15 degrees here last night). So, when you were at Queen's Court, looking up at the moon, I could really picture the beauty of the moon! Thank you for the night walk. I enjoyed it immensely! Kirk

What a lovely description of your garden walk. You have a wonderful way with words!

The part about the slugs...ick! I keep a Tupperware salt shaker (It has a solid snap-on-lid to keep the salt from spilling.) to sprinkle salt on them which kills them. It's not as creepy as smushing them or cutting them in half. I also keep a can with salt in the bottom to drop them in. Eeeeewwwww...I'm making myself cringe just thinking about it. I hate slugs!

Thank you for sharing your evening in the garden. I felt like I was walking with you. And...I love taking pictures of the moon! Beautiful!

~Sandy~

Thank you Cait, how beautiful!

I like how your story progressed. Much like I do when I'm out in my own "garden". I do the things I have to do and then I go to my favorite places to dream. When you told about your Secret Garden I actually felt like I was going through a gate in a wall to another place. You described it from your heart and I felt the magic halfway around the world.

I like to go out into the "garden" at night. I'm out in the country and I have quite a view of the sky and can frequently be found wandering around out in the dark wondering in awe at the moon and stars and the night things.

I so love the names you've given to the different places in your garden. I find myself doing that around here, too.

I know I'm going to read your beautiful post again and again...

By the way- do you have pictures???

I loved reading your night time adventure!! I bet everything is "springing" to life there. Those little nasty critters in shells are so devastating to plants. I am glad to hear you have a few less of them there!!! thanks for sharing your evening with us!!!

oh cait
how pretty
some where i read that if you put some beer in a tin or plate out the slugs will come to it. i have not tried it.
my sons loved putting salt on them. they got a kick out of it (boys)
thanks for the adventure.
debby

What a beautiful picture, and a very picturesque post. You should be a writer! You're very brave to go out after dark! I'm too scared to walk around my yard in the dark-too many critters! I would suggest you using one of the remedies mentioned, but it sounds like you're having too much fun doing it your way!

Beautiful story and picture....
Since it is mostly the yeast the slugs like, you can put that in a bottle or pan (with water) and they may or may not crawl into it. I guess mine don't 'drink' because I bought a bottle of beer just for them once and it didn't seem to work for me-LOL

Thank you for taking me along on your "moonlight serenade!"
It was a beautiful stroll...I would love to see your secret garden (in progress) ... moonlight or daylight. The heavens certainly transform a "secret garden" into a blissful, comforting place. Loving your secret garden, Jeanne S.

Gorgeous story and beautiful picture! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful talent!

Thanks everyone!! You're all so generous with your comments and I really feel blessed that I can share my thoughts with you all. Ah, I knew you guys would understand. I wish you all could have been there with me... and I guess, in a way, you all now were.

I've done the salt trick on snails/slugs but because I can find up to 200 beasties in a single hunt I was using half a container of salt in one night! I even tried salted water in a bucket but that was a real horror... the snails were climbing over one another trying to escape their salty fate. UGH!! I'm not spending my money on beer, though. They may just get drunk and have a ton of fun. LOL

Countrygirl I had to laugh when you said you were too cared to go in your yard at night. I was the same way... only I was afraid of something else... STARS!! OKAnd I have taken writing classes. One class at the New School in NYC and I also did a one week course at The School For Disembodied Poetics at The Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. I have family and friends living in Boulder so it was a good excuse to also see them. But I don't write anymore... now I garden and make 'junk'!

And I will be posting updates of Our Lady Gardyn soon. you'll see those on the Discussion side of the forum.
Thanks again, everyone.
Cait

Thank YOU Cait.

I understand about the stars. It can be overwhelming. Gives true meaning to the word ~awesome~ out there at night!

With no clouds, the full moon is almost like dark daylight, only with the shadows in places you don't normally see them. Really enchanting.
Nights that are so dark I can't see, I get a scared, too.

The School for Disembodied Poetics. That's interesting. You said you don't write anymore. You just did. Really, you conveyed that experience in a way most of us could not.

I also feel blessed to have found this group I can share things with.

Looking forward to your pictures.

When I opened the door at 6:40AM Saturday morning here's what I saw. That same full moon setting in the far SW at the crack of dawn.

{{gwi:128096}}

G2G that pic is GORGEOUS!! Ahhh... the same moon. We're not so far away after all! That is so nice of you to share that pic. I really love it. So different to see the moon setting as opposed to watching it rise. I also love seeing the morning sun upon the field. It casts such a different light, so much sharper and crisper. I can smell the feshness in the air. I never get up that early anymore to experience that beauty.

In NY my favorite constellation (I could only see a few of them) was Orion. I am very happy to say that I can see it down here. Except I can see a lot more stars in him and even his sword is very clear. I couldn't really see the sword in NY. I know that the Big Dipper isn't far but it's just out of reach from southern hemisphere viewing... and I miss it. But I do get to see the Southern Cross; so that's cool.

Again, thanks so much for your morning moon.
Cait

Nice shot, Garden!

I caught it too, but it was cloudy here, and it looks kind of Halloween-y!! I love taking pictures of the moon in it's different phases.

{{gwi:128097}}

~Sandy~

WoW! Sandy! That's some pic! What kind of camera do you have? Are you a professional photographer? The pic is really beautiful.

I love all these moon shots!
Cait

Thanks, Cait! No, trust me...I am not a professional photographer! LOL I do take a lot of pictures though with a Canon Power Shot S2 IS.

I captured some awesome sunsets on Cape Cod last September! My favorite place on earth...by the ocean!

~Sandy~

Same moon... absolutely, how he beams with pride as he illuminates the darkness around our beautiful planet. I have always found the moon fascinating and mysterious and i love all three of those pics.
Cait, your "garden walkthrough" was so descriptive i enjoyed the experience. It made me laugh about the snail and slug treatment because i do the same ;)

Oh Cait, I loved that story. I was waiting for some creature like Golum to come slithering out! ( or some mention of "slugs from the hood" ) Lol
I can understand the satisfaction of stepping on those nasties! I remember feeling that a long time ago with cockroaches. UGH.. So glad to have moved from that place! Slugs.. shiver.... once my DH called me outside to show me something, I went, only to step barefoot on a slug, it squashed up in between my toes. That is what he called me out to see "the biggest slug he ever saw" !!

Now that moon was something to see. I love yours and Sandy's photos! I was driving to work looking at that moon too. But I had a nervous feeling about it as I knew it would make my patients crazy.. and it did ! What a weekend that was!
I snapped a photo of the moon in October, while sitting at my computer reading this forum!! ( I just opened the window and from my chair snapped this

:{{gwi:128098}}

That orb in the sky is sure a thing to behold!
Cheers!
Lori

whoops, meant to mention G2G's photo in that last post ! I was driving to work at 6:40 and saw the same sight! Sure was a powerful moment!
Lori

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lori that is a GREAT pic!!! I LOVE that everyone's got these pics of the moon and that we all can share the wonderful experience of that magical orb.

But stepping on a slug??? UUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! I really hate slugs. I've seen people pic them up! I could NEVER touch them. Gross.

I metioned the Big Dipper before, and today I went to this lady's house to see her garden, she moved here from the UK, and we were talking about things we missed and she said that what she missed most was see The Plow. I looked at her funny and asked if she meant The Big Dipper... ROFL they call it The Plow in the UK. WHO KNEW!!! ROFL But it was so cool that here I had written about that and then today someone says they miss it, too.
Life is funny.
Thanks for adding that great pic, Lori. And I'm happy that soo many enjoyed the little story!
Cait

I just read this article. Maybe we can all meet here and bask in the moonlight together!

Here is a link that might be useful: Moonstruck flock to Arizona light collector