Hey, Patti. Sorry about the job. Hope you get a great new one. Forget the rich husband. I suspect they come with too many strings.

I have been doing my best to hold out for our last frost date. It is really easy to forget the damage one heavy snow can do to already leaved out plants when everything is so far ahead of schedule.

Let us know how the refit goes. It sounds a bit frustrating.

Ok, Patti, I sympathise with your pond woes, I really do. So close your eyes and imagine walking out of your front door into a balmy front yard, about 75 degrees at 8 am. The yellow rose 20' to your right has such a sweet scent you can smell it as soon as you open the front door. The arbor in front of the porch is completely covered with clematis and passion vine extending the cool shade another 4' from the porch cover. The double swing at the far left end of the porch sways in the soft morning breeze and the chain it hangs on squeeks a little on the back movement, not a loud screech, just a little ee-ee. You step off the porch into the St.Augustine grass and it's damp and cool on your bare feet.

Walk out to the front garden and go under the arbor and through the wrought iron gate onto the soft, raked-earth paths. There are giant hostas, blooming bluebonnets and tall larkspur on your left. On your right is an oak-leaf hydrangea just coming into bloom, the cone-shaped panicles covered with creamy white buds. Along this path you also find shasta daisies in full bloom, 3' tall and flanked with blood-red snapdragons.

Around a small turn in this path you find a tiny pond with a fountain. The splashing water is soothing and yet seems loud since it's the only sound you can hear in the garden at this hour. A little mail-box next to the pond holds a canister of goldfish food pellets, so you drop a few of them into the water and watch the fish come up to dine.

Turning right you find a redbud and a dogwood on one side of the path and a wide stand of tall, snow-white yarrow and butterfly ginger on the other side. The little trees are past blooming, the yarrow and ginger just beginning. Under the trees, the ground cover is low-growing snapdragons in orange and yellow.

Moving on there is a Nearly Wild rose in full bloom on your left. There are so many flowers on it, you can hardly see any leaves. Rising behind this rose the last of the iris, pale sky blue is just beginning to fade. Below the rose is a patch of lavender pincushion flower peeking out and tumbling into the edge of the path. Directly across from it is a matching pincusion flower covering the ground at the base of three more small trees, two althea and another dogwood.

A few more steps down this path you come upon two iron ice-cream parlor chairs that have had the seats and back cushions removed. Instead, two large canning kettles have been dropped into the seat openings and the lids wired to the backs. The kettles are filled with scotch moss and impatiens in a merry pink color. Between the chairs is a small metal table topped with a metal scrollwork Victorian birdcage.

Turning left into the "secret garden" there is a circular path with an escarpment rising up in the middle. The escarpment is covered with mosses growing in and among the rocks. On top is a little stone castle with tiny doors and stained glass windows. The inhabitants of this castle are as mysterious as the castle. You can't see them, but you know they're there. Tiny stone pathways reveal their passing, ladders stand where they have moved between the escarpment the circular path, and another castle nearly hidden in tall garden pflox. A small stone bridge over a rivulet filled with creeping thyme is worn in the center from years of use by the tiny inhabitants.

Looking past the escarpment into the 'hinterland' of this enchanted place the giant cannas and hollyhocks are a dark forest. A weigelia shrub covered with red blossoms overshadows many small varigated hostas that line the edges of the circular path. Mosses and ferns drip the morning dew into the pathway as you pass by.

Emerging from the "secret garden" all the mystery evaporates like a mist, and a concrete bench beckons you to sit down and rest in the shade of a 200 year old native pecan tree. As you sit there the birds begin to awaken and the first hummingbird arrives at the feeder just 10 feet from your nose. If you're wearing anything with flowers on it, he'll come over and investigate you to see if you have anything sweet to eat. Soon another hummer and another and another will arrive and the race will be on. The swooping and diving will go on until each of them has had a chance to get to the feeder before an opponenet has chased him away. These little dramas go on all day if you have the time to sit and watch them.

Beyond the bench, Texas Star red hibiscus, Spanish bluebells, tall red snapdragons, and white larkspur provide a backdrop for the purple blooms of scented geraneums and sweet violets form a carpet of green below.

Rounding the last turn foxgloves and bluebonnets on the left and red and white columbines on the right flank the path that leads you back to the entrance gate. Emerging from the gate and looking down the grassy hill you can just see the tips of the roses in the rose garden. It is a patchwork of different colors and textures at this time of year. All of the roses are in bloom and every color is there, red, pink, fuschia, lavender, orange, cream, peach, yellow, white, and all of the combinations of colors too. There is the Scentimental, red and white stripes, Love and Peace yellow edged in pink, Lady of the Mist a single delicate pink with white center, and Stars and Stripes a red and white striped climber and Playboy bright yellow center with neon orange edge.

In this garden a comfortable table and chairs offers seating and a pitcher of cool, iced lemonade, relief from the heat of mid-morning. Sit down under the umbrella and look up. There's a green tree frog sitting up in the inside of the cover and he looks at you without fear. Look away for a moment and back and you'll find him no longer there. A mockingbird sitting on a fence post begins to sing and nothing else in the world sounds as sweet. The May morning sun begins to beat down and is so relaxing you could fall asleep where you sit. Better to move to the hammock under the ash tree where it stays shady all day.

Here's wishing you warm weather soon, Patti. Cheryl

Hi Patti
The snow did a number On me too, dumped over all the pots along the ledges so the pond is full of dirt now. Stuck in an above ground box filter but the fittings leak so once it warms up I will have to silicone it all up. Have been back at work for a few months now and have just found out the hubby had a silent heart attack. Niece also moved in with us so am desperately trying to finish basement reno for her, want my bathroom back, No time for pond and garden right now. Working for Habitat for Humanity, It is interesting. I am sure you will get something soon. Take this as a well deserved rest break. Susan

Okay Cheryl if your description is your place then I'm moving in with you! Love the little castle idea fairies I'm sure. But thank you for the kind words all of you.
Susan--have been thinking about you and life for you. It's 27F today (for you US people) Going up to 50F tomorrow yeah! and if the trend is right will get up above 60 next week. Susan are your fish in your pond this year? Sorry to hear about your husband--is he working? Good to hear that you have a job. I'm a single parent so can't afford to not work but things weill work out they always do. Got a few leads from a co worker yesterday. Am seeing a lawyer on Wed. as he felt was clearly a case of wrongful dismissal--at least I qualify for free law services. Isn't it intertesting how University grads can't find work these days so much for all that education! I'm going to put the new mid water drain in my pond today--plumber friend can't come with his hole saw so I'll be using my big bit and drill to cut out the hole for the pipe in the 2 x 12 wall of the settling chamber then pipe boots for the connections. I love pipe boots they are so easy and havn't had one leak yet! Susan do you know of a good water garden store in Edmonton? I'm going up there today to babysit the grandbabies tomorrow. Since it's still cold outside I'm going to go downstairs and clean the fish tank.Later. Patti

Life is catch 22. Am enjoying working for Habitat, thank goodness, quit another job to go there. Hubby is quite ill unable to work, seems he had a silent heart attack and has very bad edema, drowning in his own fluids, heart is pumping blood into lungs faster than out. Hasn't been back to work yet, was finally getting calls for work but was too sick to go. Am going through the process of diagnosis and hope for a good prognosis. Meantime working 2 jobs and stressing out majorly. The fish made it through the winter fine including about 12 babies, 2 of which are now orange. There is a place on the southside that is pretty good, will email you the name later when I dig it out, and then Khulmans near our place, depends what you are looking for. Henry, the owner of the place on the southside is pretty good guy, Think it is Wild Things or the wild bird store or something, on 51st and 111th ish. Things always work out whether you can appreciate it or not. Can't say I appreciate the last year although if things go bad with the hubby I will be grateful for the year off with him. Have fun with the babies, little one must be getting big now.

Hi Patti, My comp is down and I don't have your email on the hubby's. The shop I mentioned is called Nature's Corner store and is at 9082-51 ave. Hope your having fun

Susan, so sorry your DH is doing so poorly. I know you're taking good care of him though. I was real sick a couple years ago and my hubby (who barely notices me most of the time) was a regular mother hen. It brings out the angel in people, doesn't it?

Patti, ya'll all just come on down whenever you want to. I have a couple other garden beds, too. Cheryl

Wow Susan! And I thought being unemployed was stressful! Nothing compared to what you're dealing with.
Oh Cheryl you are such a tease! I love a Texas drawl in a man--actually love most accents cause you know us Canucks don't have one.

It is 34 degrees tonight and frost warning. I really hope this summer is better and warmer then last summer. Last summer was chilly and we never needed air conditioning at all. Hope you get a really good job Patty and things in your life start to bloom.

Lisa

Any southern accent on a man is irresistable add a deep voice and I melt. Can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can really get out in the garden and start working off my fear, anger, and frustration. Going to start on enlarging the front yard bed. Not that I have the energy to do anything really, I am just praying that the lupus doesn't decide to join the party in a full flare. Ah well I love an adventure and this year is certainly giving me plenty of that. Wish I was one of those superwomen that can juggle everything. You will have no trouble finding a job I am sure and it will turn out to be exactly what you needed. In the meantime enjoy what is turning out to be a lovely spring, at least we did not get the 2' deep snow that Lloydminster got hit with twice in the last few weeks.