Frost has entered the garden gate. It’s on the tree’s, the berries. the flowers and the leaves. It has touched every surface and I can feel its kiss on the air. Oh, how magical the sparkle and shine and how pretty everything is.

It won’t last long, it’s not ready to stay but we have seen a glimpse of what will come. The dragonflies, butterflies, bees and bugs will soon be gone from the garden. The leaves have turned from green to oranges, yellows and reds. They are falling like a blanket on the ground and when I walk around they rustle and crunch beneath my feet.

The garden is done for this year, I have harvested all but the kale because it is one of the few things that like to be kissed by the frost.

Should I be happy or should I be sad? It is always so confusing. The garden has been so productive and I was blessed with so much abundance, yet I am sad to see it go. I have made jams, jellies, sauces, salsa and relish. I have chopped, stewed, frozen and canned. I am so grateful for being able to do all of this while being surrounded by beauty.

My heart is full and so is my pantry. I guess my last task is to remove all the spent plants and prep the gardens because before you know it there will be a blanket of white and it will be time for the gardens to rest.

Ease, Joy and Abundance – Wanda

The walk from the house down the path that leads to the garden gate is not very long, it takes but a few minutes. Some mornings it is hurried and others, a slow leisurely stroll past the garden with the large white hydrangea blossoms taking time to stop to see the myriad of floral and fauna.

You don’t really notice it until you pass those big white balls of the Annabell hydrangea and the galvanized bucket hose post that Kerry made to extend the reach of the garden hose and to reduce the damage I was inflicting on the hostas. However walking down the stone path and rounding the corner you see it, the garden gate that Kerry built to keep the chickens and ducks safe and restricted to the back yard.

The gate,  that is the divide, the entrance and the magical gateway to the other side, the pause and marker of where the breath of relaxation begins. This gate made with love, from salvaged cedar rails, draped with morning glory vines and bird feeders await your entrance.

A pause, a breath and then with a flip of the wooden latch it opens up to expose the many flower gardens, berry patches, veggie gardens and buildings that support the dreams, that have created the life, that loves building here.

It’s almost as though time stands still here once you step through the gate. The dragonflies dance from the pond to the plants and welcome the butterflies, birds and the bee’s in the dance of creation that only exists in the gardens. At any given moment one could visit you with a flutter or a buzz before landing on a flower petal. So sweet is the sight of a fuzzy little butt buried deep in a flower blossom or the gentile flutter of butterfly wings floating by on the wind. Life is good here in the garden, surrounded by all this beauty and its blessings.

Joy, Love & Abundance, Wanda