Inspiration

Visit the gardens of others and let inspiration take you by the hand.

An Alternate Point of View :: The Blanco River

What do Rebar, Shadows and Garden Tours Have in Common?

I enjoyed the company of fellow bloggers Pam, Shirley and David last Saturday while strolling several Austin gardens.  Gardens on Tour 2013, sponsored by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, offered a glimpse into an eclectic mix of gardens featuring native and adapted plants.    

While sifting through the photos, these three captured my imagination with their form and light play.  This rebar awning at 2001 Westridge Drive was fantastic.  Just shows how much hardscape can play a vital role in design.

I'm sorry to say I still haven't regained my blogging mojo so please visit my friend's posts (just click on their names) to get a detailed description of the gardens.  You'll find tons of gardening inspiration and a variety of styles showcasing the many beautiful plants that call Austin home.

The Day My Ugly Turned Interesting

You'll notice I didn't title my post The Day My Ugly Turned Pretty.  This isn't about pretty... at this point though, interesting will suffice.

We all have them, I think.  The frustrating spots in our gardens that just don't ever look the way we envision them looking.  I plant with the expectation that this new plant will be the plant that will finally adapt to the treacherous spot I scathingly refer to as the cemetery.  Nothing thrives here for various reasons ... too shady then a long, scorching blast of late day sun, too dry, too near the fence where our dog likes to gossip with the wildlife {read trample whatever is planted} ... yada yada.

But oh, how my recent trip to Warrenton, Texas, changed all that.  Antique Weekend happens not too far from Austin ... half way between here and Houston off Hwy 290.  Twice a year treasure seekers scour hundreds of booths searching for the perfect finds.

At the booth of a favorite vendor who is sadly retiring from the show, I discovered this most fascinating of treasures.  A mask of some sort that makes the most ugly of cemetery corners into the most interesting of corners. 

He sits atop an antique ladder, also found in Warrenton.  Together the two pieces give the height, texture, color and interest I've been searching for.  And the best part was that it wasn't a planned experience ...  completely serendipitous!  The ladder was meant for another purpose and the mask, well, the mask was a total impulse buy.  I knew I'd find a place for him in my garden. 

He now sits gazing across the garden adding tons of personality and character.  He is seen from the kitchen window giving me a whimsical, half grin looking somewhat like he knows my secret.  The secret of how a chance encounter at an antique booth far, far away turned my ugly into awesome.

In this present day. In this present moment.

I choose gratitude ...

How about you?

Word of the Year 2013 ~ I Like It

If you're a long time reader here (thank you), you know that I don't go in for New Year's resolutions.  They tend to get broken which in turn leaves me feeling disappointed in myself.  Too much pressure for this gardener.

Instead, I choose a word to guide, motivate and ground me throughout the year.  That's not really true ...  the word chooses me somehow.  Like an old, soft and comfortable sweater, the word settles on my heart and I instinctively know that it is the word.

It goes something like this:  wandering down a multitude of mental bunny trails in a distracted sort of way and then believing that I've found the perfect word only to be hit with a mental mind slap by the word that has found me. 

Some of the words I've claimed and tried to honor include:  espy, stretch, freedom, forgiveness, discipline, balance and spontaneity.  (My family definitely wouldn't say that I claimed (or honored) spontaneity - I tried -  they love me anyway ♥). 

The closing of this swiftly moving year finds me enjoying a satisfyingly cold and drizzly day by the fireplace.  Jotting down ideas and words, I thought several times that I had the right word, several words in fact teased  and tempted.  Completion (for the numerous incomplete projects), grace (to honor those who share it with me and to offer it to those who need it), light (because we live in a dangerously dark world that begs for more), encourage (because it makes others feel cared for and nurtured and it makes me happy to see them grow)...

But none of these words settled comfortably.  The word was just out of reach, out on the periphery of my mind's edge.  And it wouldn't be summoned. 

And then the word appeared ... and I knew it was right.

Let me share a few of it's synonyms with you:  accidentally on purpose (my personal favorite), awake, deliberate, cognizant, insightful, observant, gratuitous, premeditated.  It's a good list. 
 
It's a good word.  Solid and full of purpose.  It's all encompassing and motivating.  It's not a quiet, subtle or lazy word.  It has bite.  I like it. 

It allows room for action on all the other words that were swimming around my mind.  With intention I will offer grace, light and encouragement.  And come hell or high water, with intention I will get some of these projects completed.

 

intentional

I like it. 

 

I've Been Keeping a Secret...

The suspense has been killing me...

This project has been in the works since the beginning of June.  It's a project that I've been begging  asking my husband to build for a while as I'm not so handy with razor sharp blades.  Honestly, they scare the bejeebies out of me. 

I've pinned multiple styles for inspiration.  Dreamed about one, visualized one on my porch.  Imagined all the ways our family would love this.  I've obsessed actually. 

One perfect day my husband came home and said he was ready to build it.  I was beside myself GIDDY!

Now, it's not completely finished yet.  Which is my fault.  My husband finished up his part long ago and we've been using and loving  it for well over a month. 

But I wanted it to have a kind of grand introduction, you know?  I wanted it to be all fluffed and dressed pretty before I had the big reveal.

Then in one moment it happened and I just couldn't stand it any longer.  I had to share with you because you, dear readers and fellow gardeners, understand the joy when a garden dream becomes reality.

My youngest {who is now 6'1"} was in NYC for the week on a mission trip and he returned exhausted.

My husband and I were on our way out the back door when I saw this...

I grabbed a quick shot with my phone camera {he would kill me if he knew; fortunately 16 year old boys don't read their mom's gardening blogs}.  In that little moment my heart swelled.  We did it.  We created a sleeping porch!  And everyone in the family loves  it.  All the imagining and daydreaming and obsessing about this bed swing is now a reality.

This post isn't quite the big reveal I had hoped for.  The pillows aren't made and it's not quite dressed the way I see it in my mind's eye but the most important part is finished.  It's a porch that draws you in and welcomes you comfortably.  It's a porch where we will find respite.  A place to daydream, read, laugh, sleep, chat.  It's a place where memories will be made.

It's everything I imagined and more.  ♥ Thank you DJ ♥

Great Writing: A Few Blogs For You to Check Out

 

 {afternoon reflection of a single zinnia bloom in the kitchen window}

Lee of A Guide To Northeastern Gardening has graciously awarded me the One Lovely Blog award.  Thank you, Lee for the honor of such sweet recognition.  Gardening in Long Island, New York, Lee shares her knowledge and love of design and horticulture with her readers.

The rules for the One Lovely Blog Award are:

Thank the person who nominated you for the award and link back to their blog.
List seven things about yourself.
Nominate up to ten blogs for the award.

• fritos and bean dip are not safe in my presence
• i can type nearly 100 words per minute
• reading the dictionary fascinates me
• it's all about the hunt:  flea markets, estate sales, and consignment shops rock 
• i marvel daily at God's unwavering grace
• my best friend tells me my nose crinkles when I laugh
• there can never be too much football...high school, college, pro - it's all good

Honestly, all who take the time and make the effort to create quality posts are worthy of recognition for this award.  I'm constantly in awe of the quality information and images I find in the blogosphere.

Lately I've been really inspired by a few bloggers whose writing has captured my imagination and I'd like to nominate them for this award.  I hope you'll visit their blogs.

Austin Agrodolce
Deb is a fellow Austinite whose writing is quirky, authentic and intelligent.  She weaves stories that transport and entertain.

Foxglove Lane
Catherine writes from Ireland and has a keen sense of observation.  She captures life's moments both with her eloquent words and her beautiful photography.

Mulish & Co.
Roberta also hails from right here in Central Texas.  She says "This blog is not my first rodeo, as they are wont to say in Texas. It may be, however, my first true blog, the first blog I've kept that resonates with me. I keep it to track my path to a writing life. A life in which, creativity, and writing in particular, come first."

Two Sharp Pencils and a Broken Crayon
My friend Julie writes on creativity with razor sharp wit and deep insight.  She will have you thinking about creativity in a whole new way and will inspire you to pursue your creative dreams.

Happy reading,
Cat

What You Do Matters...Really.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

This is what I tell myself when I'm feeling run over by the garden.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

When another plant up and dies.  Or when the rabbits continue to chomp through all that lovely new growth brought by the recent rains.  When your sweet, excited, 80 pound dog tromps through the perennials trying to get at said rabbits.  When you walk out the front door and discover two never-seen-before insects and wonder if they are friend or foe.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

Did you know that you don't really know a plant until you've killed at least three of them?

That's what a gracious gardening friend tells me when I explain to her that I can't grow something she has growing beautifully in her garden.  I tell her, "Oh, I've tried that and it died."  She says, "Oh, you don't really know a plant until you've killed it three times!"

Thank you, Lord, for friends like her.  There is nothing like genuine encouragement to lift you up. 

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

And although we can tell ourselves this, it is often nice to hear it from someone else.

So I'm here today telling you that what you do matters.  And to encourage you to keep on doing what you do.

Don't give up.  Don't be discouraged for long.  Gardening and creativity (yes, really, gardeners are creatives) are skills that need to be practiced.  And practiced.  And practiced.

Take a minute to listen to this sage advice...

Keep doing what you do.  It matters.

Really.  ♥