Last September I had the most remarkable stroke of good fortune!
I was at a lecture at a local nursery listening to one of my longtime mentors ~ Tovah Martin.
Afterwards we were sharing gardening stories and I showed Tovah the playhouse I had just finished for my granddaughter Julianna.
To my utter surprise and shock ~ she asked if she could come visit my garden!
A few weeks went by before her visit and my excitement was on overload.
The morning before she arrived I set a pretty table out in the garden with a collection of treats and ice cold beverages.
The hydrangea's in my garden celebrated Tovah's arrival by being in their most perfect state for pretty floral arrangements.
When her car pulled up I thought I would jump out of my skin!
I greeted her with one of my big bear hugs and then a funny thing happen ~ all of my nerves disappeared. Standing before me was just another gardener who doesn't mind scratched up knees to get at that stubborn weed.
That's not to in anyway diminish the amazing accomplishments this special lady has made.
She has written over 12 books including "Tasha Tudor’s Garden."
She has written for every gardening magazine you can think of and frequent appearances on PBS and Martha Stewart's show.
However standing before me was a kind, gentle woman in no way full of herself but instead full of child like wonder in the world around her.
She began snapping pics as soon as she walked in the door.
Then out to the garden! I felt like a little girl with a new friend visiting my playroom!
I told her all the silly names I have for the different "rooms" in my garden, I talked and talked with almost no filter for I had no fears of feeling silly.
I live in a very "humble" neighborhood to put it nicely. The homes are mostly from the late 1800's early 1900's but not very impressive as they have been mostly divided into multi family dwellings.
There is a 10 foot high ugly chain link fence that runs along one side of the yard and at the time my neighbors grass hadn't been cut in a good month.
In spite of all that ~ Tovah walked through the yard with wonder.
I watched her eyes twinkle as she looked every which way.
She called the uncut grass a "meadow" which brought me great joy!
What a positive way to look at it!
After we had walked through the yard we made our way back to the table for a cold drink and gluten free blueberry pie.
I gave her a cigar box covered in crazy quilt and added some hand dyed silk ribbon inside ~
not knowing that she wears a ribbon in her hair every single day!
I even gave her a copy of an article I wrote about a vintage garden in Naugatuck called "The Gardens of Old Spencer Homestead."
After a few hours and non-stop chatter ~ it was time for my new friend to leave.
She told me as she was getting in her car that she felt like she had been on an little vacation.
Truly her visit was a gift from God.
For this amazing gardener and mentor to find beauty in something I had done validated every run in with poison ivy, every person who may have judged me for the countless hours spent in the garden instead of doing something "more important" and made me ever so thankful for the tug I always feel in my heart to believe even greater things for this tiny piece of dirt in a not so fancy neighborhood.
I'm so thankful for those in the world that find beauty in the little things, the things that still need some work.
I'm thankful for Tovah who lifted me up in a hundred different ways by taking the time from her very busy schedule to visit my garden.
