Here comes Fall! Are you starting to prep your gardens for next year? This is how I started off the day after Labor Day.
“To the person or persons who took all of the solar lights that decorated my fence, I really hope you use them to make your home someplace beautiful. I cannot afford much to do it for mine and those were a gift to me, now they are mine to you! (This is not how surprise gifting works but hey, if you are happy, who am I to question it.) The gent across the street loved to see them so share the view with your neighbors! If you would like to return them, that would be nice but I would rather you keep them and enjoy them. If you need more, you will be able to get them from the dollar store (if they still have any, they are getting ready for Halloween and such.). I do miss their glow. Have a lovely day everyone!”
I had stayed home sick from working at the school. I was opening up the computer, looking out the front window, when I noticed the lights were gone. To be completely honest, living in the city, I expected them to disappear long before now. I had been pleasantly surprised that they lasted this long. My neighbor across the street had recently lost his wife and told me how much he enjoyed watching them glow from his front porch at night. Watching them from my office window in the evening was quite relaxing. Other people would see me outside and tell me that they enjoy them, “it makes the area seem more friendly”.
Truthfully, I am a little bit sad over it. Enough that I wrote the above post in the East Toledo Neighbors group. These lights were really cool solar lights that looked like mini carnage lights that had candles in them. They were a gift from my daughter’s mother-in-law for when I started working on my gardens. She knew how important my gardens are to me and wanted to be a part of it. I thought about zip tying them to the fence but never got around to it. Next time, I know better.
When I lived in Saint Helen, I had two ponds. The first one started out as an idea that if I used a kid’s pool, dropped into the ground, with the most “interesting” use of sandbags and a popped mattress float, I would have a summer home for my pet turtle. Friends and family would come and put some time into making it the perfect little water feature. Neighbors would come and relax by it with me. I loved how it brought people together. I threw in some goldfish and a couple of minnows that were caught at the beach. Frogs and toads would frequent the area, as would the occasional snake. Birds would sit in the running waterfall. It’s funny how that pond grew over the years into the beautiful pond I took up before I moved.
When my best friend from high school passed, I put the second pond in. It was more hidden in the backyard. It was helpful to sit and dig with a hand trowel and just “be” for a moment. With the help of my shih tzus, that hole grew into a three-and-a-half-foot deep pond. I used a kids’ slide as the cascading waterfall. I could sit in it and the waterfall hit my shoulders. It made a lovely splash. My neighbor Lori moved her fire ring closer to my fence so she could enjoy the water and the fire while she hung around outside. Personally, I liked that I could be on either porch and enjoy the aesthetics. The lights, sound, and wildlife that joined me was such a peaceful existence.
The place I bought here in Toledo has a yard that is three lots large. I am on a corner with a dirt alley, next to and behind my house. I have a ton of space to garden. Last November I planted the plants that I brought with me from St. Helen. A rose bush that my sister and I bought for my mom, two rose bushes I got on clearance last year, a pussy willow, and a lilac tree were brought and I was really happy with how they have done. This year, I added two plum trees, and a bush that I can never remember the name of but it’s really pretty. There are white Rose of Sharon growing all over my yard and thistle bushes and when I can’t get to mow the lawn for a while, the wildflowers are gorgeous! My daughter Leah’s friend Andy has brought me a double waterfall pond for me to install.
I know that when I am done making my gardens, it will be gorgeous. People will be able to stop and enjoy a peaceful place while they are going wherever they are. I love when my work is shared and brings joy to others. Will people still steal my lights? Oh, I am certain that they will. Will that stop me from making this the paradise that I originally envisioned when I bought “Foxx Manor”? Heck no. It’s just lights.
