Love Notes

Apr 14, 2025 • #change #Green #Lilac #spring #strength

Fresh Lilacs, Spring Greens, & the Beauty of Change

This weekend, I’ve been thinking about change. Maybe it's the chill and constant rain which followed that "80 degree + blue sky + teaser of a day" Mother Nature had sent earlier last week. Or perhaps it’s the rebirth that's erupting in the garden outside my window. Yes, let's seize on the latter.

"Spring is a gentle reminder of how beautiful change can be." — Unknown

Good old change — it is the only thing we can always count on.

But change can also be a wee bit scary — at least in my experience. Recently, I've been burrowing down a philosophical rabbit hole, searching for tools to better navigate change. READ MORE

Apr 14, 2025 • #easter

Easter Eggs 7/7/25

Today we're talking treats for your Easter baskets, and my intention had been to talk about the newly popularized meaning of "Easter Eggs" - which I thought was "little unexpected treats". Had this been a quiz, I might have gotten a bit of partial credit, but it turns out that I was mostly wrong. Sigh. Thank you Mr. Google. I've now learned that Easter eggs appear in films like Toy Story and ET, (and even in Taylor Swift lyrics), and are defined as hidden messages or details that engage the viewer, reward the observant fan, provide humor, and sometimes offer a clue to other works or projects yet to come. READ MORE

Mar 31, 2025 • #bee #bird #Garden Week #gardens #pollinator

The Pollinator Issue 3/31/25

I've learned a lot about native plants and pollinators through my 29 years in the Garden Club of Virginia and the Garden Club of America. Perhaps most importantly, I've learned how much I don't know.

Pollinators are essential for maintaining vibrant ecosystems, and for the health of many of our food crops. Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats and other insects visit flowers in search of food, found in nectar and pollen. While these small creatures feed, they transfer pollen from one plant to another. From this, *cue the fireworks*, comes fertilization, leading to the formation of fruit and seeds. As much as three fourths of the world's flowering plants and 35 percent of our food supply depend on pollinators. READ MORE

Mar 30, 2025 • #ceramics #Daffodils #gardens #Tablescape #Tablescapes

My Garden Groweth 3/24/25

Hang onto your spring bonnets - this one's a big one. Welcome happy Monday morning! I arrived home from my Florida adventure last Monday to be greeted by a sea of hellebores, daffodils, forsythia, camellia and tulip magnolia in full bloom. Mother Nature's welcome party - WOW thank you! I dragged my "HEAVY" bags into the front hall, and out the back door I skipped, eager to survey nature's blossoming ladies in waiting.

Strolling through the garden, I found myself in full conversation, "Oh my how you've grown Miss Camellia, almost halfway up the fence now aren't we?" I had worried about her and her two sisters during our unusually frigid winter here in Virginia. READ MORE

Mar 17, 2025 • #beach

Girls Just Want to Have Sun 3/17/25

Today's note is but a brief postcard. It was my last weekend in Florida, and while I'm clothed in a wee bit more than the two gals above*, I am 100 percent embracing their vibe. As you read this, I'll be on a plane home - and after a crazy successful and fun trunk show at the Gasparilla Inn, I took these last few days off (mostly) to kick back and soak in the sun.

I hope your week is soaked with sunshine, fair winds and following seas. READ MORE