Love Notes

Jun 06, 2022 • #charlottesville #middleburg #virginia

5/30/22 Virginia Country Living

Lucky me got to spend several nights over the last two weeks in both Charlottesville and Middleburg. The Virginia countryside is breathtakingly beautiful, and I urge you all to consider it for your next domestic mini getaway. Delicious food (and wine), inspiring gardens, and some of our country's finest farms await your visit.

May 31, 2022 • #charlottesville #flower arranging #peony #pink

5/16/22 Paean to the Peony

My husband suggested the title for this week's note, "Paean to the Peony". "No one will know what that means", I said, not pointing out that no one included me. Sigh. I looked it up and learned: paean: "a song of praise or triumph". Well Lordy me, that's just what I had written. Let's sing it out to the rafters!

May 24, 2022 • #gardens #Green #Lilac

5/23/2022 Ode to Lilac and Green

What is it about the combination of lilac and green that soothes and brightens all at once? Maybe the design scheme still seems a bit of a surprise, as opposed to say, a room decked out in soft turquoise and white, one which we all know and would happily move into tomorrow. Or perhaps there's something wired within our brainstem - the part that knows without thinking - that recognizes the beguiling interplay of lilac and green as two of Mother Nature's favorite bedfellows.

May 09, 2022 • #bird

5/9/2022 Birds of a Feather

Welcome to a lot of new Love Note readers! How to best describe what goes on here each Monday? Eighteen months ago, I began penning these weekly missives. It was the first autumn of Covid and my brain was besieged with crazy lockdown fairies swarming about inside my head. I also had a lot of pent up creative energy, and craved a feeling of connectedness with people outside our little world. It was therapy for me, essentially.

May 02, 2022 • #flower arranging #gardens #spring

5/2/22 Mother's Day in Blooming Color

Happy Mothers Day week to all the mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and dog mothers out there. (If you're a veteran Love Note reader, you will know that my dog Chester is an exemplary gift giver.) While a delivery of flowers is always appreciated, here's a few ideas for Mothers Day gifts with longer lasting beauty.