Today was the “maiden voyage” of my new gazebo. The Art Guild held their meeting here in the gazebo, and oh, it was so lovely! We were cool and comfortable in what is essentially an outdoor room. It took a little while to set up because I don’t have patio furniture, so I had to scrounge for a table and enough chairs for all of us.
It was fun being able to show off my house, garage, yard. Especially the yard. It looked so very nice, though admittedly, before they came, I had to spend time clearing away all the detritus that blew in from last night’s storm. (Odd how so many things blow into the yard — trash, leaves, twigs — but nothing blows out again.) Still, it was worth taking the time to make everything nice. One of the members used to live here (I bought the house from her and her husband), and she was thrilled to see what I’ve done with the place.
After the business meeting and refreshments (ice tea and made-from-scratch brownie bites), we started in on a surprise project. A surprise to them but not to me, obviously, since I’d planned it.
Until I became a gardener for real, using live plants, I made miniature gardens and miniature plants, using all sorts of materials such as paper, clay, beads, florist tape, whatever I could find. I only have room in my house for a couple of those miniature gardens, so I thought I’d share my extra flowers and plants with the Art Guild. The guild members picked out the tile they wanted for their garden base, and then they filled them with various miniature pretties.
(I thought that was a clever idea, to make gardens at a garden party.)
It was amazing to me (and to them!) seeing all the work that had gone into making those small plants, but that was a different time and place, as well as a different version of me. It’s amazing, too, to think I had so much free time to spend on such projects because now I seem to have barely enough time to do the basic things of daily life. Well, those and working in my yard.
Luckily, there is a joint Art Guild and Historical Museum tea this weekend, so I was able to donate the rest of the brownie bites to a good cause.
It was a good day, and I was thrilled that my gazebo was as wonderful as I’d hoped it would be.
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Pat Bertram is the author of intriguing fiction and insightful works of grief.
Bertram's Blog 
June 9, 2022 at 10:13 am
I’m glad your garden party was such a success!!!!!!!
June 9, 2022 at 4:07 pm
It really was nice. Maybe someday you can come to see my mini estate!
June 9, 2022 at 4:23 pm
It sounds like your garden party was a hit, and the weather even cooperated. Having your guests make mini gardens was a delightful idea. I have a friend that makes ‘teeny tiny gardens’, too, and sells them at local farmers’ markets. The closest I’ve come to trying my hand at it was working with my young granddaughter to create a fairy garden in a bowl…ceramic fairies, a mini gypsy-style wagon, a couple tiny animals and a few plants. It survived seven years until only one ivy plant remained; I dismantled it just this spring. A little whimsy is good for the soul. My effort was inspired in part by the story behind ‘The Gnomist’ documentary film. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s worth googling.
June 9, 2022 at 7:50 pm
A fairy garden sounds nice. I’m sorry you had to dismantle yours. A friend gave me a miniature gnome and a miniature gnome house last year, and this year I added a couple of more houses.
I’d never heard of The Gnomist, but what a great story! I first saw gnome doors on a tree at a botanical garden on my cross-country trip and wanted one for myself, but alas, I have no trees with big enough trunks. Maybe some year.