A Favorite Christmas Surprise

Hello all,  I think of you often and hope you're doing well.  It's been a while since I posted and there have been some changes in all of our lives. Coming back to Blogger after all this time, I wondered if I'd remember how to do this.  The tools here have changed a bit.  If you're reading this, I somehow figured it out. 

 Sometimes, in the midst of turmoil, there comes a ray of light that lightens one's spirit.  Just before Christmas, one such ray of light came in the form of a mystery in my mailbox. I didn't recognize the name or address of the sender listed on the slip of paper left by the postal carrier saying that I had a parcel to pick up at the post office.  Could it be dangerous  seeds from China?  Random gift from a family member  sent directly to me from a supplier?  A google search didn't prove helpful.  I'd just have to wait until the next day to head over to the post office and find out.  There was a sense of fun and comradery  among the pre-holiday throng at  the post office the next day.  (All wearing masks and spaced 6 feet apart and spilling out onto the street.)  It was almost like a holiday party.  When the package was finally in my hands, it was obviously a book.  What book could it be?

Books are awfully decorative don't you think?

 I'd already ordered a copy of Fearless Gardening  to be delivered after the release date in January so it was a delightful surprise to receive this early copy directly from the printer.  That it fit so well with my color scheme was an added bonus.

I've been a fan of Loree Bohl's Danger Garden Blog  for years.  In fact, nine years ago, as a surprise for a significant birthday, I actually got to meet Loree and visit her garden.  That meeting was the first of many as we visit each others gardens every so often and have become friends through the wonderful world of garden blogging.  

I wonder if the Bohl household looked anything like this recently?

 

So, how's the book?  you might ask.  Well, as someone who has read a fair number of garden books, I think this one is stellar and not just because there's a picture of my garden in there. (Very humbling to have my tackiness in such a fabulous book.)  Loree's excellent design skills and love of plants shines through every page of the book just as in her garden.  The book is like a key to freedom for gardeners who seem bound by the garden commandments, a celebration of gardening as an adventure, not a destination, a process, not a product.  I started skimming through a few pages here and there and decided that this is a book that I want to savor for a long time so I'm limiting myself to a few pages each day.  It's a book chock full of beautiful word images, gorgeous photographs, and wonderful advice about doing what makes you happy with your garden space. While it's filled with great information, it reads like a visit with a wise old (as in long term, not elderly) friend and will join some of my perennial favorite garden books that are reread frequently.  

If this book isn't in your hands yet, you should remedy that soon.  If you're looking for a gift for a gardening friend, you can't go wrong with this one.