Come Into My Garden
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About 3:00 every day all work ceases at our house and we enjoy that most civilized of activities--Afternoon Tea. It all began when our daughter Elizabeth was born after three sons. My mother had always had tea parties with me, so I naturally had them with my daughter.
And then the boys discovered we weren't just having tea-we were having goodies like brownies as well. I still remember the day when John, age 7, plopped himself down on the blanket where Elizabeth and I were having tea in the garden and asked, "Do you have a cup for me?" That was the moment tradition was born.
As I became more involved in my writing career it became ever more important that when the door flew open and the children came in from school, I would leave my typewriter (yes, before the days of computers) and put the kettle on so they could share all about their day.
It was especially fun when they brought friends home with them. One of my fondest memories is of 10-year-old John lecturing a table crowded with his friends, "All right, guys, afternoon tea isn't about grabbing food, it's about relaxing and conversation." Once in awhile one of those little boys still drops by our house about 3:00, now with their own son or daughter. They still call me Mom, too.
So, let's begin our garden tour with a cup of tea and a sandwich or scone.
Seasons in My Garden
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Visiting the garden is the most relaxing thing to do after a day spent tracking murderers. My roses are almost all David Austin English Roses and my style is strictly English cottage garden (think Anne Hathaway's cottage). The flowers re-seed themselves freely, mostly choking out the weeds by themselves. Besides, I live in the Idaho desert where green is good, and weeds are green, too.
--Donna Fletcher Crow