This small space

I am completely content  to spend my afternoon before dinner relaxing on the patio while tulips, viburnum, redbud,  azealeas and lily of the valley put on a show around me.  And to spend an evening working out my stuff of the day or the week.

                                                     In a way that I can't anywhere else.

There is a satisfaction in  this wee space, contemplating when the peonies will bloom and wondering how that new rose on the fence will fare after her first winter. 

 Pondering . Digging. Thinking.  The place where I  am in concert with the creator much like the way you are when you give birth.....just assisting in what is already pretty much perfect on it's own.  A new addition this year is many ferns from a neighbor, which will be filling up a very shady spot where little else will grow. Soon the hummingbirds will be back. And though they are as predictable as the sunset,  every year it’s a surprise and joy to see them at the feeder.

While I miss my big gardens at the old house, I really do delight in this small space. It’s cozy, and I there is just enough room for my very favorites. The real bonus is that we can maintain it in an hour each week, instead of being a grueling time-suck!   With the big gardens, it took both of us and a crew many hours each summer to keep the garden in it’s best shape.  There was never much time for relaxation. These days, I get to  read, have a drink, or  nap on the patio almost daily instead of weeding, pruning, deadheading and digging almost daily.

So, I say, smaller is better. Much better.