Winter Dreams of Spring

   Let me lure you into the garden.   With all of the winter snow that has been blowing I am sure that it won't take too much of a twist to your arm to get you to go with me.  I would even guess that some of you are already experiencing nice fireside moments with stacks of garden books, seed catalogs and magazines by your side and if you are really lucky you might actually drift off to sleep at night with winter dreams of spring.

 Perhaps you have already been to my friend's garden.  As you can see her name is Carolyn Aiken and she has a wonderful blog called Aiken House and Garden.  Carolyn lives on Prince Edward Island and each week she shares some of  the most beautiful photography I think I have ever seen.  Her blog has  become a soothing balm for many of us as we put on the tea kettle and drink deeply from her steady pour of beauty.  She shares her lovely gardens, family, her beautiful home, tea parties and recipes but more than that she has become the sweet face icon that many of us love to see in our comment column as we experience her words of encouragement and kindness.  I heard once that, "One is closer to God in the Garden," and I would have to say that He has certainly rubbed off on my friend!  I am quite certain that He has guided her hands as she assisted Him in creating the wonders of her very own incredible Garden of Eden.

 I love to look at all her mosaic style pictures.  In fact I actually study them.  Some days her blog is my only stop for inspiration.    I think from this collection we can see that she has had a little help in her garden.
This I believe is her husband and  childhood sweetheart.  They say that behind every good man is a woman but I would like to add to that that behind every good woman with a beautiful garden there is a good man with a shovel a strong back!   So, thank you Mr. A.

I hope that you have enjoyed this time in my friend's garden. Go back often, brush off a snow covered bench and breathe in the inspiration of this beautiful place and remember the words to this beautiful song,  "Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose."