“What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.”

~ G. K. Chesterton (English writer, poet, philosopher & theologian)

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& grateful grandma of garden lovers!)

I invite you to sit outside and enjoy breakfast on the patio in the shade of the Pine, listening to the sound of wind and water. Everything is sparkling in the early sunlight! The oppressive heat and heaviness in the air has been replaced by a crisp, cool lightness . . . Birds, plants, sky, clouds–everything seems to be dancing, grateful and glorious this morning after the rain.

Step outside into the garden and revel in the glory of this radiant, rain-washed world.
Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman, after a recent rain

Gardener’s wife (& rain-washed garden reveler)

“That beautiful season the Summer! Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (American poet and educator; 1807 – 1882).

Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife

With a garden, many childhood delights — paths to explore, flowers to gather, and pools to splash in — can be part of your reality, not just in summer, but all year long. If the nostalgia of a garden in summer is beckoning, we’d love to help you bring back the joys you treasured as a child.

James’ first official “children’s garden” was commissioned by a church preschool director who desired to create a natural play space, where rocks and trees replaced plastic and metal as the structural elements.

Since then, he has had the privilege of designing many garden spaces with children in mind. Now that we are grandparents, we are delighted to see the creativity with which grandchildren and friends alike enjoy the garden spaces James has incorporated around our home.

Shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& advocate of “natural” playgrounds)

Natural elements–sand, gravel, rocks, trees and grass–provide delightful sensory stimuli for little explorers. (On the left is the courtyard garden crafted for a church preschool. On the right, friends’ children prefer boulder “picnic tables”.)