“We are accustomed to consider Winter the grave of the year, but it is not so in reality. Winter is pause in music, but during the pause the musicians are privately tuning their strings, to prepare for the coming outburst. Underground, beneath snow and frost, next spring and summer are secretly getting ready. In Nature there is no such thing as paralysis. Each thing flows into the other, as movement into movement in graceful dances.”

~Alexander Smith (Scottish poet and essayist; 1829-1867)

What spring or summer garden plans are you turning over in your mind during the winter pause? We’d love to hear from you and help you “prepare for the coming outburst” now: 717-653-1273.

Shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife

“Like mimic meteors the snow
In silence out of heaven sifts,
And wanton winds that wake and blow
Pile high their monumental drifts.

And looking through the window-panes
I see, ‘mid loops and angles crossed,
The dainty geometric skeins
Drawn by the fingers of the Frost.

‘Tis here at dawn where comes his love,
All eager and with smile benign,
A golden Sunbeam from above,
To read the Frost’s gay valentine.”

~Frank Dempster Sherman (American poet; 1860-1916)

Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife

Here in the Northeast, we observe four seasons and either celebrate or rue the seasonal changes that dictate our wardrobe, our activities, and our house and garden projects.

In Japan, however, the traditional Japanese calendar divides the year into 24 major divisions which are each split again into three for a total of 72 kö (or micro-seasons) that last around five days each. In their present form, these 72 “seasons” offer a poetic journey through the Japanese year, exemplifying a culture infused with deep sensitivity and appreciation for the nuances of nature.

Inspiring me to walk through each day with senses wide open to the wonders around me, here are a few of the beautifully lyrical descriptions of Japan’s seasonal changes: Spring wind thaws the ice; Brush warbler starts singing in the mountains; First Cherry blossoms; Distant thunder; Wild geese fly north; Bamboo shoots sprout; Rotten grass becomes fireflies; Hawks learn to fly; Evening cicadas sing; Maple and Ivy turn yellow; North wind blows leaves from the trees . . . .

What about you? What seasonal beauty speaks to you on this November day?

Gratefully shared by Betty Hanselman, Gardener’s wife,

from: https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00124/?fbclid=IwAR3wMhb39KtmXeYq_P6NE746ouSOzLucf4_RFVPhHTd11EKPFZHx2JKh8T8 and https://www.kurashikata.com/72seasons/?fbclid=IwAR0BP3CNSgp6peLKCYG7DbJnEdJuX9Nra_aNdNG2XGAeWXxpDgS3f1AmABU

“Sometimes our fate resembles a (fruit) tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.”

~Johann Wolfgang Goethe (German writer; 1749-1832)

Thoughtfully shared by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife

Create a Personal Eden

If your yard makes you feel like you’re on display, James Hanselman recommends adding trees, strategically selected and placed to provide privacy and shade. “Our Lancaster clients, for example, owned a small, flat corner lot in full view of other houses and everyone who drove by,” he recalls. “They wanted to spend time outside but felt as though they were in a fishbowl. They were considering moving, but after we designed and installed their backyard paradise, they decided to stay.”

The photo here shows the transformation James and his team made to this Lancaster County, PA property: from bleak, “public” backyard to private, restful oasis!

Contributed by Betty Hanselman

Gardener’s wife (& “Eden garden” beneficiary)