“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”
~ Edith Sitwell (British poet; 1887-1964)
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (with gratitude for winter joys)
“It’s all in the attitude, you see. You can toil and sweat and grit your teeth and subdue the earth. Or you can toil and sweat and keep your eyes open, your ears alert, your nostrils quivering, your hands ready to reach out and touch. You can work with senses alert for the experience. You can BE instead of DO. And then your work will take on a spirit of gratitude, of joy — yes, of playfulness.”
~Emily Barnes (from Time Began in a Garden)
(Alternately, you can let us be the ones to do the work and bring joy to your garden with our customized maintenance plans. Give us a call: 717-653-1273.)
“Though they tamper with materials, the Japanese strive to idealize nature in gardens that give the impression of naturalness . . . But Japanese garden designers have not regarded stones as material through which to express their own ideas, as the stone sculptor does . . . . If there is an aesthetic element in this, it is the aesthetic of discovery . . . . Questions of moral and aesthetic awareness must take precedence over gardening techniques and skills. In other words, a beautiful mind is essential to the creation of a beautiful garden.”
~ Teiji Ito (Japanese composer and performer; 1935-1982)
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Grateful wife of a “beautiful mind”
If you are an artist like Betsy, you will not likely find scope for imagination and visual refreshment if the view outside your studio window is a haphazard collection of scrub bushes, concrete, dirt, and weeds. It was her need for artistic inspiration and a visit to Japan that led Betsy to seek garden builders that would realize her dream for a restful, beautiful space within the confines of the tiny, fenced-in courtyard outside her studio. It was the creative vision of designer James Hanselman and the exquisite craftsmanship of Ben Hanselman and Bob Lichty that were able to fill the space with the inspiration, serenity, and refreshment Betsy now enjoys from her studio and revels in daily.
I invite you now to compare the uninspiring “before” shot with the “after” images which reflect the transformation brought about with the creative vision, skillful craftsmanship, and intense dedication of the Hanselman Landscape team. (Join me after Thanksgiving for glimpses of the process by which Betsy’s unique, Japanese-inspired “nobedan” patio took shape.)
Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful VP)
You were all scarves and suitcases,
scented candles and autumn leaves.
You welcomed the dreary gray sky
with a sunshine smile
and I swear
the snow danced with you every year
on its first night in town.
~ Alicia N Green (Contemporary American poet and writer)
Shared whimsically by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& enthralled by all things autumnal)
Autumn … the year’s last, loveliest smile.
~ William Cullen Bryant
Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& thankful)
With the Thanksgiving Holiday officially over, can we stretch it out a bit longer and share a few of the grace gifts we’ve noticed and given thanks for lately? Please consider slowing just a bit; sit in the moment and look around at the beauty in the people, vistas, life around you. What loveliness is filling your heart right now? Feel free to share it in the comments below:-)