the garden of my heart
by Elouise
This past Sunday D and I visited Chanticleer. It’s only a 20 minute drive from our house. You can walk through the entire garden, with a few off-path adventures, in a couple of hours. Alternatively, you can spend the day exploring tempting side paths. Bring your picnic lunch and eat at one of the picnic tables, or on your own blanket spread anywhere you like on the grass. Or you could sit in a lawn chair and read a book all afternoon.
On Sunday it was a bit crowded, but not too much for a leisurely stroll punctuated with stops for photo ops. D took the photo at the top on Mother’s Day in May 2015. It’s one of my favorites. Later this week I’ll post a photo review of Sunday’s visit.
During the last few weeks I’ve begun reviewing all my Haiku/Poetry posts, selecting some for possible publication in an ebook. The poem below is among them, inspired by the photo at the top.
the garden of my heart
sits quietly waiting
chairs placed side by side
beam with glowing luster
tadpoles swim
mosquitoes buzz
flowers dip and sway,
music from a springtime breeze
invites me out to play
lily pads provoke a game
of hopscotch cricket-style
dragon-flies flit overhead
and clap their wings for joy
cool water laps around the reeds
a gentle under-tone
announcing your arrival soon
to be with me
alone
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 16 June 2015
Photo found at Chanticleer Garden Guide
Chanticleer Pond Garden
Time to get back to sorting through those lovely poems. Surprisingly, I’m feeling more energized about this project than I anticipated. Thanks for all the likes and comments you left in the past, especially on my haiku/poetry posts. It’s heartwarming to see and read them again! Even inspirational.
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 1 August 2017
Telling the Truth 
Ah yes. Chanticleer is a “church” of sorts for me…homilies abound, each growing thing worshipping God with their individual “thisness”, inviting me to join in and do the same…building each other up for continued service, my soul inspired and refreshed by the profuse biodiversity, cooperation, humility, and interdependence of the garden. You know? Loving blessings, sister.
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Oh yes, Nancy. I do know. It’s a wonderland. Your comment reminds me of the profuse abundance we saw Sunday afternoon! 🙂
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What beautiful words! And this photo! I just can dive directly into it. Thanks!
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You’re so welcome Shayem!
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🙂 Ditto to Nancy…thank you, Elouise! Again!
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You’re welcome, Debbie! Again! 😊
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it is a lovely peace filled photo, I can see how it inspired your words and It think they’d be a great addition to the book of E ❤
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I find it strange the way Americans when saying how far away a place is always say it is 20 minutes or half an hour, they never say it 20 miles or 30 miles,
A place 20 minutes away at 30 mph is 10 miles at 60 mph it’s 20 miles and if you have your foot planted on the accelerator and are doing a ton then 33 and a bit miles away.
Can you see why I’m confused?
My question is: How far away is Chanticleer from where you live?
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Hi, Brian. I don’t know how many miles it is! It really doesn’t matter though since we live in a congested area and 20 minutes is an average that could stretch into 45 minutes! Congestion causes include traffic on a bad weather morning; major highways closed due to a snow or ice or flooding emergency; tree crew and telephone wire crews and gardening crews and paving crews halting or diverting traffic for interminable detours. Uh….I’m sure I can think of more, but you probably don’t want to know! There’s no open highway anywhere around where I live–sadly. The Northeast Corridor, as we’re called (from Washington DC to NYC), is notorious for bad traffic. In and out of cities and their suburbs. Take your water, a snack, and know what you’ll do if you need a potty break! Do you get my drift….? 🙂 Now I’ll just shut my mouth and leave you in peace. So happy to see you this morning! Truly! 🙂
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Doesn’t your motor car have an odometer that tells you the distance travelled? Perhaps US vehicles just come with clocks so that the not to bright can work out how far away they are from something by the time,
Whereas we plebs in Australia drive vehicles that do have odometers that actually tell us the distance traveled on each trip if we so desire.
perhaps one day we will catch up with the US and go by “Time Travel”. Too much Sci-Fi perhaps? 😈
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😊 I rarely pay attention to the odometer when I’m driving locally. If I don’t leave my house with adequate time for the unexpected, the number of miles won’t help me. I do, however know where the odometer is, but don’t rely on it. When I check Google maps to plan a trip locally, I need to know how to get there, and where the problem spots are, with estimated travel times via several routes. 😟 I’d say the major problem is unpredictable traffic slowdowns and detours. I will, however, ask Mr. Google how far it is from my house to Chanticleer, and let you know. tomorrow. 😊
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Thank you
😳
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7.8 miles, but not via the back roads we take. 9.3 miles max. I’d be honored to drive you there in my carriage when next you visit the good old US of A! 🙂 I see you left me a link to a recipe. Thanks! I’ll check it out–even though I can’t do dairy anymore. 😦 I do like looking at it though….
Elouise
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You like the lasagna then you might like
this too
https://lordbeariofbow.com/2016/09/17/wednesdays-child/
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