2022 In the Garden

"Build pockets of stillness into your life."

―Maria Popova

I don't normally do a blog post about the garden, but this year I made some big changes so I thought a post was in order.  As I sat down to write, it occurred to me the seeds of this project were planted 13 years ago!  When we added a screen porch to the back of our house, the man who laid the pavers underneath asked us what we wanted to do with the extra dirt.  I distinctly remember him asking, "Do you want us to haul the dirt away or put it in a mound in your back yard?"  I recall looking over at George and my next door neighbor John and they said... "Oh, just put it in the back yard...maybe we can use it for something someday." 

“Because of what you have done, things will happen later which can't possibly be foreseen.”

― Iris Murdoch

Well, that mound of dirt sat there for 13 years! Finally, last fall I decided to take some action.  For two days I attacked the mound with a shovel and simply flung the dirt as far as I could.  Did I hurt my back?  Yes.  Am I happy the mound is finally gone?  YES!  When my back told me I was done moving dirt, a low circle remained.  At first I was irritated, but then it occurred to me I could build a low stone wall around it.  It was late fall when this occurred to me...probably too late to complete the stone project, but not too late to plant a rhododendron. 

"The first gesture of an architect is to draw a perimeter;
in other words, to separate the microclimate from the macro space outside.
This in itself is a sacred act." — Mario Botta

LOW STONE WALL

This spring I was happy the rhododendron survived the winter and George and I started the project.  After harvesting all the "extra" stone from around our yard I realized we needed a couple more rows.  My Dad came down with his truck and we made a trip to Creech's Ohio Valley Stone.  The next day George and I built the wall.  Below you can see the wall and the rhododendron.      

Later that week I had a wonderful time at Natorp's buying shade plants.  I bought Jacob's Ladder, Lady's Mantle, shade Phlox, Mukdenia, ferns, and a hosta.

Below you can see the final wall with all the plantings.

“Sometimes since I’ve been in the garden I’ve looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

And here is the view from the other side before the wall and after.  From this view you can see it is more of a crescent wall that ends as the elevation gets more shallow.

BOULDERS

Last fall we had two large, overgrown bushes removed from the front yard and their absence left two gaping holes in the landscape.  So when I was at the stone store I couldn't help but notice the beautiful selection of boulders.  Again, my Dad brought his truck down and I had a great time selecting bounlers.  I was like a kid in a candy store and the guys at the stone store were so helpful, always happy to oblige me and roll this or that boulder over for inspection.  At one point, I was walking around a giant pile of rocks and the man who was helping me was a native Spanish speaker.  I apologized for taking so long but told him the stones "have to speak to me (tienen que llamarme)."  He didn't miss a beat when he responded, "Yes, of course, they have to speak to your heart. (Por supuesto, tienen que llamar al corazón.)"  After many "conversations" I came home with two beautiful boulders.

"Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it and let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you." ― Eckhart Tolle

When we pulled into the driveway we weren't sure how we were going to get them to their new locations.  But we were able to use to two old, sturdy boards to shimmy them down from the truck and roll them into their new homes.

PLANTER

When we first bought our house we ignored the side yard for a good three years.  When I finally turned my attention to it, you couldn't even walk from the front to the back yard due to the weeds that towered overhead.  Once we cleared those weeds, I realized there was an underlayer of day lilies.  We have spent the last twenty years trying to dig them up.  They still appear and I still try and dig them.  It is a gardening ritual that will probably last as long as we own the house.  I have always had a vision for this side yard that included some sort of focal point in the middle.  I envisioned a boulder fountain, or a bird bath, or a large pot. 

I like to be open to what solution might present itself.  And this year I happened to visit Grandma's Garden's in Waynesville when I noticed this incredible stone planter.  The intricate relief designs reminded me of Mayan carvings.  I kept circling the display of planters, but that one pot kept calling me back to it... like "mi corazón" had ears .  I think I saw it in May or June and didn't buy it because I thought it was a little pricey.  But I kept thinking about that pot for a month and that's how I knew it was meant to be.

In July I met my Mom at Grandma's and I was nervous it would be gone.  But I was so happy when I saw she was still in there in all her glorious detail.  My Mom generously purchased it (and a load of plants to fill it) for me as an early birthday present and I am so in love with it.  Thank you Mom!  And thank you for always being a model of generosity and giving in my life.  I strive to be more like you in this way.

I know not many people will walk around my side yard.  But you can also see it when you look over the side porch.  It made me happy every day to stand on the side porch and water it over the edge. 

It was about finding the sacred within myself, my center, my peaceful core. We each have a sacred space within us, a part of us. This sacred space is a temple, a temple to our inner power, our intuition, and our connection with the divine. Discovery of psychic powers, spells, and meditation are all things that lead us to the temple. They help us find the road within and walk our path to the inner temple.

— Christopher Penczak

I had to include a photo of this planter on the opposite side of the house.  It was such a prolific bloomer this year you couldn't even see the pot. 

PAGODA

The pagoda was another new addition to the yard this year.  Towards the middle of July I met my Mom and Dad at Aquatic and Garden Decor.  I knew I wanted to buy some sort of pagoda and they had quite a selection, but nothing exactly called out to me.  Both my parents purchased items and as we were leaving I noticed half of the parking lot was filled with pallets of assorted statues and fountains.  I wasn't sure these were even for sale, but I meandered over just to take a gander when I spied this pagoda. 

It was sitting in four pieces and I asked the man working there if he could put it together.  When he finished placing the final piece on top I was struck by its "adorableness."  But I still wanted to see what Grandma's might have to offer also.  So I took a photo and we left to go on to Grandma's and that's when I got the stone planter mentioned above.  Once I got the stone planter home and in place, I still couldn't get this adorable pagoda out of my mind.  Or maybe I should say it kept tugging at my heart, "llamando a mi corazón."  It seemed like such an extravagance to add yet another new garden feature, but I decided to treat myself to an early birthday gift.  

My Dad helped me dig up the old, slightly odd garden ornament that sat in this spot for at least twenty years.  We had no idea that old ornament went down two feet!  

But it was worth it because I love how this pagoda welcomes everyone who enters the yard or pulls in the driveway with its cheery presence.

“Portals must have guardians.”

― William Richard Lethaby, Architecture, Mysticism and Myth

DRY CREEK BED

After George and I built the low stone wall I spent a fair amount of time watering the new plants in my newly created circle.  One day I noticed there was a natural pathway between the new wall and the hydrangeas.  I thought about what I could plant there, but it occurred to me that I don't need any more plants!... especially way back in the yard where it is hard to water!  So I came up with the idea to put in a dry creek bed.  I was inspired by my favorite section of landscaping on Xavier's campus where they use stones to create a simple pathway.

At first I thought it was just one of those ideas that pops into my head that is too hard to enact.  I actually contacted a landscaping company, but they never got back to me.  I don't know when it happened or whose idea it was, but at some point my Dad and I thought we would give it a go ourselves. 

At the very end of July George was going to be out-of-town visiting family and my Dad agreed to come stay with me for a long weekend.  Right before George left he attempted to dig out the worst of the big roots and sapling trees.  But my Dad and I still spent the entire first day clearing, clearing, clearing the pathway as best we could.  Below is a photo after our first day.   

The next day I was so excited to go back to the stone store.  The same nice man recognized us and showed us all of our options.  My favorite stone was the Colorado river rocks.  The only problem was they only had "large" and "small" sizes available that day.  He wasn't sure when the "medium" size would be in...it could be a day or a month...they never knew.  I was disappointed, but was determined to proceed.  After all, my Dad was here to help with his truck and I wasn't sure when all the stars would align again.  I also wasn't sure exactly what sizes we needed.  Plus I love big rocks and figured the bigger the better.  So I bought half a pallets worth of the large rocks and figured we would return to buy the smaller ones once we finished laying the large.  It turned out my Dad's truck could only hold half my purchase of the large rocks.  So they loaded us up with half my purchase and off we went, slowly, slowly driving home with our heavy load.

When we got home and unloaded the large rocks I started to freak out a little on the inside.  I could tell they were a bit large for the space.  But this is not something I could have know without actually placing them down!  Below you can see they looked a little odd!

I was having an additional freak out because there was a sign at the cash register of the stone store that said, "All purchases are final."  As we drove back to the stone store I was starting to really freak out.  I didn't want any more large rocks!  When I arrived back at the stone store I walked into the little hut where you pay and nervously asked if I could trade out the rest of my large rock purchase for small rocks.  Luckily they were very nice and let me exchange the large rocks for small.  Phew!  I was so relieved!!!  Below you can see Poppy and me unloading the small rocks from the back of his truck.

"One who can move mountains starts with the little stones."

— Confucius

I was also extremely relieved to see the small rocks greatly improved the look of the creek bed and made it look more natural.  Below you can see us exhausted, but happy at the end of a very long day of hauling stone.

When I look at this selfie we took at the end of the day it brings me so much joy.  My Dad is an amazing person.  I can't even put into words how much his steady, kind, and loving presence means to me.  He is always there...no matter what. We didn't know it at the time we took this photo, but life held some challenges in the coming weeks that made this stone pathway look like child's play.  And again my Dad was there....always there by my side.   I can hardly even keep typing because I am tearing up with so much gratitude and love. Thank you Dad for all your love and support. 

"This is the mark of a really admirable man:
steadfastness in the face of trouble."

— Ludwig van Beethoven 

THE BUDDHA

The final addition to this year's garden was the Buddha.  I know this is a statue and by their very nature statue's are steadfast.  But when I water the plants and peer down through the leaves, I am reminded of my own unwavering, immovable, and abiding nature and I am filled with peace.

I have also noticed that there is a lovely, timeless quality about a statue Buddha sitting next to a stone river.  In one sense, nothing moves or changes, yet everything around is in constant motion.

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."

— Deepak Chopra

As I look back at all the changes that took place in the garden this year I am struck by the sacredness of this space.  Every change...the stone wall, the boulders, the planter, the pagoda, the stone river, and the Buddha...make the garden a little more of a reflection of me.  And I believe that by making these changes in the external environment, that my internal environment is altered.  By creating the sacred outside, I am creating the sacred inside.  This is true not only because I was transformed by the experience of enacting these changes, but also because everything is "inside" of our consciousness.  I believe the sacred can be exchanged in both directions...it is a two way street.  By being still and listening, we can hear the call of our hearts. That can then inspire us to give and receive gifts outwardly...which then inspires us with gratitude to go inward and the journey goes on and on.  It is a constant dance between action and inaction, movement and stillness, song and silence.

"Among my stillness was a pounding heart."

―Shannon A. Thompson

I am excited to see how the seasons will change the appearance of the garden.  And the Buddha reminds me to remain steady within this world of constant change...this play of joy and sorrow. 

"I said to my soul, be still, and wait...So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing."

— T.S. Eliot

Folk Art Shutters

"The Burrow is the home of the Weasleys.
It's located outside of Ottery St. Catchpole

and it looks as if it's held together with magic

- which it probably is.

Harry describes it as the best house he's ever been in."

―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

INSPIRATION

I loved this description of the Weasley's house and I wanted my house to appear as if it's held together by magic too.  In my mind, there was no better way to achieve that goal than to add folk-art-painted shutters!

I have been thinking about this project for many years.  There are a couple houses in Cincinnati that have them and I admire them every time I pass by.  Then a year ago my friend Margot put beautiful, hand-painted shutters on her house (you can see her lovely shutters here) and it inspired me to finally start on my own shutter project.

"A building without ornamentation is like a heaven without stars."

―George Sandys

SHUTTERS

I thought about making the shutters myself, but knew that might add months to the project.  In September of 2021, I purchased shutters from Exterior Solutions.  I was so nervous to get the size right because we have two wood supports for the dormer on either side of the window.  So the shutter absolutely had to fit inside of those supports.  I made cardboard mockups to make sure I got the size right.

The shutters sat in their boxes all winter and spring.  Finally in mid-June of 2022 we pulled them out and painted them the same grey-brown as the window moulding.  Note the quality control feline supervisor in the background.  

DESIGN

I knew I wanted to use elements from the design I painted on my back porch door in 2017 (you can see it here).  So I pulled up that file in Illustrator and started playing with different designs.  

In the end it came down to the following two designs below. 

The nice thing about Illustrator is that you can make everything to full scale.  So I knew once I finalized the design I could print them out and place them on the shutters to make sure everything fit.  Below you can see both designs taped to the shutters. 

I was having a hard time deciding so I photoshopped them onto the house.  I posted these options to Facebook and got a lot of feedback which was about 50/50 either way.  Sometimes the feedback can be helpful for me to figure out which way I am leaning.  I was already feeling a nudge towards "scrunched" when Margot said that traditionally you don't paint the batten.  That was all I needed to hear.

The winner was "scrunched"!

STENCIL

Once that decision was made I prepared the files to send to my friend Tiffany who has a laser cutter.  Below you can see what the files look like that I sent her.

And here is a short video of the stencil being cut.  The laser cuts through the Mylar like butter.  (Thank you for the video Tiffany!)

PAINTING THE STENCIL

It was fun to place that first stencil onto the shutter.  

After painting the very first layer of white it became clear I was going to need multiple layers to make it opaque...especially for the white.  I ended up painting at least 4 layers on every stencil.  That meant I had to let the stencil dry 4 times and that it would be extra "sticky". Below is a video of me pulling the stencil off the first time.

(Music by Scott Holmes, "Victoria")

As you can see from the video, the stencil "leaked."  Luckily it was fixable.  I was going to say it was easy to fix, but that would be a lie.  I spent a lot of time touching the stencils up afterwards.  Below you can see before and after touch up.

But to help with the "leaking" problem I did try something I'd  heard about a long time ago.  I painted the grey/brown background color onto the stencil first.  This helped prevent the color from leaking under the stencil.  It really did help quite a bit and even though it required an extra coat, I highly recommend taking the extra time.

Another thing I did to help with "leakage," was to scrape my stencil edges clean after every shutter.  Below you can see a photo of that process.  It may have been easier to use mineral spirits, but I didn't have any.  So my fingernails got worn down until I found an old credit card that worked just as well.

It felt so good to finish painting and touching up all the shutters.  Bubo was excited about it too.

CLEAR COAT (VARATHANE DAY!)

I wasn't sure I was going to even do this step.  But when I pulled the stencils off sometimes the paint would pull up a little bit and I would push it down with my fingers.  In order to secure everything I decided to spray the shutters with exterior water-based Varathane.   I used this product on my Hex Sign project and it has worked well (click here to see and for further discussion about clear coat options).  I sprayed 3-4 coats and called them done!

HANGING THE SHUTTERS

I finished painting the shutters mid-week and figured we would hang the shutters the following weekend.  Unfortunately I discovered I hadn't ordered enough hinges.  I originally ordered the hinges the previous year from Larson Shutters and was worried it would be hard to get them again with all the pandemic shortages.  Lucky for us, I found the same ones again and they arrived within a week.

During the week we were waiting on the new hinges we made a mockup of window moulding out of an old piece of wood that was about the same size.  I wish I had taken a photo of that step because you could see how many time we failed.  I thought I was going to lose my mind trying to get the hinge placement just right so that the weight would be evenly distributed between the two hinges.  I made paper templates to scale in Illustrator probably 5 times trying to get it just right.  

When it came time to actually hang the shutters we used a life-sized template with holes in it that we placed on the lower edge of the window.  I happened to have this weird "plastic-y" cardboard I had purchased to prevent the cats from jumping over the baby gates and it was the perfect material and stiffness for a template.

We also learned from making our wood moulding mockup that unfortunately we would not be able to close the shutters.  For some reason, George had his heart set on the shutters closing.  I think he pictured himself opening the shutters every morning to sing with the birds 😄.  We wrapped our heads around it and tried all sorts of things, but in the end we had to give that up.  When we tried to close the shutter, the batten would hit the moulding.  I would have had to order hinges that had a long pintel arm if we wanted them to close...and I didn't want the angle of the shutters to be too great or you wouldn't see the design. 

“We're in this life together, tethered to each other, fumbling and trying to find our way...”

— Daniell Koepke

The day of the shutter hanging we tethered George with an old faded-pink climbing rope and out he went onto the roof.  It was so nerve wracking that I didn't take any photos.  He was tethered to me and I kept having visions of me being sucked tight against the window if he fell.  Thank goodness all went well!  And thank goodness for washers!  Even with all my planning we still needed to use washers to make sure the weight was evenly distributed between the two hinges.

Once the shutters were done we still had to secure the shutters with shutter dogs.  (I also purchased the shutter dogs from Larson Shutters - here is the link).   

The only problem was they didn't come with an anti-rattle or anti-vibration bracket.  I ended up ordering that from Martell Hardware and it arrived within a week (link here).  I liked this bracket in particular because it allowed us to control the angle of the shutter against the house.  I wanted them almost parallel to the house because sometimes shutters can look droopy if they are pushed all the way back; plus I wanted the design to be fully visible.  We ended up buying 6 inch lag bolts (instead of using the 4 1/2 inch ones that came with them) in order to have enough room for the anti-vibration brackets.

Above you can see the shutter dogs installed.  Normally people put them below the shutter and they stick up.  They are designed to rotate easily when closing the shutter and the weight of the larger scroll will automatically pull the shutterdog back into vertical place.  However we had flashing below the window that we didn't want to drill into.  We ended up placing ours to the side and both the batten and the anti-vibration bracket helped keep it in place.

Below you can see George rejoicing after installing the shutter dogs and the job was finally, truly done!

This project might win the prize for longest from start to finish, but it really was satisfying to see how the shutters transformed the house.  When I pull into the driveway and see them it brings me joy every time.

I usually like to end my posts with some deep thoughts about life.  But this time I just want to say, "Do things that bring you joy."  That's it... sweet and simple.

 A big thank you to Tiffany for cutting the stencils for this project.  And a huge thank you to George for not only putting up with my crazy projects, but for helping me complete them.  I couldn't do any of this without your love and support and delicious cooking.

"Decorating golden rule: Live with what you love."
―Unknown

Tudor House: Watercolor Portrait

"You can't really say what is beautiful about a place,
but the image of the place will remain vividly with you."
—Tadao Ando

The Tudor architectural style is my favorite. When we moved to Cincinnati and were looking for a house, I didn't want to look at any house that was not a Tudor.  (We looked at one house that was not a Tudor and that is the one we ended up in...but that is another story.)  So when my neighbor asked me to do a house portrait and I saw her house was a Tudor, I was super excited.

Tudor houses are characterized by:

 "a steeply pitched roof, often with multiple overlapping, front-facing gables (the triangular portion of the roof) of varying heights... they're accented (often in those triangular gables) with decorative half-timbering: essentially a mock frame of thin boards with stucco or stone filling in the spaces between the boards."

"The windows used in Tudor houses are also a unique nod to medieval architecture. Windows are tall and narrow with multiple panes."

"Though often not in the center of the house, the front door is still a significant architectural feature on Tudor homes. They typically have a round arch at the top and tend to be bordered by a contrasting stone that stands out against the brick walls." (Source: House Beautiful) 

Usually, when I start a house portrait I like to photograph the house from numerous angles and I often like to stand a bit to the left or right side to show the three-dimensional depth.  I tried my usual tactic with this house, but my favorite photos were consistently from the front.  I think Tudor houses don't usually have much depth to them, and the front façade is what is most spectacular.  But it did make my job a little more difficult than normal, because adding the shadows to a house makes it really pop.  It became clear as I worked there wouldn't be that many shadows to indicate depth.

Below you can see my pencil sketch partly inked.  

After I inked in each stone, I could see it was going to be too much to ink the roof. So I left it as pencil.  I ended up using the pencil lines as a guide for my watercolor slates.

Below is a short video of the entire watercolor process from start to finish.

Each house portrait has its own challenges.  What I've found is that the house itself usually helps me find the solutions.  For example, I don't always ink in each stone.  In fact, it is a little unusual for me to do so.  I usually use some ink to indicate the presence of stone as I did here.  But for this Tudor house, the stone was the most striking element.  If the stone had covered the whole house it would have been too much...but because it was half the house I thought it really worked to balance the large expanse of stuccoed areas. 

The landscaping is another important feature that needs to be taken into account when decided on how much detail to put in.  This particular house had beautiful landscaping which added so much interest to the portrait.  I try to give the landscaping its own character while not letting it overwhelm the piece.

Once the piece is finished I add my initials in some hidden spot.  I would prefer not to put anything on the piece because I find it a distraction... but people seem to want it.

After signing the piece I cut the paper off the block, spray the back lightly with water and press it.  Although I paint the piece on a block that is glued around the edges, it inevitably will be wavy.  I was irritated because I had to press this portrait three days!  Every day I would take the books and rocks off and be disappointed that even the binding of a book can create a new wave in the paper.

Below you can see the binding of the black book at the bottom of the pile is turned to the center.  It created a small wave in the paper.  The next day I turned it around, but somehow another book did the same thing.  I finally found a big piece of book board that covered the whole piece and pressed it.  Duh!  Sometimes it takes me a while.

The very final step of the house portrait is to cut a sheet of glassine to protect the portrait.  And then to make a cardboard or foam core portfolio.  I just happened to have extra white "plastic-y" board that I used to stop the cats from jumping over the barrier gates, so I used it to make the portfolio this time.  

This afternoon I will hopefully deliver the portrait to my neighbor.  I've said it before, but I will say it again.  Doing these house portraits gives me such an appreciation for the craftmanship that went into these beautiful old homes.  I imagine the guy who had to choose each stone of the chimney and what an art form it is.  Spending time studying each house I draw makes me love and appreciate the city of Cincinnati. I feel lucky to live here and to own one of these centenarians myself.  Maybe one day I will draw my own house.  But today I will be happy to walk up to this gorgeous, wood front door, see the stonework close-up, and deliver a small package of Cincinnati history rendered with love and care. 

Love makes you see a place differently, just as you hold differently an object that belongs to someone you love. If you know one landscape well, you will look at all other landscapes differently.

— Anne Michaels