A glimpse of my secret garden

Posted on Nov 14, 2008 by Susie Collins in Leisure, Organic Gardening, Susie Collins, Susie's Secret Garden

The outside world is filled with toxic chemicals that are dangerous to me, but I have created my own private, safe universe in my garden. Come take a look at a few of my favorite things: Lucy, the alpha hen; limes; a mynah at the bird bath; Lydia and her daughter Jolie; an Indonesian ginger flower; Jolie looking for treats; and a water lily with comets. Ahhhhhhh. Where is your safe place?

Lucy the Alpha Hen

Limes

Mynah in the Bird Bath

Lydia and Jolie

Indonesian ginger

Jolie

Water Lily and Comets

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9 Responses to “A glimpse of my secret garden”

  1. Allie

    14. Nov, 2008

    Oh, how beautiful!

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  2. Mokihana

    14. Nov, 2008

    ahhh…Mahalo Susie, I feel at home especially when I see and smell what looks like Meyer(?) lemons.

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  3. Catherine Ford (aka 15MinutesADay on Twitter)

    14. Nov, 2008

    Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos! I would love to make my backyard into a park-like setting where I could relax and enjoy. I just haven’t had the time to dig in and set it up.

    Again, thanks for sharing your lovely photos! :-)

    Reply to this comment

  4. Anna

    14. Nov, 2008

    It is so beautiful to see so much green. I would love to have your secret garden. My safe havens are in Flagstaff, Sedona, the white mountains and Mt. Lemmon. At least I feel pretty good there.

    Have a beautiful day Susie :)
    Hugs and Love
    Anna

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  5. Leslie

    14. Nov, 2008

    i miss the gardens i had- but mine were like a tall wild jungle- that i would tie together and cut paths through, trying to make it seem really magical and mysterious. I had made a little sign at the front that said “choose your own adventure”, which i got from those old novels which you could choose which way the story would turn and end.

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  6. Susie Collins

    14. Nov, 2008

    Thanks so much for all the nice comments. It took us about 15 years to get the garden where we want it, where it feels like home. It’s now manageable but not manicured– I’m with you Leslie, I like the corners and edges a little wild for just that feeling you talk about (love the literary metaphor, garden as novel, LOVE that). But living in a rainforest, if we didn’t keep some control it would be impenetrable, gobbling up the house (that’s where we started!).

    Love sharing all this with you guys. I think it’s important for those of us with MCS to create our own safe place, whether it’s our whole garden or a safe room in our home. Because the outside world is a dangerous place for us, we need to create our own universe in which we can thrive as well as possible. Adaptation, we has it.

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  7. linda

    14. Nov, 2008

    Well I guess I’ve really adapted then, because currently, my safe space exists only in my mind.
    : )

    Thanks so much for sharing photos of yours.
    I really like the feather markings.

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  8. Ruth

    20. Nov, 2008

    Loved the photos, Susie….you truely have an oasis of beauty, tranquility and safety there….I would love to be able to have such a space, but for now apartment living is what I have….no patio, which would help. Maybe someday?
    Enjoy it, every, every moment!
    Hugs,
    Ruth

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  9. Susie Collins

    20. Nov, 2008

    After I posted the photos, I felt guilty at having such a safe place when so many of you are struggling. I can tell you that it took many years to get it where it is today. I can tell you that I do have problems with things the neighbors do, not consistently bad, but I do deal with cig and BBQ smoke, lighter fluid, laundry soap fumes, burning of yard waste, deisel trucks and so forth, just about every day.

    And I also am currently involved in fighting for the rights of my community to breathe clean air, as we fight to keep a veneer mill and power plant from being built right in the middle of our village, literally across the street from my home http://protectookala.org/ . It’s brutal, hard, time consuming work– you would not believe how the government sides with corporate business over the health, safety and welfare of people. The fight is currently about holding the developer to the laws put forth in the Clean Air Act, and you’d think we were asking for something unreasonable and outrageous! If the mill or power plant is built, I will have to move.

    So, I count my blessings, but the road is pretty much uphill for all of us with MCS.

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