~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Charmed Garden
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His pockets were not
lined with gold
A committed man
from youth till old
For gifts he’d fashion
a garden seat
With treasures brought back
from the beach
His lady loved
their garden at home
For in it they would
travel alone
For overseas
was beyond their realm
Yet midst the blooms
was cast a spell
As if in England, Scotland,
or France
The garden’s charms
caused them to dance
As lovers lost
in Paradise
A devoted husband
with his gentle wife.
Wendy ❀ 2013
~
~
I wrote this poem and posted it last year.
It was inspired by our own garden
and the lovely gifts my husband has made for me.
~
~
We’ve been married for over 30 years.
It was during our first year of marriage I discovered
that Ian was good with wood (He made a shoe rack for our closet).
~
~
He loves to repurpose wood
and use whatever would have been wasted otherwise.
I do the same thing with fabrics. (I’m not good with wood.)
~
~
This lovely bird house was made
to replace an old one that I had “repaired”.
My repair job made my husband smile
and inspired him to make me one I’d love.
~
~
I had an ugly old saw-horse sitting here
that was replaced by this sturdy seat
that Ian made.
~
~
This bench was made using driftwood
and a piece of 150 yr old fir
that was salvaged from a renovation.
~
~
The table was made using an old pottery crate
and leftover lumber.
It’s nicely weathered
and goes perfectly with a bench I’d bought years ago.
~
~
This arbor is made using a gate
that had been at the back of this property.
It’s now the entrance to our woodland garden.
~
~
My clever husband does not use patterns.
I just show him a picture and suggest he make it his own way.
(I do the same thing with my sewing creations.)
I love what he does with wood.
This bench was made using salvaged cedar boards.
~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Garden Charm Blessings ❀ Wendy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:18
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s an appropriate quote I came across in my morning reading this week.
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Beautiful words, wonderful sentiments, fantastic pics. Love it. Big Smiles.
Thank you so much, Jem. ❀
Oh, how lovely, Wendy. It’s those wonderful, hand made things, rubbed down with the oil of love that become dear to our hearts.
Thank you, Irene. I also cherish the gifts our children have made and ‘rubbed down with the oil of love’. I love your comment. ❀
I love that quote, what reading did it come from? This quote is so true. The church is the same way they only want the strong, successful, victorious and unbroken helping to build the church.
The quote came from a book called: Streams in the Desert. It’s a compilation of quotes, poetry, and scripture that Mrs. Chas E. Cowman collected and put together as a daily devotional. It’s been reprinted and can probably still be found found on Amazon. I highly recommend it. ❀
Yes I know of that devotional. Thanks so much Wendy! Sweet Blessings, Deborah
So wonderful 🙂 Blessings Friend and Have a Great Week End ~
Thank you, Morgan. Blessings on your novel. ❀
🙂 Thank You!! 🙂
Oh you processed this in black and white…love it.
Thank you, Laurie. ❀ These ones begged to be black & white.
Beautiful Wendy, both words and photos. You have a very talented man! I love new things from old, so much more character to them, and love too. A lot of new things seem devoid of “personality” somehow. I would love to see your woodland gardn, it sounds delightful. X
Thank you, Christine. I have to admit that my man is very talented. He’s a quiet but busy fellow. His great sense of humor brightens up our household too. ❀
I like your poem and your husband’s outdoor creations. Thanks, Wendy..!
[image: James Stanfield on about.me]
James Stanfield about.me/jstanfield
Thank you, James. I love our creative family. ❀
Beautiful as always, sis . Both poem and photos 🙂 Blessings.
Thank you, dear Karina. ❀
So much talent from the both of you! And repurposing is a wonderful thing.
Thank you, Jennifer. We find repurposing immensely satisfying. ❀ Blessings on your weekend.
A refreshing sigh. Lovely words and photos, and your husband has a gift.
Thank you, Lilly. I agree that he has a gift (he is one too). ❀
Both of you complement each other so well in your different creative talents. Your black and white photos enhance the rustic look of wood. I love driftwood too. Lovely poem and meaningful devotional, Wendy. Thank you for sharing. God’s blessings, Iris.
Thank you, Iris. I was pleased to come across that particular quote. God is able to repurpose our lives when our own plans fail. ❀
It is a wonderful thing, a long, happy marriage. Perhaps one of God’s most treasured blessings. Nice that you both work together so well and can give to one another as you do! Blessings, Ellen
Thank you, Ellen. I do treasure my marriage and friendship with Ian. God’s grace and learning to speak each other’s love language seems to have been the key for us. ❀
How inspiring Wendy. I can feel the love in each and every wooden piece and how much you appreciate them. You and Ian are one of God’s beautiful creations!
Thank you, Linda. I truly believe it’s God’s grace that has blessed us through the ups and downs of our marriage journey. ❀
Wonderful sentiment memes beautifully conveyed through words, Wendy, ans lovey images to accompany them.
Thank you, Robyn. I had fun putting this post together. ❀
Wendy, this is beautiful, all of it. Your garden and the things your husband has lovingly made, your poem, and the closing quote. I sighed with pleasure and gratitude for the blessing of it all. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Thank you, Elaine, for blessing me with your kind words. ❀
Yes, a wonderful beautiful post..
Thank you, Ellen, for your ‘visit’ to our garden. ❀
I adore all the cool bird-houses! 🙂 Happy couples are rare these days. Congrats!
Thank you, Uncle Tree. We have lots of bird families in our garden this year. They can teach us humans a few lessons about teamwork. ❀
I love these so much. I’d love to have a more private garden type yard. Thank you for sharing your poem and this loveliness you get to call home. 🙂
Thank you, Heather. ❀ I really appreciate the private areas of our garden. There are also non-private spots where I’ve chatted over the fence to our elderly neighbors who call our place ‘the jungle’.
Love that!!
Indeed he has built you some very lovely things for your garden. Loved the post and photos, Wendy! Hugs and blessings, Natalie 🙂
Thank you, dear Natalie. xo I can see from your garden pictures that you live in a mini paradise. ❀ I wish I lived close enough to visit your place in person.
Oh I wish you lived close enough to visit too. You would be welcome to come anytime if you did. Love and hugs, N 🙂
Wendy what a wonderful gift your husband has, we love recycled wood and my husband buys old pieces of furniture and restores them to their natural beauty. If something cannot be saved he will take pieces and build something new from the old. My only problem is. I have no more room in the house for them. Maybe I need some outdoor furniture like these.
Kath, it sounds like your husband needs a sales rep for the overflow of creations. My husband has helped me restore a ton of furniture and smaller items. Someone once told me that our home looked like a museum ( a messy but cozy one I might add). ❀
Wendy, what treasures your husband creates for you. There is true love in those works of art as there is in your words and images. Love the use of black and white.
Thank you. He rarely just throws something together… each item is fashioned with much thought and care. I admire this about him. ❀
Awesome poem and pictures, Wendy. You are both so creative.
Thank you, Bill. Blessings on you & the online ministry you do work for. ❀
Wendy,
Your poem is beautiful and I also liked the black and white pics.
How beautiful to know that each corner of your secret garden keeps memories and beautiful moments alive <3
Truly lovely, Best wishes. Aquileana 😛
Thank you, Aquileana. You are right that our gardens hold memories that I cherish… both romantic and motherly. ❀
Love the creativity! Must be nice…. 🙂
Thank you, Clarence. Every family has its treasures…ours are of the heart. ❀
Those are the best kind.
The words of J. R Miller at the end of your array of words and pictures culminated in a visit I cherish warmly. The essence of love is the ability to live again, amidst the brokenness, the perceived failures and the sadness inherent in this earthly realm. Thanks for sharing this Wendy, God bless you richly.
Much love and blessings. 🙂
Thank you, dear Seyi. I love what you said about the ‘essence of love’. God’s grace and love win out in the end. It’s definitely not about us. ❀
absolutely beautiful haven…and so treasure your photos and words…
Thank you for visiting our garden. ❀
What a wonderful hubby! May God continue to bless your home with many happy times together.
\o/
Thank you, Tami. Blessings back to you & yours. ❀
Beautiful poem, Wendy! Just love the pictures and story of you and Ian, too.
Thank you, Cheryl. Simplicity with love and peace is great wealth. ❀
This is beyond lovely, Wendy! Thank you so much for letting us have a peek at your special garden and your special life! God bless you!
Thank you, Debbie. I find both encouragement and comfort in your poetry. ❀ Blessings dear poet friend.
Wendy:
Beautiful!! Thank you for taking us along this sentimental walk through your wonderful treasures in the garden and reminding us that home IS where memories are made… from the heart. God bless you my friend ~Zoey
Thank you, Zoey, for your lovely comment. I agree that it’s the heart of the home that counts…not the bank account. ❀
Great serie of photos
Thank you, Marylou. ❀
What a touchingly beautiful post, Wendy, illustrated with those stunning black and white photos. It’s always a joy to discover another garden and another happy, enduring marriage. Ours is in its 41st year and is our greatest blessing.
Thank you, Mary. Congratulations on over 41 years of marriage. It’s wonderful to hear that it’s your greatest blessing. To spend your life with your favorite person truly is a gift. ❀
beautiful poem, I felt it in my heart deep inside. You are blessed with a wonderful marriage, garden is cool and the photos are superb. My best wishes. Wanda
Thank you, Wanda. It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for the comment and the follow. ❀ Your ‘in high summer’ pictures are spectacular.
Love this post Wendy! You both have made a “home.” “Home sweet home.”
Thank you, Nin. I enjoyed your latest post and shared it on Google+. ❀
Thank you Wendy.
Wendy I LOVE the black and white photography in this post. Very effective! LOVE LOVE your poem! You have a very creative and talented husband. Your garden is so sweet. My husband is the same way and has built things for our yard as well. I enjoyed this post very much. Blessings! xoxo
Thank you, Rhonda. ❀ Gardens loved by their owners are the sweetest. Your paintings are all so beautiful… and I just peeked at your latest… which I will now go and pin to Pinterest.
Utterly charming 🙂
Thank you, Linda. ❀
Sweet glimpses into a lovely marriage! Thanks! How is the agent hunting going?
Thank you, Wanda. I’m still self-editing my novel (5th round) and researching Christian agents. I have found several that I would love to query when I’m ready. How’s your writing/publishing journey going? ❀
So far, I’ve stuck to createspace.com (self-publishing). It’s an easy format, gives you a lot of freedom, and it’s free! 🙂 I understand the editing – I suppose I shouldn’t be so gleeful when I find errors in Lucy Montgomery’s publications! I’m waiting on a dear friend who is proofing my next book, and also waiting on copyrighting, but then it will be out there! Best wishes. Can’t wait to read it!
I wish I was as astute at grammar as you are… If none of the traditional publishing doors opens for me, then I’ll finish my sequel and perhaps another novel before I try again. If none of my three novels picks up an agent, then I’ll go it alone (once I can afford some line editing). I love what I’ve read about being part of a publishing team… so I’ll aim for that first. I admire your tenacity. ❀
Wendy, you are a blessing. Just loved this.
Thank you, dear Shelli. I’m always blessed by your words(I was just reading your comment on Books & Such). ❀
Wendy, what a beautiful post. And what a lovely picture of marriage. I loved reading where the pieces in your garden came from and how your husband created them. Just beautiful!
Thank you, Jeanne. I love stories of transformation (especially the spiritual kind).
Blessings on your weekend. ❀
Absolutely lovely post,each picture is a reflection of certain beauty that brightens the day.Thank you so much for visiting my blog and liking the recent post.Best regards.JMS
Thank you, Jalal, for your visit and comment here. ❀ Blessings.