In 2022 I was part of a garden tour, not that my garden is perfect, but it is interesting, and I wanted to help out with the fundraiser. I worked hundreds of hours to weed, paint, reorganize, build things and add some garden furniture. On the day I got up early, put cushions on the benches in every corner of the yard, installed a solar fountain in the bird bath. I placed fresh linen tablecloths on the tables and even took a few antiques that I had in the house and set them around the yard. I put away all the tools, swept all signs of seeds and dirt from the patio, the yard was glorious. About 100 people walked through. Here is what I am thinking about, it was not real. People from the tour probably still think that I am able to relax in a back yard that is glorious, filled with cushions and sparkling bird baths. The solar fountain gets gummed up and overheats when the bird bath water gets low, it has never been used again. The cushions all got gathered to keep out of the rain and most never returned and the weeds all grew back. It was a moment in time, just like lots of social media, magazine spreads, family portraits. The real, the messy, that is the everyday reality is where we all mostly live and isn’t it glorious filled with its own kind of sparkle.
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