Spring Fling: Topic # 4

"Let's pretend for a minute we all live in the home of our dreams, have land, and don't have to work so time is unlimited! It's Spring planting season! What would you grow? A little veggie garden? A bed of bright spring blooms? Or is your thumb so far from green that the only thing you'd be planting is your tushy into a nice chair on the porch to get some knitting or crocheting done in the nice breeze?"

The home of my dreams has a lot of land! Definitely enough to run around in, perhaps enough to play a game of soccer on. That'll do for me. We would have a small forest at the edge of our land, to go exploring in. In the forest would be all sorts of ferns, bushes, mosses, and plenty of Trilliums (Ontario's flower). So many different shades of green to please the eyes. There would be lots of evergreens, and one giant one in the front that we could decorate every winter.

Somewhere in the back yard we would have a few apple trees; they would grow the most delicious fruit.

There would be wild tiger lilies growing just about anywhere; I remember the first time I discovered a tiger lily. It has been my favourite flower growing up. Some of our land would have gentle rolling hills, and there would be a meadow with tall grasses to run through. By the house there would be a few lilac trees, and the beautiful light scent would just reach the windows. Just in front of the house would be a flower bed spanning the whole width of the house. I would plant flowers that I don't yet have the names for, and would add new plants to it every year. I'd plant flowers to attract birds and butterflies, and sit outside on a warm sunny day with binoculars for bird-watching and I'd listen to the whispering breeze touching the tree tops.

I would also have a huge vegetable garden! It would have it's own little picket fence going all around it, or maybe even a miniature hedge. We would grow it like a walk-through maze, just for fun. In the middle would be a tee-pee grown from bean poles. The boys could have a secret hide-out in here.

Since I'm given the luxury of all the time in the world here, I would also make it a sheep farm, and get another sheltie for our dog Levi to play with. He would be so happy to do some sheep herding, and I would learn how to spin wool from the sheep. I'd take some spinning classes, and I'd even learn how to hand-dye my own yarn.

Did I mention the raspberry bushes? I would plant a whole bunch of those, and some strawberry patches without telling my children. Then I'd watch in delight as they discover them. Maybe I'd make them a secret treasure map for them to find, and lead them on an adventure. After we find our treasure (it would be a treasure chest filled with a picnic basket inside, ready to go) we would fill it up with a new treasure and decide where to bury it for someone else to find.

I would want to have a giant weeping willow tree, with a tire swing.

This is my dream house. Now, if this happens to be your house I would be most happy for you. I'd also be delighted if you'd like to invite me over for tea/coffee for an afternoon. I intend to find a place like this for my vacation, be it P.E.I. or Ireland, I'm sure I'll get there.