“The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature.” Andy Rooney It’s the most magical time of the year! As I drive through neighborhoods, the outdoor whimsical displays with twinkling lights bring a smile to my face and fill my heart with joy. No matter what traditions we celebrate, we can’t help but be delighted by the sparkling Christmas trees framed in windows, glowing snowmen playing on lawns, and glittering reindeer poised for flight. On our farm growing up,

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Cicero As autumn unfurls its crimson, gold, and pumpkin-colored tapestry, the season of gratitude gently settles in. Wild turkeys strut through my garden like they own the place. They gobble and gossip while leaving behind deposits of fertilizer that I gratefully accept as their rent. At dusk, they flap into my oaks and pines to roost. They are not exactly garden gifts, but I am grateful that my rural

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird, I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” George Elliot Frogs and crickets. Crickets and frogs. Growing up on our farm in the boondocks, the croaks and chirps were the melodies of the night. In the spring, the frogs sing as they search for mates. With the warm temperatures of autumn, the crickets increase their chirping to attract mates as they search for safety and food before winter ar

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Roses and ferns “… with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that...

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need!” Cicero I’m sitting at my computer in my library, gazing out my French...

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By Cynthia Brian “Life is just a bowl of cherries. So live and laugh at it all.” Lyrics by Lew Brown, Sung by Rudy Vallée, 1931 The birds...

“When a flower opens, the whole world appears.” Zen Saying Unless you are a member of an Indigenous tribe, you are a part of the great...

For more photos, vist https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/coming-alive “I went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till...

Hope and faith flower from the cheerful seeds of the old year to the sprouting garden of the new year's dawn. ~Terri Guillemets By...

“My parents told me I’d point to a bed of flowers and say ‘Pink. Pretty’ before I could say any other words!” Joni Mitchell Pink, and all...

I rejoice when I see anyone, and especially children, inquiring about flowers, and wanting gardens of their own, and carefully working in...

More photos: Substack: https://cynthiabrian.substack.com/p/the-july-joys-of-gardening "Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants...

“I should like to enjoy this summer flower by flower, as if it were to be the last one for me.” Andre Gide Summer is the most beloved...

“Stop, look, and listen. Nature is what you may be missing.” Cynthia Brian When I was telling my husband that I had deep watered one of...

“When the primal forces of nature tell you to do something, the prudent thing is not to quibble over details.” ~ From the movie, Field of...

https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2023/06/01/good-plants-and-bad-plants/ “Kings and cabbages go back to compost, but good deeds stay green...