It was beautiful, with glass doors and windows all along the great room wall overlooking the lake - fireplace between them - and unobstructed views of spectacular sunrises and sunsets reflected on the water.
The property sloped down to the lake itself with a couple of terrace levels, and I was in plant heaven!
There were day lily beds along the top of one back yard wall - rose and camellia and vinca and Gerber daisy and mint beds - brick walk from the driveway to the front door with begonia beds flanking it - beds along the driveway and driveway wall lower area below - numerous pots on the front porch, by the door and hanging.
Keeping the Michigan Bulb company in business, I added all kinds of things, plus local bedding plants, and sowed gorgeous tall colorful zinnias beside the lattice by the stairs going up to the deck and screened porch across the back of the house. Then there was my hammock between two tall trees near the lake - next to it, flowers along the rock-lined path to the lake, plus other outlying beds.
Those 2 1/2 years I was in my glory, constantly adding new beds...even saved hundreds of seeds from my own zinnias one year and sowed them by the lake edge where a bulldozer had plowed up some fallen overhanging trees and bushes - and that bed yielded a glorious sight.
Despite physical limitations, I have always loved hard labor in my yards and *couldn't* slow down, no matter what.
Finally, as it was getting harder and harder to just go up and down the steep slopes, the Lord looked at me and said, sighing, "She does get carried away..:))" "Better move her out of here before she works hersalf into coming Home before I planned that for her!"
Result: Linda decided to sell the house to move up to 'bigger and better' in Augusta, and we moved to a house on a lovely corner lot with level ground..:))
No doubt about it, I was born to grub in the earth wherever I lived.
In Winston-Salem, we moved into a new development, the house one of just 7 on a cul-de-sac, ours in the center at the top of a hill. We all were trying to establish lawns and flower beds, and when I wasn't at work, would be outside at 5 a.m. with coffee in hand, starting my projects -- and usually still outside at midnight moving the sprinklers around.
My neighbor two doors down the hill said to me one day, "Margaret, I hardly recognize you, since my usual view of you is just "bottom up" in a flower bed!"
[There must be something to the Signs of the Zodiac - a May child, my Taurus is an Earth Sign - LOL]
Morning!
How I wish you had the time and the stamina to work up another opening post for us, dear LadyX!
your place at the lake sounds delightful! Pinging Ride the Whirlwind (from Mich) here as she has a home that sounds similar.
When/where were you in Winston??? I was there mid 70s to 1990. I lived near Walkertown off 311. I taught part time at a small Bible College & owned my own real estate company while there.
My son & his family are still in Tobaccoville...I have a cousin, who lives on Lake Norman in Mooresville. Man, I miss the carolinas