I was gently reminded the other day that maybe my ” About Me ” page here on the blog needed updating so this morning I set to the task. It was quick really, a few minor changes, but it got me thinking about the whole idea of the page itself as well as the biography I am so often asked for. I find these things difficult to write. Impossible , really. I don’t know what to tell, what to keep to myself.

I refuse to re-write the bio today, it is just to hard. But I will add some fun facts  here just because I can. So what do you want to know?  It doesn’t matter..instead, here is what I am going to tell you 😉

 

I have cold feet. Always. Don’t know why, and despite this fact I am most always barefoot ( indoors and out) , hate socks and wear shoes only because it is the social norm. I take them off the second I can. My feet are cold with or without them.

I am allergic to the sting of certain bees and wasps, as in deathly so. I don’t know which ones until I get stung which makes my chosen work and hobby a challenge.

I have an irrational fear of snakes, compounding the challenge of life in the garden. Seriously, some days this fear keeps me inside. I have been forcing myself to look at pictures of them all winter. I actually let a few National Geographic photographers grace my Instgram feed ( WHY do they like snakes so much?)  so every day I have to look at a few and not scream . I know they are photos and not the real thing, but trust me, it is a start toward acceptance .Overcoming this , if it ever happens , will take many baby steps over a long period of time. Never ever try to help me by bringing me one to touch, hold or be within 10 feet of, I am not there yet and  you will set me back in my quest for peaceable co-existence with these vicious despicable creatures. Then we can’t be friends anymore.

 

A corgi dog will always be near me. When we loose a pet the pain can be unbearable. I used to say I would never ever put myself through that again, but truthfully , when they cross the rainbow bridge to doggie heaven they leave a huge dog -shaped hole in your heart that can only be filled by another of their kind. They drive me absolutely bonkers some days ( corgis are followers and need to be where you are at ALL times) and they can be expensive, but I can not be without one …or two….I haven’t tried three at a time yet , but it could happen.

I have very definitive garden likes and dislikes. You can mostly tell my likes by the blog and what I write about, what I speak about, and photograph.

There are certain plants I do not “get”, like Japanese Maples, tropical looking foliage plants ( like rogersia, gunnera, , palms ,etc) and 98% of  the alpine plants meant for the rock garden. Others seem to enjoy them , and that is fine. I always appreciate a well done garden  and do not object to them in those spaces, but  you will never see them here.

Another garden design feature that will never grace The Burrow is an artificial  pond. If Mother Nature floods the place, I will deal with it, but  until then, no pond.

As much as I like  the idea behind Piet Oudolf’s natural prairie style , it is not for me. I like bigger flowers, fewer grasses, and a more defined garden area with nicely shaped shrubbery and a few  formal elements to spruce the  place up. Like Vita Sackville-West and  her famous garden Sissinghurst …blowsy yet contained. If my yard ever looks like a prairie, worry about me. I have gone missing or hurt and no one is keeping up with the weeding.

favorite flowers: Clematis, roses , dahlias, mums, lily of the valley,lilacs  and peonies

favorite woody plants: viburnums, hydrangea, honeysuckles , and willows of all kinds

favorite tree: any birch

favorite garden writer : It is a toss up between Henry Mitchell and Christopher Lloyd

New plant obsession: Mosses , liverworts ,and lichens…..really …really obsessed.

Also, someone asked me the other day if I recycled pictures, in other words did I post things here or on any of my social media from the garden past. The simple answer is no, or rarely. If you see a photo here on FaceBook or Instagram they almost always were taken that very day and unless I say otherwise they were taken here. I am pretty proud of what I have accomplished on my little acre and love to share it, and I have an ego the size of Montana . What you see is my work and current .