Day 7: G is for Gracious

Oh, G.  Goodness Gracious.  I’m a day late on this one.  My husband was home sick on Monday, and I gave in to the sympathy nap (where you decide to help the sick person feel better by also not doing anything but mope and sleep and watch bad TV with them).

I know it’s not much of an excuse.  I even had his ever helpful suggestions on what to post.  From the couch, I could hear him calling out “what about goats?”  “Or maybe giraffes?”  “Gnomes?”

I’m pretty sure I heard “gout” and “gallbladder” too.  Don’t worry – I skipped those.  Instead, we have –

G is for Gardens

I’ve talked about this a bit before, but gardens are my quintessential inspiration spot.  We are really lucky to live in Southern California where there are lots of beautiful gardens you can explore in any season.  However, I also make a point to seek out new gardens when we travel.  I had a hard time narrowing down pictures for this post because the landscapes we’ve traversed and photographed are so varied – from expertly manicured formal gardens, bamboo forests, towering greenhouses with catwalks where you can spy on all of the foliage from above, fields of wildflowers where peacocks and other fantastical birds wander in and out from behind trees.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be much of a gardener.  I certainly have not had much luck with houseplants.  However, I feel a connection with anyone who spends such time and care to create a serene and beautiful place and then invites others over to visit, to meditate, to take part even for the span of a short walk or maybe just long enough to take a nap under a tree.

Although there are certainly some gardens that are larger than others or some that may have a more exotic collection of plants, I think that the inspiration and peace you can find in a garden seems to be universal.

G is for Gloomy, Gold and Gray

Today, it’s raining outside (in stark contrast to the sunny photos above).  I find that this is the perfect sort of day for staring outside and thinking.  I spent a few minutes today just playing with materials and making plans for what comes next.  The gold thread and fabric looked so pretty and inviting on the gray window ledge.

Rain-smudged windows are not common here, so I decided to soak up the gloom while it lasted.  I even snapped a photo of a giraffe and some gnomes.  Honey, this one’s for you.

Hope you are inside somewhere cozy and warm.