Backyard and Beyond ...

My husband would argue that there is more than enough magic in our own backyard. Every year when I suggest we take a fall foliage trip to Boone or Asheville, he insists that I look out of one of the twenty or so windows of our home where we are surrounded by lovely views of the woods on all sides.

I have to agree that the autumn palette of greens, reds, yellows, and oranges make for a gorgeous display. And I'm really grateful for our own private enchanted forest. I really am!

But that's not exactly what I mean about finding magic in your own backyard. Mostly because I am the pitiful gardener with the exception of the handfuls of zinnia seeds that I throw around my back deck late in the growing season.

This fools quite a few people into thinking that I actually garden when the flowers come into full bloom right around now. Then I cut a few of the colorful heads (mostly in hues of pink this year with a few yellows thrown in) and place them in a glass of water, showcasing my sole horticultural success on the kitchen counter for all to see.

Some people can't be fooled though. My friend Patti knows me all too well. The other day she spotted a rather strange tall plant, sprouting small brownish seeds. It was thriving in a pot that we had staked with a decorative stained-glass garden sun. She tells me that whatever that is growing in there would be a weed from where she comes from.

I shoot back that it probably is, but nonetheless we still like it!

So as you can see, I'm not much of a backyard girl. But I do love to get off my front porch, lollygag about town, and see what's happening. That's my idea of finding magic in my own backyard!

P.S. That guy I live with must be kidding about looking out my windows! Trip to Boone or Asheville anyone?