Ella and Ross

I'm watching Ella print her name at our picnic table. Ross is running with a broken tree branch in hand, re-enacting the battle of Stoney Creek. The plants and flowers that surround me are welcoming. The lilies of the valley have stopped blooming but their faintly intoxicating scent fill the air. The alliums are past their prime, just a slight flurry of purple standing on top of long, erect stems. I love the hostas..they are growing large, casting leafy shadows across the garden. We are being watched by chicks and robins. Somewhere within these tall trees, nests are tucked away, loved and protected.

The ferns are getting to be tall and enormous. A baby dogwood is growing in between. Our vines are beginning to leaf, as well as our climbing roses. My favourite of all is an unnamed rose climber that is growing along my children's swing set. It doesn't have thorns, and produces clusters of soft white petals in the summer.

This is the place where I feel the most peaceful. Rabbit statueary peeking from behind hostas and lilies. Statueary of children overlooking the garden. And the sound of my children running and playing, and colouring on Dave's slate picnic table.