Escape for a Moment~Cuneo Mansion

A friend met me at the Cuneo Museum for a few hours of visual over indulgence. Built in 1919 and occupied by the last Cuneo until 1990, the family donated this incredible home and all the furniture, paintings, gardens to Loyola University. Unbelievable furnishings, architecture, stain glass, paintings~ceilings painted with all the cherubs you would ever want to see, everything imported from Europe and built by craftsman and all this a short trip from the house. The furnishings were made from exotic hardwoods and all I could think about was that my blue and gold macaw would have a field day!

Garden Time for Marblin' Momma~

And here I am 3 weeks later, mud on my knees, sore joints, but almost finished with preparing the garden for the summer. I grow different species of grasses and leave them standing in the winter to provide a food source for the birds. In the spring, these same grasses provide nesting material.

This year, my best bud was out of commission for physical labor~the winter was tough for him, and he is slowly getting back to his routine. Actually he's probably down on his knees thanking the stars that he doesn't have to move plants around, dig in the soil or cut down grasses with a machetee.

I thought since I didn't have my partner working alongside I would be overwhelmed with planting all the pots with seeds, digging up every inch of soil, cutting down six foot grasses, moving certain plants~while thinking about all the other stuff I have to do.

But lo and behold, it was the best therapy I've had for a long time. I decided to move all my other emergencies to the back burner and concentrate solely on the garden. Gardening "channels" my father who was a gentle, quiet and loving influence in my life.