Image by Ingeborg Gärtner-Grein from Pixabay
The house where I grew up had a side yard that was just a pass through from back to front for carrying yard tools. It was very shady with a brick path, moss growing up between the bricks. Trees shaded the mossy brick path that was slippery when it rained. There was vegetation under the trees. Despite all the yard work my parents did, I don’t remember them paying much attention to this space, except to whack back any growth that impeded passage through here. It was an outdoor hallway.
Maybe it was because we had a patio and a screened porch, they didn’t feel the need to create another usable outdoor space. I never thought about as a child. I thought the area was a little frightening because even on the brightest day it was damp and shadowy. I worried that something would come slithering or scooting out and touch me. Garden snakes were not uncommon in our yard.
I wish that I had been a gardener then. I wish that I had that space now. I can just see it, lush with ferns, hostas, impatiens, hydrangeas, maybe a Japanese maple and dogwood. Of course, it would need a birdbath and a comfortable chair. Maybe a piece of sculpture. My creation would be the perfect spot to read, daydream and escape the heat of the house on a hot, humid summer day.
Now I am thankful for my screened porch where I watch the clouds drift in the cerulean sky. But I still dream about having a cool oasis like the one pictured above.
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Lynn H. Wyvill grew up in Washington DC where her favorite activity was sitting under a Japanese red maple tree, watching clouds create pictures in the sky. As a writer, she finds peace and inspiration when hiking in the woods, strolling on sandy beaches, and observing nature’s show in her backyard. Those experiences are captured in her first book, Nature’s Quiet Wisdom. Before writing books, Lynn worked as a radio/TV reporter and writer for the US Department of Agriculture and owned a consulting business that trained professionals on the creation and delivery of effective presentations. She is a lifelong learner, avid reader, small town explorer, and dedicated theater attendee who lives in beautiful Virginia with her husband.