September 15, 2007
“Living is not enough ” said the butterfly, “One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.” -- Hans Christian Anderson
I do not know anyone who does not love butterflies. Garden and butterfly have to go together. To me, a butterfly symbolizes freedom, beauty and rebirth.
I have a group of small butterflies in my front garden, pictured above, purchased from a catalog many years ago. I moved them around every so often. They are usually placed among the low-growing flowering plants such as primrose and ageratum.
This aluminum butterfly, with missing colored stones due to wear and tear from the weather and aging, was another gift from my son. It was made by the same artist who made the angel. I kept both in my back garden. I consider the butterfly as a companion piece for the angel.
I have just picked up 2 new ones, quite colorful and appealing, with stained glass wings and glass-bead bodies, among many different styles and colors, from The Home Depot. They were relatively inexpensive ($9.98 each) and would not be difficult to replace should they fail the endurance test during the winter months.
Posted by Pat Feinstein 
at 2:08 AM | Permalink
September 11, 2007
There are numbers of garden accents that I am very fond of because they are not only decorative, but also very useful:
The colorful bird-feeder
The "giant" thermometer, reading 100+ degrees on August 3.
Welcoming plaques
And of course, the angel birdhouse.
Posted by Pat Feinstein at 8:00 PM | Permalink
September 9, 2007
The love for gardens and gardening appears to extend to all garden-related objects, including ornaments and accessories.
I did not start out to collect the many items I now have in my garden. If I were to buy just one article each year; I would have 20 of them already. I am certain I have a lot more than 20 and about half of them were gifts. Several were purchased from the gift shops at the local nurseries I frequented. A few came from catalog houses (among them, the Sundial).
Some could not stand the test of time i.e. the colorful wind flags, wind socks and wind chimes. Many could not be left out in the winter (Tulip, frosted-glass, votives in various colors). The children in my neighborhood grew up with figures such as frogs, ducks, squirrel,etc. in my front yard.
I have a terra cotta, garden-designed stepping stone and a terra cotta thermometer.
Twelve years ago, I made two stepping stones for a path in the front garden.
I have never been an art/craft person. However the cement kit for the two stepping stones was given to me on my 60th birthday and I felt obliged to make use of it.
I used the flowers from the floral centerpiece from the party to make the imprints on one block and Christmas angel ornaments on the other. Then I painted some colors on the angels. I added the writing “I believe in angels” on it.
The line (which is followed by “Something good In everything I see") came from the song "I Have A Dream," by ABBA, which I used to sing every week with my Alzheimer’s patients. I am surprised that the stepping stone is holding up well after all these years. It continues to help me step back into the past and fond memories.
Angels, to me, represent goodness and innocence.
They have special meaning for me. I think of my deceased loved ones as my special guardian angels. I started to collect angels ( and fairies), of all size, and shape, made with all types of materials, more than 20 years ago.
The polished aluminum angel is one of my all -time favorites. This particular angel is handmade, in California, and is one of a kind. It has a nice clean line for the body, made of brushed aluminum, with the copper halo, and pearlized white round stone as a face. My son, Richard, gave it to me as a Christmas present many years ago. It has a special place in my garden, as well as, in my heart.
The angel bird house... How could I not have a bird house in your garden/backyard, especially when it was beautifully hand-painted, and even had angels on one side.
I have unwittingly become a constant collector, without trying, since I started with my first whimsical garden accessory.
Posted by Pat Feinstein at 11:23 PM | Permalink
