Yesterday, Don said he was going to do some maintenance work on the trails in the woods. In the meantime, I showered, worked on the door to the dollhouse, watered all the outside plants, washed the bedding. When he’d been out there a few hours, I walked to the edge of the woods to check on him. I could see him at a distance and I told him it was time to stop for the day. (We do that for each other, because both of us are prone to doing too much.)
After promising he’d stop within ten minutes, I went back in the house. He was true to his promise. We ate some lunch and settled down inside for the rest of the hot day.
This morning, he went out to walk the trails and was back to the house within minutes. He said he wanted to show me something, that he had a gift for me. A gift? Thinking it was probably a wildflower or something like that, I grabbed my boots and put them on and we walked to the woods where I saw this:
Remember the area with all of the cinder blocks? We’ve never understood why there were there or what kind of structure it was, but we’ve slowly been taking them and using them around the property; a low wall on the edge of the woods, 3 benches in the woods, the wall on the edge of the Secret Garden. There were still a lot of blocks there, imbedded in the ground, too much for me to handle. In the meantime, the top of a dead ash tree had crashed to the ground during the hurricane (we’ve since seen other damage to the maple on the side of the house, as well) and we moved it a bit. I had asked Don if he could at some point move it away from the maple tree because that was one of my favorite views in the woods – that beautifully shaped maple.
Not only did he move it, he started to dig out the remaining cinder blocks and he made this little park in the middle of the woods.
For me.
The area underneath the tree is full of periwinkle in the spring. It will be lovely. He made another bench, too, though we want to find a couple of old benches to place on either side of the tree. The maple has been freed in a way – it is now the star of the show.
The dirt path reminds me a bit of the paths in the Jardin du Luxembourg.
That man is so sweet. I love what he’s done.
This is the stretch of path that borders the little park. It was absolutely beautiful there this morning.
A spider web and a shaft of sunlight.
The meadow. The grasses and wildflowers are above my waist now.
Glorious.
Hopefully, this can be a moment of zen today for all of you. Heaven knows, we need one.
By the way, I posted another video yesterday showing the stonework on the dollhouse and a bit of the studio. It’s on Instagram.
Avoid the Republican Convention.
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
wow. wow! WOW!
claudia, you are very blessed (i know you know that … and so is don). what a beautiful gift! i am crying happy tears for you.
don … you did a fantastic job on this little park for claudia. it is beautiful!
may you both enjoy it for many, many, many years to come.
kathy in iowa
Thank you, Kathy!
I’ll pass your compliments on to Don.
It’s lovely, isn’t it?
Stay safe, my friend.
here’s what you get from me typing too fast on a quick and sneaky work break (i need a break) … a ps:
i meant to add that don’s hard work and beautiful idea (that turned into an incredible private park for you in the woods) shows he knows he’s blessed by you, too.
i am so happy for both of you that you and don found each other!
happy monday and stay safe!
kathy in iowa
xoxo
This may go beyond zen.
Amazing, gorgeous, and an incredible gift.
Stay safe, you two.
Thank you, Naomi.
I’m a lucky girl.
Stay safe, my friend.
What a gorgeous property. I have gone back 4 times to study those beautiful photos. What an incredible gift from Don, for you and us all. Thank you so much for demonstrating the beauty in all this chaos.
Oh, thank you, Jan.
Drink it in, take a deep breath, and come back whenever you need to.
I’ll pass your words on to Don.
Stay safe!
This is lovely on so many levels. Sweetness, kindness, beauty, and quietude. Just what the world needs. š
Yes, indeed.
Thank you, Shanna.
Stay safe.
What a lovely spot to sit and meditate and pray and enjoy the silence and beauty around you. Well done, Don.
It will be in the 90’s and humid here all week. Last of the extreme summer weather.
Yes, I suppose we have some of that coming, as well.
Thanks, Melanie.
Stay safe!
How lovely, heās a keeper:)
He is. Definitely a keeper.
Stay safe, Fiona.
What a treasure you have in Don… but I know you already knew that. Hope you both have a wonderful day.
I WILL NOT be watching any of the Republican Convention.
Neither will I. It’s just an opportunity for Trump to hog the airtime.
Yuck.
Stay safe, Cathy!
Wonderful. We havenāt been able to do our usual walk in the forest because of fire smoke for 3 weeks now. This post made me feel as if I had been able to get a breath of nature once more. Beautiful spider web. Nice how we have āfriends ā we donāt really know who do so very much for us. Thank you Claudia and Don.
Thank you, Verna!
Stay safe.
This is so sweet. A handmade gift from the heart means so much! Right before our wedding day my husband to be ācarvedā our initials in the tall grass with a weed wacker! A day or two after the wedding he took me out on the deck to see it. He is a keeper also, 37 years! Hot as the blazes here. Stay safe and cool! Enjoy your day!
Glad you’ve got a keeper, Cindy!
Stay safe.
Simple and beautiful make a wonderful setting. Tell Don it truly is Simply Beautiful!! I can only imagine all of the hours you will spend there. Just imagining the trees shedding their leaves in the months ahead. It will be like you are sitting in a rainbow of colors as they fall. Such a lovely place to enjoy all 4 seasons.
The heat and humidity have returned here, so enjoy the nice weather while you can. We surely enjoyed our respite last week.
It’s been hot and humid here for the past 3 or 4 days. It still is!
Thanks, Chris. I’ll pass along your comment to Don.
Stay safe!
oh my. tears are in my eyes.
and I find no words. such love.
such wonderful love.
it’s a pleasure to know you both. XO
Thank you, Tammy.
He’s a gem.
Stay safe!
as are YOU. xo
Zen it is. Beautiful. Le paradis
Thank you, Don, for this calm place and thank you, Claudia, for sharing it.
NPR is giving way too much āair timeā to this nonsense.
Going back to your park – loveliness, beautiful light, and clean, clear air.
I’ve been following along a bit on Twitter, but I had to stop. Insanity.
Thanks so much, Martha.
Stay safe.
what a beautiful spot to enjoy. Don has surely spent some intense time preparing this vision of loveliness. My dad made an area in the woods for our family to picnic when I was a little girl in South Carolina. We always enjoyed that little area. (Today would be my dad’s birthday, so guess it fitting that I see your park setting to trigger a memory.)
Incidentally, our 12 year old started ‘traditional’ school today, with all the new guidelines. Options offered were traditional or virtual (online). We took his First Day of School pictures with his mask on, then off. Afterward we realized he looked like Abraham Lincoln because the dark mask under his chin looked like a beard! In the future, I’m sure he will be explaining why he ‘had such a dark beard’ . Hoping for safety for all returning staff & students in whatever school setting they selected. It was emotional putting him on the school bus this morning.
Oh, thinking of you, Jan! I am sure it was very emotional. My little Z started school today as well and I must admit it makes me very nervous.
Stay safe.
What a beautiful place to be! I would like to thank the readers that commented on my post yesterday. I really appreciated the positives! Claudia, your blog is a great way for us all to be able to get to know each other’s lives. A sisterhood of sorts. So thankful for you! xo
Hope all is well, April. We’re thinking about you!
Stay safe.
What a beautiful area Don has designed and worked on! A moment of Zen? Totally! And if I come back here tomorrow and look at the pictures again, I will get another hit of Zen. Yes I need it. So much. Thank you.
P.S. What Republican convention? You know who has totally ruined the Republican party. I have always voted for the man and his opinions, but now I can no longer vote for any Republican, no matter his voice or how much I like his opinions, because he may support OM getting another term. Straight democratic ticket in 2016 and again in November. You two take care and have a great week. Pray for those in the Gulf!
The RNC is simply a platform for the Orange Man to spew all sorts of nonsense and get attention, which is like mother’s milk to him.
Definitely praying for everyone in the Gulf, including my sister and her family.
Stay safe.
Such a lovely gift!
Thank you, Christina.
Stay safe!
I love this! How clever and creative he is and oh, what a little haven. I envision you taking lunch out there. And one day inviting friends to come sit in your secret garden under the Zen tree and just enjoy. I love his vision and I love thinking of the two of you there. And most of all, I’m glad he is feeling sufficiently better that he can move trees and blocks!
He’s feeling better but I thought he seemed really tired out yesterday. No wonder! That was a lot of work!
He’s taking it easy today.
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
What a lovely space in the woods! You two are so blessed to have each other and such a wonderful place to be safe together. I can hardly believe how many days have passed since lock-down. Sigh. Looking forward to the future, and changes.
Best,
Polly
Me too, Polly. Praying for a future free of the coronavirus and the virus that has infected our government.
Stay safe!
You have a keeper in Don. What a peaceful gentle place to have. I love the Jardine du Luxembourg! I could almost spend all my holiday sitting in a chair watching the children float their boats and people watching. Weāve been to Paris three times and still havenāt seen all we wanted of history, etc. Giverny and Monet are on my bucket list.
On a side note I saw somewhere that the West End, London, had a show going on. I grieve for all the theater folk because I hear we wonāt have any āopeningsā in the US until 2021. Say safe.
Rosie
We spent so many hours in the Jardin. It’s our favorite place in Paris. I pray we get the chance to return there in the future.
All of us theater folk will be out of work well into 2021. It’s devastating to us and to all of our friends.
Stay safe, Rosie.
What a Zen place Don created!! What a guy…heās so thoughtful, and creative! Itās such a great space for the two of you to enjoy the beauty that surrounds you there in the back forty.
And…what a great thing to read about today…honestly. We took the long way to the grocery store today. It took us an hour and a half to get there. We were just driving around…no phones, no internet…just a peaceful drive….along with a couple of slow moving farm tractors. We are surrounded by farmland after all.
Enjoy your evening! ;)
It’s amazing how wonderful a drive can be, Donna. A change of scenery, no conventions or COVID, just getting away.
Glad you had that experience.
Stay safe!
Yes, I will only look at recaps on my fave news channels but I will not watch that convention. In another year I would have, but not with THIS president/candidate.
Claudia, it WAS a bit of zen. What a beautiful reveal. You have your own garden ‘room’. It’s a destination. I worry so much he’ll pick up another tick, but Don had this plan in mind and it’s really something! You don’t need to go anywhere outside of MHC; you are your own oasis! Thank you for sharing Don’s work and I send him a big hug.
He had me check him thoroughly for ticks and I did. If there was a tick on him, I surely didn’t see it. We always do that, but he asked me to be extra watchful (I didn’t know yet what he’d done that day) and I was.
Thanks, Vicki.
Stay safe.
You know how I felt when I first looked at the photo with this lovely place Don carved out for you? It was the time he was in NYC doing the play, and he discovered that small, private garden near or at his apartment, where you had the key to get in. You didn’t get a chance to enjoy it for very long, but it was a little secret, special, peaceful place. With green and light and different sounds and sights. In some way, it’s almost like he’s created it again for you, Claudia.
Yes. We loved that little garden. Don gets me and I am forever grateful. I’m going to go up there today.
Stay safe, Vicki.