Billie's Folly

I don’t have grandkiddos, so please indulge my sentimental ramblings about my pets.  I now have three animals under my roof―two dogs and a cat―and all three are tri-colored.   They're my constant companions and I probably talk to them more than is actually normal.  But don't worry, I don't mistake them for being my children!  

In the last couple years the phrase “feeling invisible” has come to my attention in reference to seniors.  I have friends who say they feel it.  It’s baffled me from the start because I haven’t experienced it.  Maybe I’m oblivious, but I’ve  never felt dismissed or disregarded.   And this led me to wonder if it’s just older people experiencing isolation and loneliness.

BEING PRESENT In my last post, I mentioned that during periods of my life I recognize I was "creating the life more than living it."  It’s an unsettling thought which led me to some wondering and research.  I wonder, can I be  in an quiet, uneventful afternoon without my mind lifting  me out of my actual life?  

  Life can only be understood backwards  but it must be lived forward.   ~ Kirkegaard   Another birthday  ― time for reflection!   We all go through life stages, generally determined by our living situation during each period.  

I don't want the Seven Dwarves, pink flamingos or a parade of whirly-gigs, but I do like the occasional garden ornament.  The random animals throughout the garden might verge on tacky, but hopefully everything's spaced out and neutral enough to blend in with the landscape.  I'll take a walk around and point out a few.

To keep distinct themes and moods around the garden, I tend not to repeat specific plants in different sections.  (Roses might be an exception, with so many colors and varieties to choose from.)  But there are a few plant and flower traits I'm drawn to again and again and they repeat throughout the beds.                                                                              VARIEGATED  LEAVES                                                                                   I love  plants with...

Garden Rooms  - In traditional English gardens,  secluded and partly enclosed spaces within, create room-like effects, with controlled entrances and walls or hedges setting the boundaries.  These "rooms"  served specific purposes, often reflecting the aesthetics and functionality of the time.

My mom once told me I was a 'plant person' as opposed to a gardener.  I know she didn't intend it, but it felt a little hurtful to me--like calling someone a color person instead of an artist.  My mom designed landscapes with native plants in mind and she never ventured outside her plant repertoire.  Her gardens all had the same  Northwest Native t heme .  They were lovely  and that's why people chose her to plan their landscaping.  

 To my surprise, I realize I actually have a couple more collections that I didn't include in my post "Curated."  It's not important, but I like to be thorough! 

Mother's Day is traditionally a day for our children to celebrate us.  But as mothers, it's also a day to appreciate the rewards of bringing another human being into the world and watching them thrive.  I was very late to the game, almost forty.  I never considered having a child while unmarried; doing it by choice was pretty much unheard of at the time.  Today, knowing how much having a daughter has enhanced my life, I wouldn't want to miss out on motherhood.  If I wasn't married and my window was closing,  I'd like to believe I'd do whatever was necessary to make it work.     

Having returned from New York and the my last auction at Bonhams, I can now reflect on how the dismantling of my parents' house went after my dad's passing.   I'm writing this while it's all fairly fresh in my mind.   Many of my friends lost their parents when they were younger, but now we all have to consider the job our heirs will have.   

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.  People dance in and out of our lives.  We may not know for how long and we may not realize the depth and impact of the relationship until it's over, but all of these people play a role in the cycle of our lives and contribute to our connection to others and growth as individuals.  

I heard something the other day that stopped me in my tracks.  " For all we read online in a year, we could have read hundreds of books--but we haven't read one !"  Even though I mostly read fiction, I believe reading books adds significantly to my life, stimulates my mind and furthers my education in literature and knowledge about life, humanity and the world.

Although it feels like spring here, it's a little premature.  But at The Folly one multi-colored Tulip arrived unexpectedly. 

I have a couple well-meaning critics who've suggested I may have a problem with obsessively filling my house.  I beg to differ!  I am admittedly not a minimalist, but I also don't think my house is cluttered.  They say I accumulate.  I say I collect.  Wildly different. 

Being at home nourishes a nd grounds me.   My home is my retreat,  quiet, peaceful and reassuring.   It  expresses who I am and  reflects my taste .  I t’s collected and curated with all that is meaningful to me, telling my story and  evolving with it.    I want my home to clearly be lived in and extremely comfortable.  Perfectly imperfect, nothing is too precious.  I want it to  feel war m, inviting  and unassuming to my family and friends.  

  For the past few years, I've quietly labeled each year: 2023 Life Moves On, 2024 A Life Enjoyed, 2025 Life Reflected, and 2026 A Year in the Life.  They're broad, but give me a jumping-off point.  A Year in the Life brings to mind what a year in my life involves: 

Happiness is supposed to be the holy grail of life's achievements.  We read that attaining some degree of happiness is the ultimate objective.  I'm happy a lot--not unhappy for sure.  But those are emotions, which are transient by nature, and a response to specific situations.  Emotions are immediate, in-the-moment experiences ― fleeting .