Tuesday, August 7, 2007

A Fascinating Read

this probably won't be. I've been tagged by Bev from Bev's Colorado Garden some time ago to reveal 7 random things about myself. I finally found the time to do so. Consider yourself warned!

Here goes:

1) I have been very fortunate to have lived in houses with gardens all my life. When the weather is good I'm usually outside in the garden. Even when I was a baby I was always outside, weather permitting. I need to be able to go outside, to commune with mother nature with my feet firmly planted on Terra Firma. Putting me in an apartment on the 3th floor (or higher) would very probably drive me crazy.
Having a cuppa tea while reading a book in the garden with a cat on my lap, that's very much me!

2) There is always room for one more plant. No matter how jam packed the garden is, I always find room for more plants to bung in.
There's always room for one more plant or kittycat!

3) As a child I was fascinated by nature, I loved being in the garden my dad had created and I loved the wild flower meadows and the forests too. As a young adult I was too busy with other things and I temporarily misplaced my love of gardens, wild flowers and trees. My cats Chuck, Wendy, Babooshka and Emma were the ones that made me aware once again of how much I loved to be in the garden, putting my hands in the sun warmed soil and smelling the wonderful scents of the garden. They lured me outside time and again, and showed me how much fun it is to be in the garden with the sun shining, the birds singing and by having a close look at all those little miracles that you can find there.
Wendy (left) and Chuck (Persians/Longhairs) in my very first garden.
Babooshka (my first Russian Blue) on the stairs with stencilled blue roses in the background.
Emma (Russian Blue) who shared my love of wild flower meadows.

4) It was through my love of cats that I became a vegetarian. They made me aware of how special each and every one of them was, and as the next logical step, how special dogs, birds, fish, bunnies and all other animals were. When I fully realised how special each and every living being was and what a precious gift life was, I decided to become a vegetarian. And after that it was only one small step to start growing my own veggies, fruit and herbs.
Delicious fresh tatties and sugar snaps straight from my potager on my plate.

5) I'm not easily frightened but there is one thing to scares me very much: depths! You know how some people claim to be afraid of heights? Well not me, because I can look up at the highest mountain on earth and not be afraid at all. The problem starts when you put me on top of that mountain and I look down: Gaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! So it's depths not heights!
Dolly Daisy about to climb to the top of the walnut tree. She's not afraid of depths or heights!

6) My love of white roses was passed on to me by my paternal grandmother. I remember very little of my grandmother as she died while I was still very young. But this has been her gift to me and I feel connected with her via the white roses.
Glorious white roses in the white garden in June.

7) From the age of 9 I loved to play with dollhouses and as my parents never gave me one, I turned cardboard boxes into dollhouses and made dollhouse furniture out of match boxes and such. Later, as an adult, I studied interior design and architecture. It's really not surprising that I love to create beautiful rooms, both indoors and out. I'm nuts about Gustavian furniture; it is just so beautiful, elegant and very no nonsense at the same time. It is also very suitable for where I live as for a big part of the year the days are short and on the gloomy side. So having light coloured furniture in the house really helps to brighten the place up.
Lovely Gustavian furniture, but not mine I'm afraid!

A million spermatozoa,
All of them alive:
Out of their cataclysm but one poor Noah
Dare hope to survive.
And among that billion minus one
Might have chanced to be
Shakespeare, another Newton, a new Donne -
But the One was Me.
Aldous Huxley, The Fifth Philosopher's Song



30 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're so right, there is always room for one my plant :) I enjoyed your pictures.

Unknown said...

I am new to blogging and gardening....so I really appreciate your Blog....very beautiful.

Your kitty pics are adorable, however I am a dog person come visit us sometime!

Do you grow sunflowers?

A wildlife gardener said...

I always manage to find room for that extra plant too, Yolanda ...I must show my husband this post, as he, being very familiar with the lack of space in our garden, is forever saying, 'Where on earth are you going to put that plant?' :)

Your cats are adorable. They make wonderful companions, don't they, following us around the garden, staying close by while we work, coming for purry cuddles anytime, anywhere. I couldn't be without my furry cat-pussies either.

I'm not quite a vegetarian ...yet. But there are so many animals I don't choose to eat, and more than two thirds of my dinner (and more frequently all of it) is made up of delicious vegetables, so I'm getting there.

I really enjoyed reading your post today and all the story behind the Yolanda who blogs, and the little girl who observed her dad and her gran's garden, and was influenced by them and grew up to be a successful one herself:)

Unknown said...

You were wrong, Yolanda Elizabet--this WAS a fascinating read. I learned about Gustavian furniture, which I'd never heard about, and a lot more about you, my horti-barbarica and ailurophile friend across the miles. (Why ARE cat-lovers ailurophiles rather than felisophiles, anyway?)
Is that a Rosa multiflora in your garden? They grow wild here and are considered invasives by some--but not by me, the waxwings, and others who think they are stunningly beautiful. I am going to make a hedge of them here one of these days, but meanwhile, they pop up here and there in the yard like stunning white exclamation points.

stadtgarten said...

I found it really interesting to learn something about your private live.
I am no vegetarian, but I think there are so much delicious dishes with vegetables, that you don't need to eat meat every day. And I am happy to have a husband who also likes to eat friut, vegetables, salad,...
Groetjes, Monika

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Liebe Yolanda, schön etwas mehr von Dir zu erfahren. Komisch, ganz viel anders hätte ich es mir nicht vorgestellt. Deine Liebe zur Natur, den Katzen, Tieren, dass alles mit Sicherheit aus Deiner Kindheit kommt. Da kann man nur in einem Haus mit Garten wohnen. Und wie erst. Deine Einrichtung ist ja ein wahrer Traum. Das helle und weiße Interieur erinnert sehr an den Schwedenstil.Das Foto von Deinem Esszimmer könnte einem Bild von Carl Larsson entspringen.

Schade, das mit dem Vegetarier werden, habe ich bis heute nicht geschafft. Aber sonst gibt es sehr viele Parallelen. Auch ich hatte vor Jahren schon Perserkatzen: John Ross und Pewe.

Liebe Grüße, Birgit

Annie in Austin said...

You sent me off to look up Gustavian furniture, too, Yolanda - the post was fun to read and now Jodi & I know something more about both you and the lovely furniture.

Then Jodi's comment sent me to google agaian: it seems that "ailurophile" comes from the Greek word for housecat, while "felis" is Latin for cat,]from felix/happy] and includes cats like the Puma and Lynx... maybe Yolanda would not be so happy to have a Lynx in the garden!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

[If Dolly Daisy goes missing, look for her in Austin, Texas... what a beauty she is!]

Anonymous said...

YE: Gardening is in your blood! I love your furniture and the fact that the inside of your home is as lovely as the outside! Also, that big 'dollhouse', the one with the white wicker couch and the book, is a great addition to the garden. Always room for another plant!

Anonymous said...

Wat mij na lezing - van het echt wel interessante logje- vooral opviel is dat een iemand die als kind geen poppenhuis had, later veel met inrichting (binnen + buiten)doende is....(me too)en de Gustavian-stijl....mmmmmmm ;-)

Naturegirl said...

I hear you on point one! No apt. living for me for the same reason!!
I also adore white roses and white flowers!

I loved you when you introduced yourself and your cats to me and after reading this I love you even more and I LoVed the ~kitties~
hugs NG

Gotta Garden said...

I enjoyed learning more about you! I might have guessed about adding plants (takes one to know one...laughing!) and that you have gardening in your blood! However, I wouldn't have guessed about the heights/depths thing...I am scared to death looking down (whatever it is called) and also tunnels cause me great anxiety! Worse as I get older, I think.

Temps are way up here, so I'm hoping you're cooler there...hard to do more than read a good book in the shade (make that in air conditioning! yikes!) with an icy drink (kitty on lap certainly welcome!) when it's like this.

Thanks for sharing a bit of yourself!

kate smudges said...

I love how certain plants have such meaning and connect us to people we love - white roses and your grandmother. (Now I'll be thinking of you when I see white roses.)

Clark and Wendy were lovely cats. Thank good Wendy and Emma coaxed you outdoors. We all have them to thank.

And then there is Babooshka, with the stenciled blue roses in the background. Of course I had to notice those.

Ah, playing with dolls. I had no idea that anyone else made doll furniture from cardboard. My mom used to help me put batting and fabric on the cardboard and then taught me to sew the fabric. I still have pieces in storage. It would have been fun playing dolls with you!!

I, too, have learned something new. I had no idea that this furniture was called Gustavian. I remember once seeing it in a furniture store and ogling it. It is beautiful.

And your quote by Aldous Huxley made me laugh... thank you for letting us have some lovely glimpses into your life.

Bev said...

Yolanda, you are a lovely person, as seen by your garden, your cats, and your writing. I can see why gardening is in your soul. It's a wonder that every kitty in the world hasn't beaten a path to your door to be adopted! You give them all such love. I love seeing your photos. I also made doll houses out of cardboard boxes and used wallpaper leftovers to decorate. And I also could not live in an apartment without being able to step readily outside. Great post.

Carol Michel said...

Indeed, a fascinating read and a little more insight about what makes you happy, what makes your day. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Carol at May Dreams Gardens

Kylee Baumle said...

And none of this surprises me! It's easy to see how you have come to have such wonderful gardens and cats to go with them.

I hope you didn't miss my post about our kitty family! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Leuk om weer eens iets meer over je te weten te komen. Mooi foto's erbij ook. De eerste heb ik eens vergroot bekeken, je koffie-theemok......is dat het roodborstje van Jet?

Anonymous said...

Hi Yolanda,
There's always room for one more comment.
Very nice to hear about you, complete with illustrations. But alas no news for me.

Have a nice garden day,

Bert

Sanna Tallgren said...

Hi J.E.
I´ve been giving you an honour-button in my blog (see posting 8.8.07). There was that kind of challenge in finnish garden blogs to give a decoration to blog you specially like.

Happy happy gardening to you! In Finland it is really summer now, hot and sunny :)

Sisah said...

I adore your cats, they are absolutly lovely!
Als Naturkind in einer Puppenstube in weißen Möbeln zu leben, ist das wirklich Dein Traum? Ich fürchte, das dürfte Schwierigkeiten geben Graben von Kartoffeln und poliertes Parkett miteinander zu kombinieren.Sieht aber nichtsdestoweniger sehr edel aus...but not for me, I prefer the farm-house version. Any interior design suggestions for me ;-)
LG
Sisah

Anonymous said...

The kitty in the flower pot tugs at my heartstrings...sooo sweet! :o)

Libbys Blog said...

Its always nice finding out more about our blogger friends!! Thank you

stadtgarten said...

Hi Yolanda,
I gave you the "Nice Matters Award" because I love your blog which is always so inspiring for me.
Please step by at my blog where you can learn more about it.
Groetjes, Monika

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Du musst ein sehr glücliches Leben führen! Ein Haus mit Garten, Katzen und eine schöne Kindheit, das ist heute nicht selbstverständlich. Dass deine Vorliebe für weisse Rosen von deiner Großmutter stammt ist doch schön. Als ich noch klein war wuchsen immer sehr viele Iris in unserem Garten. Immer wenn ich heute meine Nase in diese Blüten stecke, denke meine Kindheit!
Happy weekend

LostRoses said...

You were born to garden, Yolanda Elizabeth! I think that was a very interesting post and I love the white roses as a legacy from your grandmother.

Green thumb said...

Hi dear Yolanda!
It was interesting to know more about you. In fact I have a mental picture of you and what you wrote conforms to that image.
Like you, I am also a vegetarian and proud of it too!

Tira said...

What a great way to do a meme-with pics. Your kitty pics are lovely, they all look so happy ( and groomed!)

Nan said...

I am a vegetarian also, and for the same reason. I loved what you wrote.

I wanted to let you know that I've given you an award. You may find it here:

http://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2007/08/rockin-girl.html

Anita said...

Hi Yolanda!

Thanks a lot for sharing a bit of your life with us, it was an interesting post! Oh, and I so much enjoyed the picutres of your cats!

What a wonderful white rose you have over there! It looks gorgeous! What's its name?

Groetjes uit Duitsland,
Anita

KC MO Garden Guy said...

Yolanda, The pictures things about yourself you have shared are wonderful. It is amazing how gardeners think alike. The world would be a much better place if there were more gardeners.

You sure have some cute cats. The picture of the one in the post is to die for!!

Thanks for sharing and happy gardening.

lisa said...

I really enjoyed reading this post! I am also afraid of "depths", though I'd never heard it put that way! And of course, ALWAYS room for one more plant! (Cat too, but at your house instead...they eat my songbirds ;-)