While the rest of the country has been suffering a severe winter, here in the Pacific Northwest we have been happily in the “spring-time” mood for a month or so, brought on by sunshine and warm temperatures.  Gaiety Hollow is coming back to life and beautifully so…I was in the garden very early Tuesday morning, all alone, and it was lovely…even though a tiny bit frosty…

Friday, though, I was back to check-in with the cadre of volunteers that keep this place looking good.  I wonder if even our most committed readers realize that this beautiful garden would not have been saved, and would not be thriving, without the continued and total commitment of people who love the place and believe in the mission.  Of course they don’t want to be mentioned…but sometimes I can sneak a photo or two…

This week they added forget-me-not and pansies to the tulips…”place holders” in the perennial beds for the time being…

And inside the house things are looking good.  Many many thanks to neighbor Marian Milligan who recently donated these two little art pieces that she purchased back in the 1980’s from the estate sale at the house…they are the only things we have that are original to the house…(anybody else out there have something they bought from that sale????  Donations happily accepted…)

The intention of the conservancy is NOT to run the house as a house museum, but to have it be a working place, a place for meetings, seminars, etc.  But it is nice to have a few civilizing touches and many thanks this week to Ethan Allen, NW rugs and Spencer’s Antigues for keeping our recent purchases well within budget.   An alabaster lamp, a new rug, and the little graceful game table that now warm the entry of the house are nice touches…

The garden sparkles outside the windows…calling us back out…

Once outside we notice the terrific laminated garden plan that gardeners can use and mark on with erasable markers…

a final look around…

and we’re off…stay tuned for the coming story of recreating the front gate…Happy Gardening!!