Thursday, July 16, 2009

Gladys was Positively Giddy!

A Garden Party?

With ladies that Garden??

My friend Gladys could hardly contain her excitement!

Gladys and I have been fellow gardeners since Mr. Shady and I moved into this home nearly 7 years ago. She is one with whom you can share anything that smacks of gardening... from the price you paid for the plant you could hardly get out of your mind (and you probably couldn't really afford) to landscaping ideas that might be good to either review and/or put in place.

Gladys is a perfect gardening friend. But the prospect of having a Gardening Tour/Party here had her positively undone!

"Don't forget," I told her, "these are my gardening buddies that we visit every summer. These are the great gardeners that cooperate with all my gardening projects. You remember the concrete birdbaths we made last year, don't you?"

Gladys nodded. Yes, she remembered.

"These are also my gardening cohorts who worked with me on our special garden projects this past Winter."

Gladys again nodded. Yes, she did remember. But today was special because She was going to help guide these fellow gardeners through our yard.

"Okay," I acquiesced. "You get to direct us through the Woodland Walk and the Center Back Gardens." After all, we do share a little "history!" ;-)

In fact, if you haven't yet met my friend Gladys, you can catch a glimpse of her below. She had decided to sit on the bench while waiting for people to arrive.

Gladys - our consummate hostess!

"Yes, Gladys," I responded. "The table is ready. I'll just quickly go indoors for the plates, napkins, cups and silverware. Please keep watch in case they come while I'm inside the house."


Gladys kept watch, but was relieved when I'd joined her again.

"Do you remember the projects, Gladys? The large food cans from the cafeteria that we flattened, pounded nail holes in, threaded wire through, and spray painted?"



"The gourd birdhouses?"

"And the hanging birdbaths?"
(This great idea was brought by Eileen!)

Yes. She remembered. She also very much enjoyed the company, the conversation, and the comradery. She did scold me a bit for being a bit of a chatterbox. I guess I must admit. I was excited, too. :-)

Bidding adieu.

Thank you, Gladys. You were right. I was a chatterbox. You indeed are a good friend.

We did have a great time.
The only thing "shady" here is the shade. :-)
Have a great day!

19 comments:

troutbirder said...

I think we all are amazed into silent awe at all the great gardening projects you've accomplished Shady!

joey said...

I'm delighted to meet Gladys (who looks mighty spiffy in her lovely floral dress & classic pearls)! So enjoyed the tour of your lovely garden, dear Shady. A great post to enjoy with my morning coffee :)

Lzyjo said...

What a lovely garden friend. That is the cutest gourd birdhouse I have ever seen!!

Dirt Princess said...

I just love Gladys!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

Gladys does seem like a good friend :) I remember those cans made into planters, they look pretty full of flowers. All of your projects turned out great.

bobbie said...

What a delightful friend Gladys must be!
I love your food cans and gourds too!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a delight to meet Gladys. I bet she can keep a secret too. She looks divine in her garden party frock. So glad to hear that your group had a nice day in the garden with you.

Anonymous said...

Glad to meet Gladys. Probably whenever you look at her you feel glad that you've got her as a garden buddy and that she is so easy going and friendly with your garden guests.

Love your crafts!

Shady Gardener said...

Troutbirder, Silent Awe or Awful Silence? ;;-))

Hi Joey, I'm glad you had fun here! I do admit to being very chatty, however it IS my garden we're talking about! ;-) Gladys is always very kind. She never has a cross word! lol.

Lzyjo, You are too kind! But, thanks! :-) And thanks for visiting. Hope you've enjoyed your day.

Dirt Princess, Thanks! I may be bringing Thoroughly Moderne Mona out one of these days, too. She's becoming WAY too much of a hothouse flower! ;-)

Hi Catherine. It's pretty much called recycling (or in modern terms, "green")! Fun things to do when we get together.

Hi Bobbie, Thanks! Yes, Gladys is the sweet silent type. ha.

Lisa, Thanks. One of my gardening friends would like to create her own "Gladys." I need to hold a few sessions sometime.

Grace, She's a conversation piece, at least! ha. We did have a fun time though. I'll be posting soon about the two other gardens we visited last week.

Jean Campbell said...

Gladys is a love. Reminds me of "Cowpunch and Judy," my garden pals, who sat on a 2-seater garden glider in the side yard. One day, one of the neighbors called and said, "We saw you and Lane sitting in the yard, and we drove up there, but y'all didn't say anything, so we drove on."

Garden Accoutrements can be such fun. Loved all yours.

Phoenix C. said...

Gladys looks like a very helpful friend, and most elegant!

I love those gourd birdhouses!

Shady Gardener said...

NellJean, You gave me quite a laugh with your story of Cowpunch and Judy. Hope your neighbors got over being "slighted." ;-)

Phoenix C, :-) You should have also seen the creations of my friends. Anything you do to a gourd turns out nicely! The wires were not meant to be permanent hangers... but that's sometimes what happens.

Frances said...

Oh Shady, Gladys was such a dear to help out like that! Your bird houses and feeders are fantastic. I believe we have Gladys' sister, Hannah at the Fairegarden. Sort of the ugly stepsister compared to Gladys well maintained appearance though. Sounds like it was a great tour. ;-)
Frances

Gail said...

The first thought that popped into my head...after admiring the crafts and saying hello to the charming Gladys, was wishing I was a neighbor! What a fun group to hang out with in the garden. Thank you for sharing. gail

Shady Gardener said...

Frances, Gladys doesn't have an ugly stepsister. If she and Hannah are related, she's as beautiful as Gladys is! ;-)

Gail, We'd be great neighbors! :-)

VW said...

Gladys is pretty cute. I bet my husband would be happy if I directed more of my garden chatter towards a doll instead of him!

Shady Gardener said...

VW - I understand completely! Thanks for visiting today. :-)

Ellie Mae's Cottage said...

What a cute post! Gladys on the bench is too funny. -Jackie

Shady Gardener said...

Hi Jackie, When you get to know her, she's a "hoot!" ;-) Have a great day!