Are there Fairies Living at the Bottom of my Garden I?

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Fairies Living at the
Bottom of Our Garden?
Oct
ob
er 1
0, 2
006
ctob
ober
10
20
I llo
ove tto
ow
o rk iin
no
ur ggar
ar
dens and aam
m al
ways aamazed
mazed at the
alw
wo
our
ardens
continuing progression of blooms from early spring to late fall. The
other d
sk
ed if II’’d eev
ver n
oti
ced ffai
ai
ry ho
u s es iin
no
ur
daay, a guest aask
sked
noti
oticed
airy
hou
our
oti
ced an
ythi
ng other than w
hat I
gar
dens
u st ssaay that I ne
ver n
what
nev
noti
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ything
ardens
dens.. I m
mu
mb
li
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nder
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es
and
a
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r
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ed
w
er
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lea
ected wer
ere bir or mi sc mbli
o f l ower
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es f lit
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om f lower tto
h ug
er.. Plent
Plenty
off
ting
from
ugee arr
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off b
but
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litti
b ees ttoo
oo
owever
ent tto
o the ggar
ar
den tto
o do
ub
le check and made
oo.. H
Ho
er,, I w
went
arden
doub
uble
my rro
o u nd
st lik
very d
ad ggar
ar
dener
ndss ju
just
likee I do eev
daay. II’’m the he
head
ardener
dener..
What? There...under a canopy of Verbena Bonariensis and Zinnias was
a beautiful little “house.” Constructed of twigs, spruce boughs and items
I’d forgotten and never missed; it had within a tiny bed covered with a
hand-dyed pink spread (from my “beads and trinkets” box. I’d made this
fabric many years ago and it’s been stored away in a box in my shop).
The bed had a birch twig headboard and a fluff of lichen on top of my
spread. Outside a clam shell appeared to be set up for a tiny outdoors
shower and bath. There were glittery, sparkly places on the leaves and
really sparkly spots here and there on the twigs inside this house. There
was a harvest table set with acorn cap bowls and a tiny mirror leaning
against the wall. I’d never noticed this before. How did it get there?
Really curious, I searched harder. Could I be dreaming. The turquoise
planter saucer that I’ve been using as a birdbath looked like somebody
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had converted it into a tiny swimming pool. The imaginary cement
“gnome” cottage given to me by my assistant gardener had been moved
from where I had placed it under the anise hyssop plants to the edge of the
“pool.” It was a beautiful day, warm sun...a great day for a swim. There was
a diving board! Johnny-jump-up flowers were floating in the water. Tiny
nasturtium leaves floated like lily pads. Too Much!
I wonder if my assistant gardener had anything to do with this? She is a
woman with many gleeful secrets. Does she have tiny friends who moved
here when I hired her to help me?
More surprises! Way in the back, on the other side of my garden is a deadend path that passes by the Ageratum Blue Horizon to the stand of
Monarda didyma. The faded basil plants had been removed and layers of
Sweet Annie had been placed on the fresh earth. A tiny white fabric tent
was erected right on the straw in my garden path. The tent poles were
twigs with felt banners at the tops. It looked like there was a party about to
begin. Birch tabletops were set with acorn cap bowls filled with greens
and red berries. Soft blossoms of pearly everlasting and red rubin basil
were spread over the floor of the tent. It smelled heavenly. I imagined
trumpets sounding and the jingle of little bells. I wished I could have stayed
through the night to see what would happen next. This morning, I
checked the scene again. The tables were tipped over. The bowls were on
the ground. The tiny tent was still up.
For several years I have had a plaque mounted on the wall of the restaurant
“There are Fairies at the Bottom of Our Garden.” I thought it was just
make-believe.When my gardening assistant comes tomorrow I think I
shall ask her a few questions.
Sally M. Littlefield, Innkeeper/Gardener