As planned, my mom and I went to see The Quilted Garden this morning. We left right after going to the local farmer’s market. Interestingly, her farmer’s market was larger, and offered a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables than mine at home. A nice reminder of how fertile the Ohio land can be.
The garden was about an hour’s drive south. It was so far in the booney’s even the GPS got a little confused. With the temperature in the low 70’s, it was a perfect day for a drive. Our recent Midwest rains have made the rural backroads very green.
When we finally found the Garden, it was not quite what I had expected. I had thought it would be more structured, a formal garden. What we saw was essentially an elaborate front yard garden.
Don’t get me wrong, it was beautiful to see. The gardens were quite large to walk around. Working in the garden when we arrived were the owner and his son. They were digging up flowers for the person ahead of us. This was another surprise, one can buy a clump of the Lily’s to take home. Some are reasonably priced at $10 a clump, others, which the owner had cultivated and cross-pollinated himself, were $150 a clump. Those were a little pricey for me, but my mom got one of the more reasonably priced clumps for her front yard. In a few years, when the plant needs to be divided, I might take an offshoot for my yard.
The husband was the gardener, the wife was a quilter (hence, The Quilted Garden name). She has a smallish quilt shop, but a large-ish fabric shop. Out in the middle of nowhere is a fine fabric store, just about anything one would want. She also sells the quilts she makes, and they were beautiful. The stitch-work is a sight to behold. Part of her shop is also set aside as a classroom.
Although there were many beautiful quilts, any would be great hanging on the wall, or spread across the bed, one really caught my eye. When I saw it I was mesmerized. The fabric was of a creek with a covered bridge sprawling across it. I couldn’t stop looking at the scene, and then there is the stitching. It is quite intricate in design.
The price for this small quilt was more than I wanted to pay at first, so I walked away. But as we look around a little more, I kept coming back to look at the bridge. When I looked at the scene, it had a calming effect on me. For a brief moment, I was at peace. A feeling of peace right now is quite fleeting.
As I’m sure you figured out already, I ended up buying the quilt. It will either hang in my office at home, or at my work office. Which one hasn’t been decided yet. Either way, I look forward to glimpsing it throughout the day. That moment of peace will be quite welcome.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 