Yesterday I was desperate for sketching something green, so I settled on two fake arrangements I have, one that sits on my fridge, and fake white tulips that sit on the mantle. When viewed from afar, they look real. Today the weather was a little warmer, so I bundled up and went to a woman’s house a block over. I have walked past there many times and knew she had crocus and daffodils growing by her fence. I knew I’d find plants with color there. Nothing else around here is blooming yet (snow last week didn’t help). As I was inspecting her fence, her daughter said hello from under her raised deck. I hadn’t seen her, so I asked if I could sketch her plants, and she said yes, and came over and started talking to me. We had a lovely conversation about her succulent garden, which already was coming up, her birdhouses, her parents staying at home, and many other things. She broke off a piece of lemon thyme that was already coming up and handed it to me. It smelled divine. Later, she offered me a face mask (“I’m making hundreds of them”, she said), and since my masks look like results of the sewing-challenged (which I am), I am now the proud owner of a beautiful fabric mask with ribbons. My heart was feeling full when we ended the conversation and I sat down in her yard to sketch. The first picture is of my sketchbook.
As I sketched in yellow and white flowers, I wanted something to liven up the page, so I scooted down the row a foot or so and parked myself in front of some purple crocuses.
Sitting in the sun, observing the plants, breathing the cold air, and watching and listening to the adorable chickadees bouncing around a birdhouse a few feet from me, made me feel happy for that moment in time. After a bit, I packed up my supplies, tucked my book under my arm, and gently held my new mask and thyme all the way home. I am delighted to make a new acquaintance during this pandemic, and I hope I can learn more about her gardening projects. She was so kind to spend time with me, and I feel truly blessed! That makes my “real” experience all that more rich. Sketching fake flowers at home was OK, but there’s nothing like the real thing!
