A Surprise in the Arboretum

While visiting the local arboretum this week, I was enchanted by scores of bees and butterflies, the colorful palette of the squashes and peppers in season, and the combined fragrance of flowers, herbs, and grasses. Yet amid all this splendor, the only photograph I managed to bring home was of this bottle tree.

I had no idea these trees weren’t merely decorative. Did you know they have a function—enticing and capturing evil spirits—and a rich, long history dating back many centuries to Africa?

Seems like we could all benefit from planting a bottle tree in our gardens.

If You Believe in Fairies…

Guess what? My luck is about to change.

After returning home from an afternoon of Olympian cycling (truthfully more the Sisyphean variety), I stood in our yard waiting as my husband tucked our bikes back into their elevated, chained safe house (a thief attempted to pry one away last week, so we’re extra careful now). Sweat was pouring off me and I didn’t mind standing still.

I dropped my head in exhaustion and there it was. The first thing to come into focus was a four-leaf clover.

I’ve searched for four-leaf clovers my entire life—including in that very yard—and never spotted one before. I felt as if I’d just discovered a dinosaur bone or the map to a lost treasure.

Of course, luck can be ephemeral and sometimes hard to recognize as good. Yet if you believe in fairies, then you’ll agree that my luck is about to change. Stay tuned…