Reality check

I was able to spend a little time in the garden during each of the three days of the extended Memorial Day weekend. It was SO wonderful! I've decided that there is no need for me to travel anywhere (OK, except for regular trips to Cincinnati to see the twins - and their parents, of course) because I am happiest right in my own back yard. For me, nothing can compare with that 5 a.m. trip around the garden, coffee cup in hand, exploring here, poking there and picking that.

And why wouldn't it be so? I've created this little world myself. Though not perfect, it IS perfectly suited to me. It contains my favorite colors and my favorite scents and sometimes -- when I'm really being blessed -- my favorite people.

I've been to the Grand Canyon. I've hiked the rain forests of western Washington and camped along the shores of Canada's breathtaking Lake Louise. I've carried my pail and shovel across Carolina beaches and gotten my slicker wet from the spray at Niagara Falls.

But today, all of those places feel like temporary -- albeit beautiful -- illusions. My little plot of suburban ground, that seems real.