How Does My Garden Grow?

You may have noticed that I derive a lot of pleasure from the nature that surrounds me -- especially my gardens and the gardens of my neighbors. The one pictured above is my butterfly garden from 1999. The idea of gardening, the anticipation of plotting and digging and nurturing and watching those tiny buds unfold, helps get me through a winter like the one we just had in Chicago.

It's relatively easy to create this kind of beauty. How?

I take full advantage of the gardening resources in this area. Each year I haunt the freshly-delivered flats at Gethsemane Gardens and Fertile Delta and even Home Depot. I always make a road trip to Hauserman Orchids in suburban Villa Park. It's a floral Disneyland for grown-ups! Greenhouses with orchid-laden tables stretch forever, with every conceivable shade and shape. They also have the most amazing sale table of $10-$15 phalaenopsis orchids if you're bargain hunting!

The fun part is buying way more than I should (LOLOL) and then bringing it home, and figuring out how all that "pretty" is going to fit into my tiny gardening space.

Fortunately I have some very helpful internet sources. They instruct and they truly inspire. My favorite group of forums is The Garden Web. It's populated by master gardeners, casual gardeners (that would be me!), nursery owners, people who garden to produce food for their tables or just beauty for their eyes. Garden Web forums include HUNDREDS of topics ranging from Accessible Gardening to Xeriscaping.

Hey, it's Spring. It doesn't matter whether you have an entire back yard or just a couple of window boxes on your juliet balcony. Just dig in and create some beauty in your corner of the world!

Need a Pet-Friendly Home for you & Fluffy & Fido?

Moving is typically not on our list of "10 Favorite Things to Do." And when you have a pet, it can be even more stressful. As the "mother" of a 14-year-old Pomeranian (that's Emma in the photo with me) and an 8-year-old crabby tabby, I understand that stress! But guess what...

It's easier than you think! There are currently over 500 cat- and dog-friendly condo/co-op homes for sale or rent within a Frisbee's throw of the Chicago lakefront. You can choose from studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, from classic vintage to modern highrise styles.

It's finally spring in Chicago. High season for rentals, also a popular time of year for purchasing. Get out the leash. Go for a walk with your best pal. Take a look at the wonderful buildings that rim our beautiful lakefront. If one of them "speaks" to you, give me a call. We can see about making it the purr-fect home for you & Fluffy & Fido.

Emma and I look forward to hearing from you!

The Next-Best Thing to Being There

My favorite place on earth is an oceanside community in California's Orange County called Corona del Mar, just south of the better-known Newport Beach. The above photo shows one of the lovely side streets in Corona del Mar. Block after block of flowers bursting from their containers. Open windows and doors absolutely everywhere. Sunny and warm all year 'round. And if you listen really carefully, you can hear the seals barking as they splash in the ocean.

What is my favorite part of this village? Aside from its obvious beauty, the residents seem so happy. They smile a lot. They greet each other. The Starbucks at PCH and Goldenrod has become a social hub for the regulars. Every morning the menfolk park themselves with their grande Americanos at the outside tables. A yellow Lab and a Rhodesian Ridgeback sit politely at their masters' feet during these morning confabs. Other neighborhood regulars busy themselves with visits to the local art museum, breezing through the upscale resale shops, just really enjoying every minute of every day. It's pretty close to paradise.

So far away, yet so close

How lucky for me: I enjoy that same village-y feel in my own downtown Chicago neighborhood. Streeterville's McClurg Court is a serene pocket that noise and chaos have, thankfully, overlooked. Neighbors walk dogs together. We meet for coffee at Fox & Obel. We buy our flowers at City Scents. We share dinner and dessert at each others' homes. The postal workers at our neighborhood post office are actually friendly and helpful!

We don't have an ocean. But we do have the Chicago Riverwalk just one block away. This landscaped walkway extends from the Lake westward to Michigan Avenue and beyond. It's another unexpected pocket of nature and quiet, smack in the middle of this metropolis.

It's a surprise to visitors. They marvel at how this wonderful neighborhood could exist under the radar. And what's not to love here? Real estate purchase prices are reasonable; they have also held pretty steadily over the last few years. Everything we need is within easy walking distance.

It's my little Corona del Mar by the Lake.