My guilty pleasure is gardening. Last summer, I doubled the size of my veggie garden and plan to double it again this spring—watermelon, strawberries, bell and hot peppers, romas, butternut squash, pumpkin, herbs, green onions, onions, raspberries, and sunflowers. Along the back fence are lilacs and, I’m pretty sure, Nanking cherries. This past summer, my pumpkin vines slithered up and through the tops of the lilacs.

To the left of the back porch are magenta tea roses which are fronted by a bed of catnip, lavender, and tulips. In front of my house, morning glories in purple, pink, magenta, and white twirl and twine around the rails of the steps to the gas lamp. Before them and in early spring, purple alliums, pink and white hyacinths, irises, and violet crocus bloom. Hostas, vica, paint plants circle the magnolia tree.

Beside the driveway lilies, daffodils, a butterfly bush, autumn joy, phlox, and others all take their turn. What are my future plans, you ask? I’ve just ordered dwarf lemon, tangerine, and pomegranate plants for the patio garden to complement my coffee plant.

And of course, much, much more.