She Created A Still Life, With Lunch, As A Gift

Every lunch invitation was coveted. Her long table staged with stems cut that morning from the garden, a beautiful book opened to exactly the right page for color/content, a textile she had woven set as collage upon the gorgeous wood, dishes & food arranged as jewels, silver-linen napkins-art more collage styling, menu seasonal & delicious, hiring an assistant to serve-clear-facilitate-disappear, music, conversation. Life affirming.

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Afterward, a walk in the woods, into the open pastures, silences, more conversation, laughter. I hear her laughter now. See her sparkling eyes, white hair glinting greater than a crown. I feel the strength of our conversations, our silences.

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She's gone, several years. Seeing this kitchen, above, brought her close again.

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Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

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Pic from Roman & Williams, they have a blog too.

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Mary Kistner hired me to design the garden zone between formal at the home transitioning to the wild meadows, the wild woods. David Stevens, my contractor, installed our plan. He became part of our luncheons. Only 50 he died not long after Mary. They are both sprinkled upon Mary's property, known now as Kistner Center, which was donated, in its entirety, to the Georgia Piedmont Land Trust .