The Outdoor Dining Table

Storms blew yesterday evening.  Six miles north/east 1" hail pounded.  Clouds circled tightly in a counter-clockwise direction.  Temps fell quickly,  Winds dropped branches from the ca. 1900 pecan trees,  Of course, dinner on the front porch.  
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Sited at its deepest point, the front porch table never gets wet, storms included.  Drama swirls, dinner progresses.  Just the 2 of us, vintage garden boy with 2 baskets, delectably white washed ca. 1941, remained as center piece.  With guests I make more of an effort.  The table holds 8 dear friends in a rectangle of love, 6 with people we don't know as well.  One length of the table seated with a church pew, older than our house.
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The ca. 1900 house remains its original white, much of the porch furniture is white, knowing vintage garden boy was remaining old white ironstone dinner plates were used.  All was good, until remembering recently seeing a table setting, below, by Carolyne Roehm.  Note to self, copy Carolyne.  
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Perfect table quickie, below, a fern.  Kimberley Queen, my choice.  She's not messy, doesn't drop bits/pieces of her fronds easily, and, she takes full baking sun or shade.
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A pair of vintage flower stands are already on the front porch, awaiting their Bunny Mellon green topiaries, and now, a few Kimberely Queens.  Further, Carolyne's centerpiece, below, said to keep a variety of 'urns' for the ferns/topiaries to quickly bring to table, in the antique chest just outside the front door.  Finally, things coming together after living in our home 2 years next month.


Pic, above, here.
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Have several white antique ironstone soup tureens, above.  None more than a few dollars, all with a crack or chip or missing handle of some sort.  With a Kimberely Queen fern, or forcing bulbs, who cares?
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Garden & Be Well,   XO T

Tara Template: The Table

Following historic Garden Design rules, creates wildly unique gardens from the same templates. Every time.
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Sure, ignore historic Garden Design rules, go commando, walk off the reservation, reinvent the wheel, hello ubiquity.  Worse, aside from frittering money.  Time.  Life's precious commodity.
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Who have I become?  What happened to that young woman?  The one who needed perennial borders, shocking amounts of hydrangeas & gee gaws galore, first?  No longer a young woman, joyful victory, fully bloomed woman, humbly remaining a young gardener.  My life, To Sir With Love, lived into, Thomas Jefferson.  Hungering for more.  More, than the young woman who merely thought she hungered.
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Tara Template: The Table
















All pics, above, here.
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On August 20, 1811 Thomas Jefferson wrote to Charles Willson Peale, “I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position & calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden.  “no occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, & no culture comparable to that of the garden. such a variety of subjects, some one always coming to perfection, the failure of one thing repaired by the success of another, & instead of one harvest a continued one thro’ the year. under a total want of demand except for our family table I am still devoted to the garden. but tho’ an old man, I am but a young gardener.”  Monticello Blog.  
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To Sir with Love

Lulu

Those schoolgirl days of telling tales and biting nails are gone
But in my mind
I know they will still live on and on
But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume?
It isn't easy, but I'll try

If you wanted the sky I would write across the sky in letters,
That would soar a thousand feet high,
To Sir, with Love

The time has come
For closing books and long last looks must end
And as I leave
I know that I am leaving my best friend
A friend who taught me right from wrong
And weak from strong
That's a lot to learn
What, what can I give you in return?

If you wanted the moon I would try to make a start
But I, would rather you let me give my heart
To Sir, with Love

Songwriters: Don Black / Mark London

To Sir with Love lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Garden & Be Well,   XO T
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To Sir With Love, the movie, made quite an impression watching the first time as a teen.  More amazing is the source my life was given, as mentor, my Garden.  To Garden, with Love.