The Fairies Have Moved In
There have been fairies lurking in the dark corners of my garden for as long as I can remember. I don't know exactly why I started buying little winged creature garden statues over a decade ago, but I did. Several found their way to the fairy afterlife when they broke during our move three years ago, but a few still remain. In fact, two are seated by our pond at this very moment.
(Photo of the back of one of the fairies from May of last year because WOOOO! ALL THAT GREEN STUFF IS GETTING READY TO COME UP! And this year I'm finally going to be able to hide all that plumbing for the pond!)
If you've been here for a while, you may remember that the fairy statues were joined by a fairy garden last year.
In theory, that project was all for Alexis. In reality, it was all for me. I had seen several fairy houses when we were at Walt Disney World and I WANTED THEM ALL FOR ME ME ME ME.
I mean, can you believe how amazing these are?
I could spend days sitting on a bench staring at each and every one of them.
And so could Alexis.
I knew I would love to have a little fairy garden to glance at from time-to-time, but I didn't anticipate how popular that little garden would be with Alexis and her friends. All last summer I would look out to our back yard and find three or five or seven little kids gathered around the fairy garden pointing and smiling as they made up fanciful tales of adventure and delight.
It took me all of ten minutes to decide that this year there would be at least two new fairy gardens for me (And the kids. Ahem.) to enjoy. I'm making good on that idea. Right now there are a few packets of seeds on the counter purchased especially for the fairy gardens. Oh, and there are three fairy houses on the kitchen table, each at a different point in the make-it-pretty process. (Photos soon because they are FANTASTIC.) By this time next month, I fully intend to have some serious fairy action going on around our back patio.
I thought those purchases would be the end of my fairy obsession, to be honest. But then I stood at our kitchen window last week and once again gazed down on Alexis and two of her friends gathered around the fairy garden. It was looking a little ratty from months of neglect and the abuse that comes from winter. The annuals had died off, the watering can had rusted, the stone path had washed out, and a few repairs were needed on the house itself. And, yet, even in its state of -meh-, those three little girls stood around that fairy garden and marveled at its secrets. I found myself wondering, as I always do, what exactly they expect to find when they stand there.
And then it dawned on me--I have been thinking of the fairy garden as a static thing. It's a little garden in the middle of a garden, so its life and changes are dependent on the world around it. I've been letting the world do what it wanted, but I hadn't really been helping things along, if you know what I mean.
That all changed last Friday. I decided it was time to sprinkle a little fairy dust on the garden, make a few repairs, and let Alexis believe whatever she wanted to believe.
A little glitter here, a wind chime there, a whirligig up front, some spray paint in the back, and a few new miniature pots all found their way to the fairy garden. I pruned and straightened and generally did everything a little fairy should to ready her garden for spring.
I even installed an itty bitty doorknob on the door. (Hobby Lobby wins my heart for having dollhouse supplies.)
As I was doing all of this, Alexis was safely shielded from the shenanigans because she was at school. Technically she was supposed to be home at the time, but we've been "enjoying" the chaos and frustration that comes with having a substitute bus driver for a week. Apparently, Friday's sub couldn't find Alexis' school, so she didn't get on the bus until well after the time she is supposed to be home. I was simultaneously HUGELY annoyed at the whole thing and a little bit overjoyed because it bought me the time I needed to help out the fairies.
Or at least I thought it did.
Somehow the substitute bus driver managed to turn what should be a 45-minute drive into a 30-minute drive. I'm trying really hard not to think about how that happens and instead focusing on what happened after.
I sat kneeling in front of the fairy garden pulling the last of the dead alyssum when suddenly I heard foot steps. "Impossible!" I thought. I knew exactly what time it was, so I assumed it was one of the neighbor kids looking for Alexis.
And then she yelled out, "Whatcha doing, momma?"
I was BUSTED.
"Just pulling the dead plants out of the fairy garden," I replied.
Alexis walked closer. I expected her to say something about the other changes I had made.
Instead, Alexis gasped then squealed, "Momma! Look! The fairies moved into their house!"
She gave all the credit to the fairies. As she should.
I love that six-year olds want to believe in magic.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Reader Comments (11)
I love this story. And even though I don't have a lil one I am still thinking I want my own fairy garden to play with. Hope it measures up :)
I love the fairy garden! Would love to create one for my girl....wondering if I have enough imagination to pull it off. Hmmm...
Oh and I hope you don't mind when I'm pestering you w flower questions when I do :)
You're my hero. Forget that husband guy.
Wow! this is cute! I remember when i was a kid we used to play like this. This seems you put
your landscaping and architecture talents here. so cute!!
Adopt me... pleaseee....
I have this rather ugly eyesore that used to be giant bushes in my front yard. I've spent two years wondering how to make this thing actually look pretty without looking exactly like everyone else's yard in the neighborhood. I'm not sure that my son will love this idea as much as your daughter, but I think I would. I may be borrowing your fairy garden idea. Why didn't I think to borrow your idea sooner? ;-)
I am loving this magical fairy thing, and will live vicariously through reading your posts since my boys would probably drop a basketball on the whole thing just to see how flat it would get.
YOU are magic, pure and simple
awwww! Sweet! Encourage the magic as long as she will believe.
I know you have a post of how you made this wonder fairy garden... Can I get the link to that post. I am thinking that my daughter would LOOOOVVVEE one of these and I think I will make one.