Monticello Gardens | home, garden, life

Tags

Fourth of July, Independence Day Celebration, Monticello, Monticello Gardens, Nadia Comaneci, naturalization ceremony, outdoors, photography, plants, travel, vacation, Virginia

Dear old Mother Nature had her way with Virginia again last week. She sent 80 MPH winds throughout the state, dropping trees and power lines like toothpicks. I was one of the lucky ones, with garden damage limited to the Ichi Ke Jiro, which split in half. Electricity was out for 6.5 days during triple digit temperatures and high humidity. A bit of deja vu from last fourth of July weekend—see my blog.

I defaulted to the lower level of my home, where I have a small bed, bath, and comfortable sitting area. I hauled water from my neighbor’s spigot to water necessary herbs and flush toilets, then retreated to the basement until dusk, when I would check birds feeders and baths. I went to bed at dark and woke at dawn, where I would again haul water and scrounge for a meal from my assorted collection of nuts, seeds and dry berries. Reading and naps filled my afternoons while gently transported to idleness.

On the actual fourth, I decided to join the living and drive to Monticello’s 50th Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony. The following images portray that visit and give an update of Jefferson’s garden progression. See my earlier blog: the thing about historic gardens, posted in late winter.

Dramatic contrast between reenactment soldier and Nadia Comaneci.