It’s Mary Lennox season and I can’t stay indoors.
We planned to read today (The Mitchells, continued) but instead found ourselves sitting in a patch of dirt building a construction site for Huck. Four of us, ages 5, 11, 13, and 43, digging holes and heaping pebbles and smoothing roads. The site foreman was napping during this endeavor. His reaction upon discovering it, post-nap, still glassy-eyed, was akin to what I imagine Miss Rumphius felt when she happened upon that first breathtaking patch of wind-sown lupines after her winter in bed.
A few yards from Huck’s Struction Site lies Rilla’s Roxaboxen. A while back I gave up on a rickety old end table we’ve had forever. It has the loveliest blue-tiled top and was a hand-me-down from a beloved friend, so I kept it around long after it could be relied upon to stand upright. Finally, I unscrewed the legs and gave them to the kids to play with. The tiled tabletop is a tray for houseplants now.
By “gave them to the kids” I mean I tossed the wooden legs into the backyard and waited to see what became of them.
Here’s what.
You are now entering the Roxaboxen.
Elsewhere in the garden, a surprise: I forgot I’d planted freesia!
They smell as heavenly as they look.
Lisa says:
Oh, the Southern CA weather was so beautiful today! And, much as I love The Mitchells, I would have opted for building Roxaboxen today, too.
On March 2, 2012 at 5:37 pm
maria says:
Oh what a gloriously wonderful day!!!!!
The road construction and Roxeboxen bring back fond memories of when my children were younger. 🙂
On March 2, 2012 at 7:57 pm
sarah says:
So lovely!
I always think freesias are simple happiness as a flower.
On March 2, 2012 at 8:11 pm
tanita says:
I LOVE the gateway to Roxaboxen. That was a gorgeous wee table.
I think digging in the dirt for hours is a splendid activity topped only by digging in sand for hours…
I look at your freesia and sigh, “Someday…”
On March 3, 2012 at 4:53 am
Melissa Wiley says:
Hee, I just realized it does look like I’m saying the tiled stone at the Roxaboxen entrance is the tabletop…that’s actually a little cement mosiac project Beanie made a few years back. The tabletop (ceramic tiles, so pretty) is a little bigger—though not much! 🙂
@Tanita, it’s funny because I look at your Scottish views (on D’s blog) and sigh, “Someday…” too. 🙂
On March 4, 2012 at 7:14 am
MelanieB says:
I love Huck’s little Struction Site. I think perhaps I need to find a place to make one for Ben as the weather is starting to promise to get nicer. Right now the girls and Anthony are out enjoying the 61! degree weather.
I really should get off the computer and go pore over my seed catalogs. You make me want to get planting.
On March 7, 2012 at 12:10 pm