Running up the back stairs to the deck, sliding open the glass doors, breathless, Jon yelled out that he needed to ask me a question. Could he bring his notebook and best pens in the forest?  He asks as if I would say no to his request, anticipating a no, yet hopeful I’ll be distracted to give a half listening yes. I did pause to ask why – his reply was that there were so many new things that he could draw, and could he Pleeaaase take them out. I smiled, surely this kid knows he may journal any time he wants out of doors by now?

I gave him a 20 minute head start and then went into the forest to find him. Failing to locate him after a few minutes, I ventured off into the vacant neighbor’s property. We call it Fairy Forest.  Once kept to the standards of any botanical gardener, it now shows the signs of 3 years of neglect. The spring flowers still bloom, and by June it is still a beautiful showcase of wonder.

March of 2012 greeted us with a huge wet heavy snow storm. Many of the tree limbs snapped under the weight of it all. A huge magnificent Camellia tree was victim to the storm.  Yet, out of this one branch, it still has leaves and beautiful blooms.

Jon comes up behind me while I am posting the photos. He asks, “What is this post going to be called?” I answer, “Fairy Forest”. He pauses – and adds, “only this wasn’t the forest, it’s just the neighbor’s back yard, Mom.” He giggles behind me – I won’t tell anyone we call it Fairly Land. You won’t either will you readers?