The West Chicago Garden Club

By Barbara Darrah

I’m sitting in front of a cheerful fire, a glass of wine in my hand, a dozing cat on my lap and my best friend at my side. I look out the window, past the bird feeders, at the winter remnants of our garden. I am not saddened by this barren view because I am taking this time, like the garden itself, to pull my roots back down into myself and let my imagination kindle thoughts of the coming spring and summer. Should we plant something new? Should we cut back an overgrown bush? We all dream of getting out there in the warm sun and getting our hands dirty once again.

I think it would be hard to be a gardener if you couldn’t have this chance to settle into the warmth of this winter hibernation. We need this time to contemplate the bare bones of our surroundings and picture the changes that we can make to enhance this small part of the world that we call our own.

Of course, those of us who volunteer at Kruse House are imagining our “second” garden as well. We are always thinking of ways to improve it without forgetting our ultimate goal of keeping its maintenance low. It’s actually fun to get together for a few hours on a Wednesday morning. We would love to have any of you who occasionally can spare an hour or so to come and join us. Or if you want to stop by any time and pull a weed or two – Welcome.

In the meantime , we can all revel in good food, warm fires and the pleasure of the crisp winter air and dream about the coming spring.

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