As with many people, my husband and I needed something to lift our spirits during those early lockdown COVID blues. I had a dusty old fairy house in our garage from when my children were young and decided to put it in a long-abandoned flowerbed in front of our house. A new seed was planted. The one dusty fairy house turned into transforming our bark and dirt filled flowerbed into a magical place. After several trips to nearby nurseries and many (too many!) Amazon shopping sprees, the fairy garden came to life.
The most unexpected surprise followed. Everyday we’d have new (and many returning) visitors stopping to enjoy the garden. People left small trinkets like buttons and coins, some left cards and thank you notes. This small fairy garden that brought joy into our lives was resonating out into our community and beyond. A true sense of community started forming centered around this small enchanting fairy garden. It meant the world to my husband and me to hear how it touched people and brought some magic and warmth to their lives.
When September arrived this year we were inspired by the Fall spirit to continue to bring smiles to our community. We decided to create a special pumpkin patch for everyone to enjoy. We got hay bales, cornstalks and filled the patch with truckloads of pumpkins. We’ve given away almost 200 pumpkins (a special thanks to my dear husband for entertaining my over-the-top ideas)! People come in and wander the patch in search of the perfect pumpkin. It’s so fun to see people taking selfies and pictures of their kids and dogs. We’ve even seen some people just come and sit in the patch for a quiet respite.
During October the pumpkin patch was converted into a spooky walk through experience. Every day we’ve added a little bit more. From the bubbling cauldrons and witch’s apothecary table to the 12-foot skeleton – the metamorphosis has been so exciting.
We continue to be encouraged by the kind words of the people that discover our special place and we love the stories of how their lives have been touched by the unexpected surprises they’ve found here. We all need a little escape from time to time, we feel honored to be a part of that. Bringing smiles to the faces of the community around us is the best thank you we could ever receive.
Now what to do for Christmas…..!
By Jordan Carradine, Resident since 2016