Dear Reader:

As I walked through the garden yesterday morning…I spotted this adorable little “Daisy Falls” osteospermum”…a fairly recent addition to the horticulture world. It is an African daisy…and sometimes regarded as a weed in Australia…they love early and cool spring days but they are also drought-resistant and sun-loving. (Supposedly an annual…it is popping back up again this year…just the kind of plants I love.)

As I took the picture I recognized its shadow behind it and smiled to myself. How proud this little African daisy must be…to pop up for the first time this year and be alive…so alive it can have a shadow.

That was an “aha” moment for me…one way we can tell if we are alive and on top of the ground is that we can make a shadow. Shadows and life go hand in hand.

All throughout literature… stories of humans searching for their shadows to reassure themselves that they are alive and complete… show up in different arenas….from Peter Pan chasing his shadow to vampires…since they don’t have a soul… they can not have a reflection or a shadow…technically they are dead creatures…not living creatures in the sense of soul and spirituality. (And of course…even ground hogs…who we all hope don’t see their shadows.)

If having a shadow means so much to us…surely it is just as important to all God’s creations on earth…including plant life and this pretty little pink bold African daisy who popped up on the first warm day in February. (I think we actually set a record yesterday…my car said 82 at one time outside…so a hot day!)

Gin-g and I decided to have a “snapshot adventure” on this gorgeous day…getting our favorite chocolate milkshake from Arby’s and returning to Hutchinson Square….to sit around the fountain and catch up on our own memories of Summerville and this square.

For me it played an important role in my life…from Scarecrows on the Square, my ghost storytelling I did for about two decades each Halloween and then watching Mandy’s art classes compete each year for the winning Halloween display. Lots of fond memories.

I believe the town is trying to keep the final section…around the train depot pavilion…a secret. But I climbed up on the cement border and shot this picture over the fence that surrounds it. Still just a hint of what is to come. And it does look like it will be complete before the end of the month!

We, also, went in several unique merchandising shops around the square…Summerville is so blessed to have such a diversity of local shops. I even found a Valentines card for Sammy the Cardinal to give his wife…but everyone will have to wait until Valentines Day to see it.

Gin-g told me about a fun scavenger hunt for children the Visitors Center has that I want to try out with the grandchildren. It involves birds…finding them…not the live ones…the architecturally building decor kind. We found some…but don’t want to give away the fun. And never tell the children about the whereabouts of the snowman…they must find it on their own with your own scavenger hunt perhaps as the grand finale ….he does exist…always looking down on one section of the town.

Here are some photos of the garden before I left to pick up Gin-g and other photos taken walking and riding around town.

So until tomorrow…”Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh