The Garden at Rest

The weather has been so mild off and on that I feel I should be out in the garden weeding. There are certainly weeds out there to pull. But instead I busy myself with projects inside– washing slipcovers, decluttering, cooking, making lists, plotting Christmas–and, once or twice a day,  I walk the paths with the dogs, picking up kindling and admiring the lingering greens. Hellebores, Christmas ferns, evergreen epimediums, and heucheras liven the woodland paths, and, in the gardens around the house, the old stolid boxwoods are star players, holding the stage in their rich, dark dress.