Lovejoy - Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars

Sharon Lovejoy

Photography by Miki Duisterhof

Workman Publishing New York

Dedication

To my unforgettable Grannies
Augustine Feller Clarke and Abigail Baker Lovejoy
All that is good in me sprang from them.

Copyright 2009 text and illustrations by Sharon Lovejoy

Copyright 2009 photography Miki Duisterhof

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproducedmechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopyingwithout written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

eISBN 978-0-7611-6453-1

Originally published as Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars.

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How did I get so lucky to be paired with an editor who is not only brilliant and sensitive, but also totally in tune with my way of viewing nature and life? Ruth Sullivan seems to know unerringly what fits, what works, and what is important to the life of a manuscript. We spent dozens of hours on the phone these past two and a half years and every minute was a learning experience. She brings out the best in me and she has molded this book into what youll read here. Heartfelt thanks.

Peter Workman is one of my heroes. Thank you, Peter, for your belief in my work. Thank you, Maisie Tivnan, art designers Janet Vicario and Amy Trombat, production editors Carol White and Julie Primavera, photo director Anne Kerman, and photographers Miki Duisterhof and Tiffany Howe.

Now to the women who have contributed: Gladys Marie McKinstry, Betsy Williams, Victoria Greene, Bonny Spencer, Mary Rae Means, Sharon Aderman, Aggie Goettie, Kathie Ohmer, Jeanni Montgomery, as well as Cathi Arnold, Sue Eiler, Kim Moreno, Molly Chappellet, Judy Thelen, Cindy Rankin, Susan Branch, Virginia Holihan, Marilyn Brewer, Kary Gonyer, Lynn Karlin, and Jane and Lee Taylor.

My family deserves special thanks for their help. Moses John, Sara, Ilyahna, and Asher, you were great. Jim Prostovich, you were a saving grace. Noah, Lea, and Danielle, youve done a wonderful job. Thanks also to my aunt, Rose Lovejoy.

This book wouldnt exist today if it had not been for the unwavering love, support, and help of my husband, Jeff Prostovich. He gave me the courage and resolve to persevere and to tell my stories. What a life weve shared!

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace.

Christopher Morley

The bower of jasmine beside my studio is cloaked with snowflake-white blooms. Its scent stops me mid-stride and pierces my heart, as only scent can do, with memories of the two beloved women who changed me forever and for good.

My grandmothers, Nonie Clarke and Grandmother Lovejoy, were the first and most profound blessings of my young life. In their loving presence, I felt as though everything I talked about, accomplished, or experienced was important. They may not have approved of or understood some of my actions, but they never overlooked them. Instead, they offered words of encouragement or perhaps guidance to a better pathway. I knew that they always had time for me no matter what was happening in their busy lives.

My first home was nestled into an orchard in my Grandmother Lovejoys garden just steps from her cottage. Gnarled apricot, guava, fig, and peach trees skirted with jasmine and dianthus leaned toward Grandmothers house with outstretched limbs, as though in an embrace. I spent the first seven years of my life running the hollyhock-flanked trails between Grandmothers home and mine. How could I have been so lucky? A grandmother only a few steps from me and always ready to explore, read, have faerie tea parties, garden, cook, and talk with me about the mysteries of life. We approached every day together as an adventure, filled with the simple joys and discoveries that are fresh and new to a child and that can also make a grandmother feel fresh and new again.

At age two Moses is a fearless nature boy who uses all his sensesespecially tastewhen exploring.

Some days we worked silently, side by side, absorbing the beauty and sounds that surrounded us. I learned that silence can be as deep and instructive as conversation. Only by being silent could Grandmother teach me to tune in and really hear the high bzee-bzee whistling calls of the cedar waxwings that frequented her garden. All things have a voice, she said, but most people dont take the time to stop and listen.

My Nonie lived only a few miles from Grandmothers house. Nonie and my grandpa visited us every Friday without fail. Nonie and Grandmother loved each other and delighted in their weekly visits. While Grandpa worked on innumerable odd jobs, we puttered in the gardens, played old-fashioned board games or cards, made secret gifts for family and neighbors, and cooked. When the three of us were together, we laughed and played like girls.

The garden faeries have a kindred spirit in Sara May, who leaves gifts and letters for them in her mailbox.

Now I am a grandmother, and it is one of the truest and purest joys of my life. The traditions, stories, cooking, gardening, arts, and patience of Grandmother and Nonie stream through me and eddy around the eager young children who fill my life with light. Whether we are picking berries or storytelling, I feel an invisible current of connection to the grandmothers who came before me. Though that connection is invisible, it is as powerful and tangible as the jasmine blossoms that pour their beauty and fragrance into my garden.

My situation is certainly different from that of my grandmothers, who had me and me alone as their only grandchild for many years. I am blessed to have four grandchildren (pictured on these pages), who usually receive my undivided attention and always receive my unconditional love. Although two of my grandchildren are step-grands, there is never a time when I dont feel as though they are my own. They know me as Gramma Sharon, and they dont measure me against the grandma whose blood flows through their veins. I live about 5 minutes from two of my grands and about 20 minutes from the others. Just close enough, just far enough. Despite chaos and calamities, temper tantrums and tears, our times together are joyful, life-changing, affirming, and a constant challenge.