Pillywiggin Postscripts

Morikami Japanese Gardens

1/1/2021

Day Trip #2 - A visit to Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens located in Delray Beach, FL between West Palm Beach & Fort Lauderdale. Morikami includes 6 distinct garden areas spanning 16 acres, two museum buildings, the Cornell Cafe, Sheishin-an Tea House and a lovely gift shop featuring Japanese art, tea sets & kimonos. There is also a 200 acre park to explore with trails, pine forests & picnic areas. We had an incredible day but did not see it all.

Wow - This is the exterior landscaping as you walk in from the parking lot!!

Adult Admission for non-members is $15 per person with discounted rates for seniors, military, students & children. Members enjoy free admission.
Plan ahead for groups, limited admission & contactless payments (no cash).
Hand sanitizer stations & bottled water are available.
Face masks are required in all indoor areas as well as outdoors when unable to maintain 6' social distance.
Sheishin-an Tea House & Yamato-kan are temporarily closed due to COVID.
Cornell Cafe has reduced seating. Outdoor patio dining is available. (We were full from breakfast so we did not try the cafe. Next time!)

The Morikami Japanese Gardens provides an experience unlike botanical gardens. Maps are provided to identify key areas but there is very little signage and no plant identification markers. Nothing to distract from the garden's purpose; personal insight, discovery and invigoration. There is no "right way" to interpret this garden.

Roji-en

Garden of the
Drops of Dew

Designed by
Hoichi Kurisu

Visit Morikami's website, it's full of interesting info!

Roji-en Plant
Identification Guide

Shinden Garden
Heian Period - 9th to 12th Century
Incorporates lakes & islands. Meant to be viewed by boat.

Paradise Garden
Kamakura & Early Muromachi Period - 13th to 14th Century
Pure land "Buddha Heaven." Meant for strolling.

Early Rock Garden
Early Muromachi Period - 14th Century
Often inspired by Chinese ink paintings. May include dry waterfalls.

Karesansui Late Garden
Muromachi Period - 15th to 16th Century
Karesansui "dry landscapes" use rocks but few plants. Known as Zen gardens.

Hiraniwa Flat Garden
Edo Period - 17th to 18th Century
Shakkei "borrowed scenery" incorporates background landscape into garden designs.

Modern Romantic Garden
Meiji Period - Late 19th to Early 20th Century
Drew influence from nature. Gardens more modern but less abstract.

Morikami Falls

Lanterns, Statuary & Water Features

Flora

Fauna

I sought good fortune but was content to find happiness.

Hotei

The Laughing Buddha

God of Contentment
and Happiness

One of the
Shichi-fuku-jin
"Seven Gods of Luck"

Jason found wisdom.

Chie no Wa Wisdom Ring

The Wisdom Ring is a replica of the 500 year old stone lantern that stands at a Buddhist Temple dedicated to Monju, the God of Wisdom, in Miyazu, Japan.

This Wisdom Ring was donated by the citizens of Miyazu, Japan. A gift to their American "sister city" Delray Beach to honor and commemorate Morikami's 20 year anniversary.

The Bamboo Grove

It's impossible for me to choose a favorite garden at Morikami. They were all so different. However, I have to give a special mention to the bamboo grove. It was simple but offered an unexpected surprise. The bamboo grove is a living wind chime planted for sound. Beautiful & so relaxing.

Our visit to Morikami Japanese Gardens was an experience to remember & repeat. Japanese gardening might not be your style. Go anyway! This garden is worth a visit. Morikami is inspiring on so many levels. Incredibly beautiful, peaceful and calming. As I left the gardens I couldn't help but notice how good I felt.

Morikami Japanese Gardens & Museum is so spectacular I couldn't fit it all into one blog post. Coming up next, a look at Morikami's extensive Bonsai Collection & a visit to the Japanese Museum. Keep following.

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Lock-Down Update

4/24/2020

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With all this downtime, you'd think I'd be up to date with the blog. Nope. We have a lot to catch up on! Our spring was off to a great start. Was. Right?!?! The beginning of March we attended the West Michigan Home & Garden Show in Grand Rapids and spent a wonderful weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Pillywiggin on the farm.

And then life was turned upside down by COVID-19. We spent the first week like everyone else... glued to the tube for more information. By the 2nd week we were just glued to the tube. When we finished binge watching "Joe Exotic Tiger King" we knew... TIME TO TURN OFF THE BOOB TUBE!

It was around this time that we received an unexpected gift from one of our customers. A box full of organic meal kits from Sun Basket. Thanks Steve & Jari! This was our first experience with meal delivery kits. Jason & I had a lot of fun preparing these meals together. They were healthy & delicious. Here's a look at what we made.

Sun Basket Meal Kit #1
Turkey Meatball Lettuce Cups w/ Buffalo Sauce

Awesome lunch. A little messy to eat as lettuce wraps but YUMMY! Next time I would serve this dish as a salad.

Sun Basket Meal Kit #2
Hot & Sour Chicken Stir Fry

We made this one for dinner - fabulous! My only suggestion would be to go easy on the hot sauce. Jason used 1/2 of the hot sauce container. That was plenty hot!

Sun Basket Meal Kit #3
Black Bean & Zucchini Tostada w/ Soft Boiled Egg,
Pickled Daikon & Onion Slaw

Another great lunch! We skipped the cilantro and Jason ate all of the soft boiled egg. I'm not an egg girl unless you disguise the yolk.

Sun Basket Meal Kit #4
Chicken Meatza with Mushrooms, Black Olives, Zucchini & Arugula Pesto

This was our least favorite of the 4 dishes. Maybe because it wasn't what we expected? Turns out, Meatza is like a pizza with a ground chicken "crust." It didn't look too appetizing in the making but it tasted good. Jason put the black olives on his half & I put the mushrooms on mine, so that worked out for us. I think this would be an excellent dish IF it had a bread dough crust, more sauce & cheese. :D

We saved the seeds from the organic peppers found in the Hot & Sour Chicken Stir Fry meal kit. They were really tasty peppers so we crossed our fingers and tried to sprout a few with the rest of our garden seeds.

Success! Here's a look at our pepper sprouts.

And our tomatoes!

My First Easter

Easter was different but we made the best of it. We usually go to Grandma & Grandpa Pillywiggins farm for a family gathering. This year we stayed home, pulled a ham from the freezer, fixed our own Easter dinner with the potatoes, carrots & yams and spent the day on the phone. We checked in with our family & friends to wish all a Happy Easter. From the U.P. to Lansing, Florida, Colorado & Oregon all were safe & well. You can't ask for a better Easter than that!

Easter Peeps - I'm The Monkey In The Middle :)

More signs of spring in our gardens and the return of Sand Hill Cranes! I spotted this pair in the field at the end of our road. It looks like one was on the lookout but when I stopped to take their picture they were not interested in me in the slightest.

On the Work Front

As of Friday afternoon, April 24th, 2020, the Governor's "Stay Home Stay Safe" Mandate has been eased to allow landscaping activities to resume. Hooray! Now we can get back to work in your gardens... just as soon as we finish our happy dance!

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Fall Findings

10/24/2019

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While we're waiting for the leaves to drop I thought I'd share some of our most interesting fall findings. Last Saturday was so beautiful Jason & I couldn't resist taking a color tour. I suppose we should have been working in our own yard instead but sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment. Fall beauty is fleeting. We should all enjoy it while it lasts! We'll be buried in snow soon enough. We found this little lake off County Road 612 in Kalkaska County. Picture perfect, isn't it?

Jason made a curious find. Do you know what it is?

It's called a "conk" - Inonotus Obliquus, a mushroom/fungus more commonly known as Chaga. It's a parasite on birch & other trees but apparently it's prized for human consumption for its medicinal qualities. I had no idea. But now that I do, I'll be on the lookout for more.

We still have blooms in our garden, mostly Hydrangea & Sedum now. Our Russian Sage & Black Eyed Susan are all but spent. Jason picked this beautiful bouquet for my 49th birthday. It was waiting for me next to the coffee pot when I woke up. It made me smile. At 49, who doesn't need a little reminder that old blossoms on the decline are still beautiful? It won't be long before we cut back our perennials but I plan leave the hydrangea blooms through winter.

Sadly, fall has brought more than just beauty to our area.

Lakefront property owners have been dealing with the effects of high lake levels all over Northern Michigan. Now, property owners along the coast of Lake Michigan are experiencing massive shoreline erosion. People are losing frontage, staircases, boat hoists, and more. The photos & video clips below were taken October 22, 2019 just a few miles outside of Eastport, MI.

Each video clip below is under a minute long but they capture the powerful destruction of Lake Michigan much better than the photos.

Coastlines are forever changing but it's sad to see it happen like this.

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