Rocking the Garden

I'm continuously building the Garden of Many Groovy Things.  It will, of course, never be done.  What fun would there be in that?

As part of the Garden, I've built retaining walls, and now I am building a grotto to honor Mother.  The structures are concrete blocks faced with rocks, most of which I've found in my yard and my neighbors' yards (with their blessings.)  This sort of masonry is not something I've ever done before, and like most things, I just dove into it without doing much research.  I've learned a thing or two along the way.

1. The rocks are beautiful, but the cement matters.  Oddly, I just discovered stuff called surface bonding cement.  It changed my life.  This stuff is so much fun and works so much better at bonding rocks to a surface than other cement.  Go figure.  I could be angry about discovering this so late in the project, but I think I'll just be grateful that I eventually found it.
2. Start at the bottom.  Each stone is set not only against the wall, but upon the stones beneath it.
3. Success is about 50% bonding and 50% support of those who came first.
4. Often one needs external support while the cement dries.  
5. It takes all sizes of rocks to complete the project.  All colors and all shapes make it beautiful.
6. If a rock doesn't fit the space, I've learned to try turning it around.  Sometimes a different perspective is what's needed.
7. Sometimes, the tiny pebbles are what's holding the whole thing together.
8. I never know where or when I'll find THE perfect rock.  Gotta keep my eyes open!
9. The cement will dry in its own time.  No use rushing it. 
10. Sometimes a whole section falls down.  Then I start over.

I often marvel at the age of these stones.  I've moved most of them from place to place in my gardens for the past seven plus years.  In fact,  I've always collected rocks and many of these have made over 20 moves with me.  These rocks rock.  When I think about being old, these rocks laugh at me.

Even as a child I loved hunting geodes along the Mississippi River.  They are rather spherical, unremarkable - looking rocks.  You just have to know what you're looking for.  They were formed over a million years ago when a gas bubble got trapped in some lava or during some sedimentation.  The outside of a geode is very, very hard, and when the rest of the ground erodes around them, they remain.  But the secret of geodes is that when you crack them open, you find gorgeous crystals.  They were there waiting for you all this time!  They must be broken to reveal their beauty and magic.

The odds are very good that I'll never build another garden that includes things like this.  But what I've learned by doing it isn't wasted.  Maybe, when I'm long gone, someone else will find this garden and find some magic.  Eventually, the structures will fall and crumble.  The rocks, however, will be around for longer than I can even imagine.  

They'll be waiting for someone else to learn the lessons they have to teach.  And for these ancient, patient teachers and their wisdom, I'm so very grateful.