“A joy that’s shared is a joy made double.” ~ Chinese Proverb
Today dawned clear and sunny, a beautiful day to share with good friends.
Two of my neighbors came over this morning to pick flowers to make arrangements. The youngest you may recognize as my Violet Tea friend. We all share a love of flowers (and board games, craft art and UNO).
I gave them each a bucket of water in which to place their cut flowers and set them loose in my garden. I taught them where to cut in order to leave buds for future blooming and how to clean stems of leaves that would rot under the water line.

Oopsies!
There were very few flower casualties and no snipped fingers!
One must have at least one flower to tuck behind an ear!
Up on the deck, they set to work with their vases, arranging the flowers they had picked.
The glorious finished pieces:
These two are natural pros, another generation of up-and-coming flower lovers.
Now, with that done, it’s on to the board game!
Looks like a perfect day. I remember the person who taught me where to cut flowers and how to clean the stems! It’s good knowledge to pass on.
I feel honored to do the same for these two. It’s a wonderful, sustaining love to pass on.
Beautiful
Thank you, Victor.
Looks lovely. (Suzanne)
Thank you, Suzanne.
How wonderful to be passing on your flower arranging gift to the next generation:)
The only way to go! 🙂
I bet they love it as much as you! What a fun day for everyone:^)
It really was delightful!
Oh, delightful!!!!
It really was! 🙂
That’s wonderful! What fun to be let loose in a garden full of flowers like that. Their vases are gorgeous.
They made beautiful arrangements, didn’t they? With the amount of flowers I have, you can’t even tell they cut any. So fun to share!
It is fabulous to see children enjoying arranging flowers. Our daughters always love to pick them and put them in vases, when we have friends to dinner, at this time of year, always outside on the terrace, they will arrange little vases with cut hibiscus along the table. They are a pleasure to watch at work and it’s so lovely to see them enjoying the simple things in life.
Indeed. It’s good for the soul!
A beautiful gift to pass on Eliza. They will never forget. 🌺🌸🌺🌸
One hopes. I get such joy from it, it would be nice to pass that on. 🙂
Lovely.
Thank you, Sylvia.
What a great “auntie” you are! They will remember these lessons with you for the rest of their lives. What a wonderful legacy!
I hope they do. It is a lot of fun!
What great fun! Just wonderful.
I love these kids!
It’s such an enjoyable time, to share with your young neighbors. I know 😄
It is really was!
How very sweet!!! They make me smile.
Aren’t they great? Love these gals!
You are Floral Artista. 🙂 . Hugs.
Thank you! 🙂
❤ Lucky girls and lucky you. 🙂
Yes, everyone wins!
Brimming with joy, sun, color and love! Perfection~
Thank you, Cindy. Love is definitely the most important ingredient! 🙂
Lucky kids to be given the pick of your garden and your expertise. It looks like everyone had a great time!
Thanks, Belinda. That we did – and blessedly, we always do! 🙂
They are naturals – I love all the color!
Slice of summer in a vase!
Most definitely!
So beautiful and joyful!
It was, thank you, Fi!
I see that you are handing down your flower arranging talent
I hope so, thank you, Diana. 🙂
There is definitely creative talent there! Now I wonder who they inherited that from… 😉
Haha – I’m hoping to create a spark that burns brightly!
A lovely relationship
It is indeed, thanks, Derrick.
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie and commented:
what a glorious day!
Thank you for reblogging… it was delightful!
How delightful. What great friends.
They certainly are!
The arrangements look beautiful Eliza! And one to tuck behind the ear – well that’s a given!!! 😀
🙂 Thanks, Aishwarya! They did a great job.
What fun and talented neighbors you have! I feel the joy!
There is lots of joy with this family – I feel blessed to have them as neighbors!
What a delight to have such sweet young visitors that share your interests. I too have a neighbor girl that comes over to share in my garden. It is always fun to have her visit.
Sharing my garden is one of my biggest delights!
Two sweeties, flower arranging and a board game – you’re living right. 🙂
Yes, m’am! Best buddies.
This is a great way to educate children to love nature!Well done, Eliza!
Thank you, Anca. I throw in a little science, too. 🙂
I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer morning, Eliza.
So, true. These two are great company!
I love the quote you open with ~ and then I see a day that must have been made of pure joy. How lucky those kids are to have you there to play with, and to take in all the beauty your garden has to offer, and of course, from your photos I can see how lucky you are to have such company. Awesome post Eliza ~
Thank you, Randall. Mutually beneficial, I’d say!
I bet the girls love coming to your house with all those pretty flowers. Have they tried pressing some?
We did press some two years ago with the idea that we would make collages in the winter. Never got to it, but they still sit in boxes in the closet!
Oh, Eliza. You are such a gift. I loved seeing these young girls enjoying nature (with a great teacher, I might add)
Aw, thank you, Kim. I love having them over, I only wish they’d come more often!
This post is just precious, Eliza. Your flowers are just gorgeous and giving me ideas of what to plant in places where color is needed. Darling girls. How you must both Love seeing them and being with them. They are just so JOY filled!! 🙂 ❤
Thank you, Amy. I always enjoy my time with them…very joyful, indeed. 🙂
Ah, I love this Eliza! ❤
Thank you, Julie. Great fun!
That Is one of the best reasons to have a garden. I bet you’ve made many a summer memory out there!
Very true! 🙂
They look so happy, and that’s what matters! They’re lucky to have you as a neighbor!
Thank you, Maria!
Wonderful post and lesson for the young ones!
Thank you, Denise!
This is a lovely, cheerful post! I love it! Beautiful flowers & children! ❤ I’m so happy to read that you all had fun and there was no injuries! 😀 What a beautiful day! Thank you for sharing! I love the simple, fun cheerful feeling conveyed here!
Thank you, Kim. We had a great time!