"Garden Muses" turns 5!

Happy birthday to my blog!

Yummy Japanese cheesecake!

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since I started this blog. For all my readers, old and new, I want to thank you again for spending your time and attention reading my "muses" about life in and out of the garden since 2011. I'm relatively late to the game, as far as garden blogging goes, but better late than never. Readers who've been with me for a few years know what not to expect: posts on urban farming, vegetable growing, permaculture, sowing tomato seeds, etc.I just find such topics too utilitarian. I'll show pictures of pretty flowers all day instead.

I will also continue to post about the various garden cleanup jobs and new garden installations I've completed through my company. If you're not interested (and I can't blame you; who wants to see weeds?), then just ignore these discussions. I post "before" and "after" pictures and commentary because a) these help potential clients find me via online search and b) there may be some useful design or maintenance "nuggets of wisdom" for you to take home. I try to entertain at the very least.

If you're familiar with my "birthday posts," you may remember that I usually show a piece of pastry with a candle on top to celebrate things. This year's "birthday cake" slice is actually not cake but a piece of Japanese cheesecake. I'd describe the texture and flavour as fluffy and "cake-y" cheesecake, not as sweet, dense or "cheesey" as New York cheesecake. I had to wait five years for a slice but it was worth it!

"Garden muses" turns four!

Baby, you're a big girl now!

Every March 29, I get kind of emotional. This blog that you're reading gets another year older, smarter and sassier (unlike the author who's simply getting older.) Like most parents  (indulge me while I anthropomorphize), I didn't know what the future held for my creation for the first few years--whether she would survive, what her personality would be, how long it would take her to be diaper-trained, etc.

Sorry, a lemon-poppy seed mini loaf
from the freezer will have to do 

 "Garden muses" is doing fine. As my real kids will attest to, my parenting skills comprise of Chinese-style nagging and benign neglect. I'm a classic Panda dad, which doesn't always play well with my better half, a Tiger.... Yet, the blog grows a bit every day ( with every post?) and I have to thank you, the reader, for providing the incentive, motivation and psychic compost for me to write.

Believe it or not, I do get compliments occasionally.  This number is less than the spam requests from recently-found relatives in Nigeria asking for financial aid, but a few nice readers have taken the time to write. Here's what Patricia from somewhere in the U.S. Pacific North West wrote recently:

(Note: for all you skeptics out there, you'll have to trust me that "Patricia" really does exist!)

Hi Paul -- I share your enthusiasm for plants and gardening...I haven't read any of your fellow garden bloggers but I can't think any are more fun and interesting than yours. I have forwarded some of yours to my former sister-in-law who lives in Alaska. She enjoys your photos. You must be a well kept secret. Keep up the good work. I appreciate receiving your muses.

Now, if a reader in Alaska can find value and entertainment in my posts, I'm doing something very right or very wrong!

Again, I appreciate you taking the time and effort to read my posts.  And, as I promise on every birthday, I'll do my best not to write about vegetable growing.

Ugh!

"Garden muses" is 3 years old!

Thank you for reading this

Well, not only this post but perhaps some of the other 100 or so entries I've written over  the past three years about gardening (most of the times) in and about Toronto and other places.

Getting older, not necessarily wiser...

I'll strive to write/muse more about "gardeny" related topics.

Maybe, just maybe, even one post about urban veggie farming.

No guarantees though!

Onward and upward in 2014-2015, my fellow garden muses!

Happy 2nd Birthday to "garden muses"!

This Toronto gardening blog turns 2!

A big wet kiss goes out to all my readers who, I hope, have enjoyed reading my "garden muses" blog as much as I've writing it over the past year. If you're not open to the kiss, then enjoy a piece of my birthday muffin vicariously:

Two years and counting....

Keep visiting: I really don't know where my posts will take me!

By Paul Jung, author of "garden muses: a Toronto gardening blog"Google Google Find us on Google+ Find us on Google+

Happy birthday to "garden muses: a Toronto gardening blog"

My first year writing about gardening in Toronto, wow! 

My wife's banana bread mini-loaf,  before being sacrificed to the blog gods.

Time does really fly by between work, the kids, and blogging. I'm really enjoying writing and documenting plant/landscape/garden-related topics. It allows my creative side to burp up ideas which I love to share with you, kind reader.

Thank you for reading and commenting over the past year. Who knows where the muse will take me over the next year? 

Come along for the ride!