Friday fun, a garden gift, and a birth announcement
Here’s the fun! This giant steel spider sculpture — it’s friendly, I think; notice the leg wave — can be found at Mueller neighborhood’s Southwest Greenway, my in-laws’ new neighborhood (which means I’ll be doing garden drive-bys in Mueller a lot more often). With a bellyful of blue and green gazing balls, Spiderzilla towers over my husband and daughter, even as they perch on a boulder.
More Friday fun — from last Friday, that is. On Black Friday, I snapped this shot through the kitchen window in honor of REI’s #OptOutside meme. Drizzly and cool, the day was perfect for curling up inside with a book, and even though I didn’t go hiking or, heaven forbid, snowboarding, I did enjoy the garden view.
Here’s the garden gift! The Travis County Master Gardeners gave me this beautiful canvas print of Lori Daul‘s photograph of my summer garden as a thank-you for participating in the Inside Austin Gardens Tour. How cool, right? I’m going to hang it in my office and enjoy that peaceful summer view all winter. Thank you, Lori and TCMG!
And here’s the birth announcement. My new book, The Water-Saving Garden, has been born! At a healthy 13 ounces and 233 pages long, an advance copy was delivered by stork yesterday evening. I’ve been lovingly rocking it ever since. OK, not really. (Maybe a little.)
I couldn’t be more excited, and I can’t wait to share it with you soon. Publication is set for February 23. While it won’t be available in time for the holidays, you could pre-order for someone and let the lucky recipient know it’ll arrive in time for spring garden planning. Just thinking aloud here…
Happy Friday, y’all!
All material © 2006-2015 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Great photo from Lori and such a nice gift.
Congrats on the new arrival. So exciting!!
Thanks, Linda! So excited! —Pam
How exciting! It looks really nice. Will preorder!
Jean, thank you. I will gladly inscribe for you when you come back to Austin, which I hope will be soon. —Pam
I can’t wait to get my copy! Congratulations, Pam…wonderful wonderful!
Tamara, thank you! You’ll see a few close-ups of your wonderful Chickadee Garden that I hope you’ll enjoy, especially since you’ll be leaving soon to start a new garden. —Pam
Wonderful news Pam! Congrats on the book.
Thank you, Gail! —Pam
Congrats on the new book! Looking forward to reading it. Bummed it won’t be out in time for the NWFGS here. I’m probably going to pre-order it.
Aww, I’m sorry too, Alison. But I’m glad it will out in time for spring gardening. —Pam
I enjoy your drive bys, so looking forward to more of those features. Congrats on the book, you’re now the proud momma of two! Your yard looks fantastic, love the string lights, guess I missed those before. Show us an evening shot with them on sometime;)
Thanks for your comment about the Drive-By Gardens posts, Heidi. I hope to do more of those next year. I had fewer opportunities this year since I’ve been focusing more on writing than design work for a while, which means I’ve been at home a lot more. But I want to get back out and around in Austin to see what’s going on.
Oh, and I do have one or two evening shots of the garden (click links), but I’ll try to remember to do a whole post about my party lighting next summer. —Pam
Yay! Congrats Pam!!!
Squee! Thanks, Loree. —Pam
Got it pre-ordered! Congratulations on your new baby : )
Aww, Laurin, thanks so much! —Pam
Congratulations Pam! I look forward to reading your new book.
Thank you, Kris! Gardeners like you have been an inspiration to me. —Pam
Lovely, fun pics and congratulations on the book. I could do with something like that, but not as useful in my climate, I’d suspect.
Cathy, I wrote it for anyone who’s interested in saving water through their landscaping/gardening practices, no matter where they live. While I anticipated that the most interested readers would be those who cope with drought or water shortages, there’s plenty of info for gardeners in rainier climates who must deal with water overflows and don’t want to pollute natural waterways with runoff. I hope you’ll give it a look when it comes out and let me know what you think! —Pam
Mine’s pre-ordered and I can’t wait to see it!
Hugs, Vicki! Thanks for your support! —Pam
Congratulations…it WILL be a Best Seller!
Sure hope so, Andrea! —Pam
Pam! So happy about the “birth” announcement! Can’t wait to meet you new little one in person!
I’ll be carrying it ’round soon, Melody. 🙂 —Pam
Huge congrats on the book.
I am curious as to what is on the fence to the left of the picture you were given, looks like a large word?
(the word is, Austin)
Yes, Diana has it. It’s an Austin sign, just in case I forget where I live. 😉 —Pam
I’ve been anticipating this birth and will preorder soon. Congratulations, Pam! It looks to be a good companion to your first one.
Thanks, Peter! I’ve been working on this book for so long, and I’m excited that it’s finally being sent into the world. —Pam
WOOOHOOO! Can’t wait to get the book!! Congratulations!
Thanks, Wendy! Woot! —Pam
Fabulous – congratulations! On the wish list it goes… 🙂
Yay, thanks, Anna! —Pam
Looks like a fabulous week for you, Pam. Congrats on the new little one. It’s going on my Christmas wish list today!
Jane, thanks for the vote of confidence! —Pam
Congratulations on your new baby. What a beautiful baby.
Of course, every mother thinks so, but thank YOU for saying so. 😉 —Pam
Nice to hear some good news for a change! Big congrats on all counts, Pam.
There’s no end of the bad news, is there, Denise? I figure we have to celebrate the good stuff when we find it. —Pam
My pre-order has been in for months:) Congratulations, and I can’t wait to have it in my hands!
Aw, thanks so much, Kirsten! —Pam
So exciting! Congratulations, Pam!
I pre-ordered and I cannot wait to get my copy soon 🙂
Xericstyle, hugs to you! —Pam
Congratulations, Pam! And that photo of your garden is beautiful. Cheers!
Lori took such lovely pictures of my garden. It’s a huge treat to have one for my wall. —Pam
Can’t wait for the book to come out! and I love the idea of printing one of the promo photos as a thank you.
Wasn’t that nice of them? And thanks for the book enthusiasm! —Pam
Wonderful post – love that spider! And wonderful news. Congratulations of getting the new book out. I loved Lawn Gone and we are working very hard on that project.
A new garden is so exciting. I can’t wait to see your results next spring and in years to come, Pat. —Pam
I just preordered your book – I now know anything by you is wonderful and necessary to read – and found out I’d already preordered it. Now if it will only show up. And, by the way, how do you sign a Kindle version? I have to have ebooks since I live homeless and everything has to fit in my Honda Fit between national wildlife refuge gigs.
Loved the picture you received. Well earned.
That’s very flattering, Marilyn. Thank you for the pre-order! It won’t be shipped until the official publication date, 2/23, but that’s not too far off now.
Man, there should be a way to sign a Kindle version! Next e-invention needed. 🙂
Happy traveling! —Pam
Congratulations on the new book. I hope it flies off the shelves and a second printing is called for.
Oh, I hope so too, Les! Lawn Gone! is now in its 5th printing, and I’d be thrilled for The Water-Saving Garden to do so well. —Pam