The Toy Woods

When I was a little girl, I lived across the street from a big woods.  To get to the big woods, we had to cross through "the toy woods'.  This was a small patch of woods next to my neighbors house and all of us kids played in it a lot.  I don't know who actually named it but everyone in my little circle referred to it this way.  I loved that little woods and it was a big, wonderful part of my childhood. Wherever I've lived over the years, if I wasn't near a woods, it just didn't feel right.  So, living in the city, when I had the chance to built my own toy woods, I did it.  And now it even has it's own little sign.

Maybe one day I will have grandchildren that will play in this toy woods.  The W's sure enjoy it.

 

 

There's one of them now!  She is sitting up high looking down on the woods waiting for something to move.  Winnie and Willie spend so much time here that they have created their own little paths throughout.

I've planted many roses in the lower garden and they are all just starting to bloom.

It's so relaxing to sit in this woods and listen to the water running through the creek from pond to pond.

The mountain laurels are about to bloom.

Over the years, I've planted most of the plants the grew in the original toy woods. I have all sorts of ferns and hosta's, blood root, bluebells, jack in the pulpits, mayflowers, trilliums and blackberries, just to name a few.

This is a huge weeping beech tree.

It sits right above this garden room with the gurgling millstone.

Where the frogs go drink.

The gurgling millstone room sits above my vegetable garden room.  Remember, I on the side of a steep mountain so each room is at a different elevation.

The path that runs from room to room has little areas next to it to sit and take a rest.  Winnie plays Goldilocks and tries each bench out until she finds the perfect one to nap on.  They are all cool and shady and the stone benches must feel good on her little chow chow belly.

The weeping beech tents over another cool area for play.  Soon I will be placing a mushroom table and stools in here.

The path leads up to a gate to the main house.

Faces bearing the '7 Deadly Sins' are scattered throughout The Toy Woods and people have fun looking for them.

The carpenters that are building the new pergola said they love working here because they enjoy the woods so much.