If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store
two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

Sa'di, a Persian poet (?1184 - 1291)

When we bought our house in September, 1992, there was NOTHING, I mean almost NOTHING, growing around the house except grass. The only exceptions were a clump of pampas grass in one corner of the backyard and a peace rose right behind the house. That was it. Since then, we have added sunny and shady gardens, herbs, fruits, and vegetables, a brick patio and a garden bench under an arbor, both of which Dan built.