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Great memory of Giverny--April 2007 |

My youngest child left for college last week. For 26 years I have devoted myself to my children. Now they are all gone and I am left with the empty nest. I have been contemplating the empty nest this week--In the silence. By myself. You see, my husband still leaves early every morning, as he has done for years. And the house is quiet just like it has been for years. But then it stays quiet. Just me,
myself and I--and my lonely dog in the quiet house, visualizing an empty nest. And it is depressing.

Monet's impressionist paintings have always inspired me with their peaceful, colorful and timeless qualities. Monet was able to create breathtakingly beautiful, memorable art, by painting version after version of simple haystacks, floating waterlilies, skittering clouds. Monet's home in Giverny, France (just outside of Paris) is a place where the artist brought his visions to life. He planted mixed varieties of flowers in bold color groupings and had a Japanese Style green bridge constructed. He grew the famous waterlilies and created a trellised hallway of flowers--ushering each season in a new color explosion. He obsessed over his gardens because they brought him great joy and allowed him to draw inspiration for his art.
I have visited Monet's garden. The place is as magical today as it was back in the late 1800's. The famous green bridge crosses a small, lazy river. And when you are standing on it, you see the artist's palette of gardens showing off in all their glory, decorating the river banks for as far as your eye can see. It is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever encountered.

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