In What the Artist Left Behind and the Jericho stories, the center of Lizzie’s life is her home, Lavender Cottage. This is a detailed description I wrote, which I deleted from the book.
A spruce hedge screened the yard from adjoining properties. It sloped downhill toward a stone retaining wall, with steps into Juliet’s section of the yard. A perennial border lined the top of the wall, showing remnants of daffodil foliage mixed with the lush new foliage of iris and day lilies.
Lavender Cottage nestled at an angle at the end of the property. A white clapboard Cape Cod cottage, the roofline was punctuated by dormer windows, the shutters a perfect shade of gray with lavender tones. A porch ran the length of the façade, with climbing roses twined around the porch columns. Baskets of fuchsias and ferns hung from the porch ceiling. A tall fountain was in the middle of a pink brick patio in front of the cottage. Various types of pink roses and lavender plants filled the adjacent flower beds. Pink, red, and purple annuals spilled over the rims of large pots on the cottage steps. Private, Lizzie thought, quiet and serene. A place to retreat from the world.
Lizzie exclaimed in delight when she saw the hydrangea bushes lining the retaining wall at the bottom of the steps. A large tilled bed behind the garage would be perfect for herbs and tomatoes. She could have a kitchen garden. A perennial border ran the length of the yard in front of the spruce hedge, daisies beginning their June bloom followed by coneflowers and monarda.
She walked up the porch steps, admiring the wicker furniture. A hanging swing anchored one end of the porch, with a table and chairs where she could enjoy her morning coffee. Taking a deep breath, she opened the glass door and stepped inside.
