As I write this today, the winds of seasonal change are blowing across our place. The bean fields, bare after harvesting, with corn stalks waiting in the wings. Fallen leaves accumulate on the grass below, with a bounty of their own. This time of year...sought after, longed for and stunningly beautiful. With all that we've endured in 2020, I am receiving this Fall as the gift that it truly is!
Despite COVID, with its uncertainty, restrictions and loss, it's been a good and busy year! Providentially, the decision to start using CAD has proven itself useful with quarantines and social distance measures in effect. I sincerely feel for people who have been impacted by this pandemic more than I have been. Such hard times for businesses, especially the small and self-employed! It has forced all of us to do things differently and make adjustments along the way.
I've enjoyed using the Pro Landscape Design program. It was initially difficult to figure out, especially while trying to help 3 children through distance learning, this past Spring. What a crazy, busy time in our house! But we made it through. Summer was quiet but good. It was rather restorative in many ways. Being forced to slow down and stay home more than usual. With the 20/21 school year now underway, we're adjusting to the new normal of hybrid learning, with more days at home than in person. Routines and rhythms are being found and established, so its going well.
One of the best tools about this program is the elevation pics, in Image Editor. You can take photos of a house and yard, and with some practice, show a rendering of concepts using real-life plant photos. So cool! This feature has saved a lot of much-needed time in the process of working through design ideas with clients. They can easily visualize what will work, and then eventually those ideas are put down on a to-scale format, in aerial view.
In addition to design, I've taken on a few more maintenance clients, providing ample opportunities to get my hands in the dirt and work outside. I love the time in the sun and the much-needed exercise! My big kids have been able to help with some bigger jobs: who doesn't love hauling dozens of bags of mulch, up and down a hill, in someone's backyard? LOL. Its a good opportunity for them to learn the value of money : )
As I enjoy what's left of October's glory, my creative energies will soon shift towards the beauty of the Winter season: with spruce containers, natural accents, lights and holiday celebrations...slowly winding down into quiet times of reflection...birds at the feeder, coffee by the fire, cross-country skiing through our natural preserve, snow forts with kids & cats...remember to find joy in the seasons and what they bring to you!
Cheers,
Liz
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