‘AND I SHALL HAVE SOME PEACE THERE’ (February 2011) got its title from a poem I first read in college, more than 30 years ago; “The Backyard Parables” (January 2013) from a thread of a very rudimentary religious education entwined with my lifelong insistence on digging deeper in everything I do.
The backstories on how I named my books:
‘And I Shall Have Some Peace There’
FOR EACH OF US, I suppose, there is a poem or poems that we never forget; William Butler Yeats’s “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is one of mine. When it was time to name the book I had just finished writing, in November 2009, I could think of nothing better to call it than the Yeats line that had long called out to me:
‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’
By William Butler Yeats
I WILL ARISE AND GO NOW, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
(You can listen to a historic reading of this poem by Yeats himself on the Poetry Archive.)
‘The Backyard Parables’
I’VE ALWAYS CONNECTED to the garden on two levels—what I call “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” the practical and the philosophical. So when I went to name my latest book, in 2011, I wanted a title that spoke to that double harvest I’ve enjoyed—the vegetables and flowers, sure, but also the life lessons.
Enter the word parables, which I vaguely recalled from my brief, none-too-rigorous religious instruction read like extended analogies or metaphors, meant to shed light on something other than the facts of their actual plot.
In “The Backyard Parables” I cover some tactical dirty secrets like pruning, seed-shopping and mulching, in a series of practical sidebars laced into the memoir, but I do so in the hopes that those mere facts of horticulture will serve as catalysts to the reader’s deeper engagement. The tips are my bribe, but not the main ingredient—they’re like the literal surface level of a parable, but by no means the whole story.
The complete version of how parables found its way into the title is here, in this free excerpt.
‘A Way to Garden’
MY FIRST BOOK, “A Way to Garden” (1998) was easy to name, because I knew all along that it wasn’t anything so absolute and authoritative as “The Way…” but just my way, a single way among many possible ones. Ten years after it was published, I named my garden website for the book, in 2008. And then the original name—re-incarnated and run-together into one word as a url address—got a whole new connotation.
I had just moved away from my city life and dropped out to rural living in my upstate New York garden when I created awaytogarden.com—so people who visited the site took it to mean “Away to Garden,” as in, she ran away, finally, to the garden. True no matter how you spell it: a way, or away.
Welcome, Susan, and so glad you enjoyed the day, as did I. You can email me at awaytogarden {at} gmail {dot] com (of course without all the spaces and brackets and such) to discuss lecture stuff, thank you. And yes, they are my photos — on the blog, too. Wish I spent more time on photography because it fascinates me, but oh, these digital cameras are like computers, and so much to learn!
As I thumbed through latest issue of MORE magazine I came upon your article. I recognised your photo & name from years of being a subscriber to MARTHA STEWART. I even remember seeing a photo of your house; especially loved the espaliered tree (I have 1 too). I read your memoir with relish & plan on purchasing your book ” And I Shall Have Some Peace There.” I’m glad your web site was listed. I subscribed to your newsletter, too. As a fellow lover of the garden, one can’t get enough great sites like yours !
I have a quote on my FB page that is resonant. PASSION : ” Many things will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart . . . PURSUE THOSE.”
Good luck !
NAMASTE,
Lyn Chernek
You are so right, Lynda, and welcome: passion is to be pursued. Happy to “meet” you again after this time. See you soon again!
So I finished your book last night and I was filled with the melancholy that sometimes meets the ending of a really great read, the feeling that I need to visit again, and soon. I was especially enamored of your spontaneous outburst of love for Jack the Demon Cat. I used to call these moments a “Love Rush” and I have been fortunate to have many of these in my life. Thank you again for sharing your insights and experiences. I feel, after reading the book, that I have spent many an afternoon gazing out your window by the desk. In my mind your space has become a sort of mental sanctuary that I can visit when the world begins to encroach too closely and too loudly. This is a great gift. Thanks for that. Best, Ira
Thanks, Ira. How sweet of you!
Margaret,
I just finished reading your book–I loved it. I, too, am on the threshold…no more a ‘stay at home mom’, not quite a ??? –trying to define myself, looking for the answer to those question marks. Thank you for putting into such eloquent words the struggle to define oneself while transitioning from one chapter of life to the next. I look forward to following your blog.
Happy Spring (almost),
Sally
You are very kind, Sally, and thank you. I am glad to have you come say hello, and hope it will be the first of many visits.
I very much enjoyed your new Book and want to read your other book ‘A Way to Garden’. It is no longer at my local library and to buy a copy at Amazon is way over my book budget [http://www.amazon.com/Way-Garden-Hands--Primer-Season/dp/0517707330/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300816865&sr=1-1]
Any chance of a second printing?
Welcome, Lynn. No time soon, but hopefully in a couple of years. I will say that people still find the occasional one at a local used bookseller or library used-book sale, for a cheap price (they write in to tell me!). It has become a form of sport to score one cheaply. :) I am sorry your local library isn’t connected to one that can send it over…from another branch or the central office.
Thanks for responding Margaret. I will keep my eye out for it. I look forward to your posts.
Margaret, I am loving your book, which I discovered through a recommendation on the Beekman 1802 website. Interestingly, I recently copied from a fellow artist’s website those wonderful Leonard Cohen lyrics “Ring the bell that stll can ring…”, which I had never heard before, but was instantly in love with. That night, I ran across them in your book, which seemed serendipitous to me. ( I also love the book’s title, and have been reading and re-reading Yeat’s poem all week.)
I think that your experience is illuminating to those of us who became adult women in The Martha Era, and who are finally learning to “forget the perfect offering”. I’m a 54 year old woman who is finally finding (making?) time to explore my artistic side and blog about my little drawings. Thank you for you contribution to the “who am I, if not fill-in-the-blank’s mother/wife/daughter/employee?” and thanks to you and the guys over at the Beekman, my vegetable beds are underway!
Thank you, Sarah, and welcome. Sounds like you are heading down the same path…good to have the company! I will be here so holler anytime. :)
Living in an urban environment the harbingers of spring are sometimes hard to detect. I do know that my internal clock feels that warmth is overdue here in New England. I try to imagine what it must be like when your garden begins to stir in the spring. Perhaps you already do this, but would you consider a kind of “time lapse” of your garden from March to June for instance? I for one would enjoy that. Thanks!
Ha! Margaret Roach, You cracked me up for 2 days. Read your article in Parade, then downloaded your new book which had me roaring. Love the way you insert song lyrics. Is that how you talk? Me too! I also watch birds all day after a cup of strong tea and an evening of wine. But broiled brussel sprouts — good grief girl. LOVE your writing style! You cheered me up after quitting my job last week. Wish you had a pic of your hamlet haircut ;-)
Welcome, Mary Rose. The hamlet haircut was fine — it just wasn’t *my” haircut, you know? It didn’t feel like *my* guy cuts it. Glad you found me via “Parade” — always happy to meet another bird-watching dropout, tee hee.
Hi Margaret,
I finished your book today, surrounded by the beautiful dunes, blue skies and Gulf of Mexico {and my children playing at the beach on vacation}.
Here’s one of my very favorite Mary Oliver poems:
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I enjoyed reading your book very much! I, too, feel the happiest and most peaceful when surrounded by nature; walking in the woods with my children, gardening, reading in a sunny spot and enjoying solitude. My favorite quote from your book reminds me of the moment our family enters our peaceful spot in Northern Michigan:
“. . .where I always exhaled those decades of Friday-night drives. It is a place where the stands of big trees on both sides suddenly end and the road opens up into light and sky and farm fields as far as you can see in every direction. This was always my threshold, all those years, the place I’d genuflect; as soon as I saw the opening and the rolling fields beyond, I knew I was almost home.”
Also, “be grateful for everyone”. . .I so agree.
So happy you found your true path. I am looking forward to reading your blog.
Namaste and Kindest Regards.
Oh! One of my favorite quotes ever {and in your book! :)} is the Leonard Cohen quote, “There is a crack, a crack in everything/That’s how the light gets in.”
Welcome, Jennifer. Yes, it was the inscription on my 50th birthday party invite, too. Love it; I try always to keep it in mind. Thanks for saying hello!
I’m reading your book now, and I was struck by the similarities in your desire to find your authentic, creative self amid all the success in the corporate world. (are we all imposters?)
I also can relate to how many years this desire to quit was within you, yet how long it took you to actually take the plunge. The toast I made this past New Year’s Eve was a quote by Mark Twain that I just read in your book: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I think I’ll take that as a sign…wish me luck!
Welcome, Patty. How nice of you to say hello and share your story. Thank you. It takes a long time, and then you wonder, “Why did I wait so long?” :)
I was visiting my favorite bookstore in Sonora, CA and I found your book. Peace is the theme of my life so your book caught my eye. I am enjoying reading it. I’ve enjoyed finding your blog as well. Thanks
Marty
Welcome, Marty. I’m so glad it called out to you from the shelf! Holler when you are done — hope to see you again soon.
The FedEx guy rang the bell and I heard the book drop on the step late this afternoon. As I write this, I’ve read about half of your book. You are a wise woman. Thank you for sharing your insights and journey with us. I remember seeing a picture of you in one of the MS Living issues and thinking, boy this is one up tight woman! I am so glad to know of your escape and that you have found peace. (It should make you smile to know that I’ve kept all the gardening issues – just can not throw them away.) Anyway, I didn’t escape the rat race until I retired (at 67 1/2) and had retirement income coming in each month. I was one month shy of 20 years at a NY corporate law firm as secretary to counsel. As I read your book, I realized that I’ll have to buy multiple copies to give to my former co-workers, who also dream of escaping. (I’ll need 5 copies minimum.) I share your love of gardening and the birds, peace and quiet, my cat and just being wrapped in the arms of Mother Nature. Peace.
Welcome, Florence, and thank you. How sweet on all fronts — and yes, I felt uptight in my old life! :) So glad to hear from you, and hope to again soon.
The last page has been read, each and every page enjoyed. I’ll be thinking about all you have shared for a long time and I will re-read this book, the next time slowly. And I will share it with dear friends too and my oldest daughter who plans to drop out of her career next year for life in Spain with her husband, a Brit, who is also an excellent gardener. Thank you Margaret for sharing your dream as you live it. Cheers and hats off to you!
I heard you speak in New Hampshire this spring. Just finished the book. I loved your humor, your little italicized comments and your observations of the wildlife around you. Your anthropomorphism was just fine with me. I have a cat who is a bit of a pain and a dog who is a love. I talk to them as if they were human all the time. Tonight I am resting after a day of planting, mulching and moving rocks. It was a lovely blue sky day with a nice breeze to keep the mosquitoes away-rare in NH. Glad to sign up for the blog and will visit your website often for advice.
Thanks, Joanne, and welcome. How nice of you to write. It has suddenly been beautiful here, too, but I am struggling with my writing (next book, heaven help me) and shuttering myself away indoors. Tempting to venture out but… :)
Hi , A dear friend gave me this website and I feel as if I have found a kindred spirit. Right now I am at a lake in Madison,WI. and the tiny ducks I call the Iities bities are down enjoying the bounty that my wonderful husband is so dutiful about putting out for them each day. Life is slow here and I have my one flowerbed instead of a huge garden to take care of. Pretty much nature takes care of the flowerbed as I am not here only at certain times of the year. I feel so thankful to have this very peaceful, quiet place to unwind as we spend part of the year in San Diego, CA. where the freeway noise never stops and I know in my soul that I could not stand to live that kind of life everyday of my life. I try to plant a shrub each year so that I have something to watch grow as the years pass and other than that I just CHilll out.I can’t wait to get your book or books if you have more than one.
Thanks, Sandi, and so glad you found me! I do hope you will enjoy the book, and be back in tough and tell me what you think afterward. Sounds like you have a great spot — Madison is wonderful, what a perfect-sized city.
hi from my little acreage , west kootenays bc canada. just finished reading ‘and i shall have some peace there” and enjoyed it very much thank you . i too love the yeats poem
and felt a kinship with much of what you said, including not being a cat person to now being a cat person.i will come by again now i have found your very lovely blogs . pats to jack
Thank you, Linda. How kind. Pats indeed!
Hi, Margaret -
I too remember you from the Martha Stewart days and found your book at a Borders (which was closing, of course) in Portland, Maine, not long after it was published, I think. And I loved it. But I admire your tenacity! I, too, ‘took to the woods’ – at least, to a small cottage on Peaks Island – as a sort of temporary retirement, when freelance editorial work that I’d been doing in NYC and DC evaporated. It was beautiful,2010-11, yes. I photographed the constantly-changing light every day, I grew herbs and small fruits in containers (I was renting, and for a short time, so a serious garden was out of the question) and cooked and baked…and adopted a dear little cat…but though I had always wanted to do exactly these things, in Maine, I found it an impossible place. Much of the year, there were no lights in any nearby house, except one. There was absolutely nothing to do there; the one ‘cafe’ on the island, down at the ferry landing, closes at 2 PM; and during the snowy winter of 2010-11, many days I did not open the cottage door. Solitary confinement is not good for the soul!
This spring, I moved back to a real city, where I can get good produce at Whole Foods any day, and have a choice of good cafes. For a single woman who is no longer young, rural life is too challenging.
But I am still enjoying your garden advice and admiring your tenacity!
Hi, Suzanne. Rural life here is a good blend of solitude and community, so I am lucky to be where I am, I think. The island sounds beautiful but yes, maybe too isolated! Thanks for sharing your story and for saying hello (and the nice words about the book — how kind).