Our house is large and built on a slight hill so that from the front, you'd think the house was one level, but it's not. The lower level runs the length and width of the upstairs and opens up with French doors to a lovely, green backyard. This will be a perfect home for her.



My plan is to make her a lovely patio just outside her doors made of Jerusalem Stone. This way she will have a piece of home here with her in the States. I intend to use every color of Jerusalem Stone there is because they are all from different areas of Israel.

The red Jerusalem stone and the dark gray are from the Jerusalem Corridor, the gold and the gray are from the Mitzpah Ramon, the dark gold is from near Beer Sheva, the white and the pink are both from Hebron and Bethlehem. I had no idea there were so many different colors of Jerusalem stone and that they're all from different regions, but I'm sure Mom knows.

The main patio and low rock walls surrounding the gardens will be made from the gold Jerusalem stone. When the setting sun hits it, it will glow as if from within with a golden light. Mom will love it. She also loves flowers, so within the low borders of gold Jerusalem stone will be the most beautiful flowers chosen for their color and blooming periods. I am hiring a landscaper for this so that the gardens will be colorful all year round.

I have a few ideas of my own though. Mom loves roses for their beautiful shape, color and fragrance. She has a lilac tree outside her kitchen window in Jerusalem that fills the kitchen with its heady fragrance. I want to plant at least two of those. And lavender she uses this fragrant plant to get rid of headaches. And jasmine, we must have jasmine. Mmmmmm, I can just smell its perfume now.

Lining the gardens, on top of the soil will be Jerusalem garden stones in every color. My wife is a very crafty person and she is going to cover large terracotta patio pots with Jerusalem mosaic stones. These will be filled with colorful flowers or maybe small evergreens.

In her apartment I'll put hand-made white Jerusalem stone Menorah, bookends and Hebrew Shabbat Shalom candle holders, and a red and white Jerusalem stone Mezzuzah that I bought on an auction site on the Internet. My goal is to make her feel totally at home for whatever time she has left. I believe our patio made of Jerusalem stone will do just that.