The Story: Rosebud Flyer
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” — C.S. Lewis
This red Radio Flyer has been waiting for me since Day One: patient, loyal, ready to hold whatever new life I placed inside. There’s something about these wagons that feels like childhood itself: chipped paint, squeaky wheels, the kind of joy that comes from something simple and sturdy.
The Radio Flyer is one of those rare things that belongs to every season. In fall, it carries pumpkins and leaves. In winter, it gathers evergreen boughs and pinecones. In spring, it’s filled with fresh soil and hope. In summer, it holds flowers too bright to look away from. No matter the time, it’s ready to be filled again.
When I see it, I can’t help but think of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’ mystery of memory and meaning, and that final whisper, “Rosebud.” His sled, long gone, symbolized everything he lost trying to have everything else.
I wonder sometimes, what’s my Rosebud? What simple thing once held joy before the world got louder? Maybe it’s this: the dirt under my nails, the scent of a garden waking up after rain, the laughter of my children running barefoot across the yard. Maybe yours is something else entirely, like a smell, a sound, a place, a person. Something that once made you feel like yourself.
This wagon, now planted, is a reminder that we can’t wheel the past back, but we can plant something new in the same soil.
Care Guide
Light: Full to partial sun; rotate for even growth.
Water: Keep soil evenly moist; check every 2–3 days during warmer months.
Placement: Ideal outdoors, sheltered from standing water.
Freeze Warning: Move indoors or under cover when temperatures drop below freezing. Container gardens are not rooted in the earth; they rely on us for warmth and care.
Encouragement: Let this wagon remind you to tend your own “Rosebud” — the parts of you that once felt simple, light, and full of wonder. Bring them into the present. Fill them again and again.
I prayed over this vessel and for you, the one who took it home — that your seasons would be full of renewal, that what once was joy will find its way back to you.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” — Ecclesiastes 3:11
With you in the soil and the story,
Ellie
A Living Story Disclaimer
Each Restoried Garden begins its journey in my hands but continues its story with you. Every vessel has been cleaned, prepared, and planted with care; however, once it leaves my garden, its life depends on your unique environment and tending. Please note that weather, watering, and placement all influence longevity, and I cannot be responsible for plant performance or wear over time. These pieces are meant to live, grow, and change, a reflection that no story truly ends; it simply takes root somewhere new.
