•••••Welcome to Irene’s world. The world of a dreamer, a gardener, a breast cancer survivor. The world of a freelance writer. ••••I hope you visit often and get to know me. My world is populated with people and plants and assorted concerns such as the joys of clutter and the search for the perfect vacuum cleaner. As well as the magic of gardens and the wonder of the natural world that unfolds on the edge of  everyday – the flight of the osprey, the mystery of a pine barrens, the tale of a whale that found kindness on a suburban shore and left symbolizing our tomorrows. ••••As a journalist, I’ve ridden an elephant in the circus and interviewed murderers and movies stars and gone to Vietnam to bring a handicapped Amerasian street kid back to the land of the father who abandoned him. I’ve catalogued the garbage of a suburban family and found a society dedicated to the carryout and the convenient. And I shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the story of a baby born with spina bifida and the struggle over her life between her family and strangers with their own agendas. ••••I’ve written about the triumphs and tragedies of women fighting breast cancer. I’ve written about my own breast cancer. I know what it’s like when the universe shifts and you go from just living your life to wondering how long it will last. I love telling people I’m a 10-year survivor. ••••And, finally, I write a garden column. I see the garden as a metaphor for life and death, for rebirth and survival. For hope. ••••It seems that no matter what I write, it comes down to the way we live. Come along with me through the garden of my life. •••Welcome to my website.