The Seasons of a Life, and a Little Greenhouse

Candy Puterbaugh

The old gray barn from her childhood is always in the back of Linda Grubb’s mind. It helped shape who she is today.

“Growing up on a farm near Eugene, I was a tomboy — driving trucks and tractors, milking cows, riding horses and working with my dad in our barn learning welding and crafts,” she says. “I practically lived in that barn!”

Maybe that’s why, when she and her husband bought a fixer-upper 40 years ago, they rescued a dilapidated greenhouse out back. Linda saw something in the mess of shattered glass and half-walls of concrete.

Linda transformed it into a simple office where she worked for seven years representing carpet mills. Rug samples filled her bookcases.

When she retired, she also retired the office, turning it into a garden shed for tools. But this was not the former greenhouse’s final incarnation. Reflecting on her past, Linda envisioned a cozy haven for her creative pursuits. Today, the little building once called a greenhouse, then an office, then a toolshed, Linda now fondly calls her “She Shed.”

“It’s a fun place to get,” she laughs.

She uses it year-round — for relaxation or workshops such as flower-arranging. “It really comes alive in autumn when I lead workshops creating wreaths and crafts for the holidays.”

The building is constructed not only from a neglected greenhouse but also from memories. Linda’s skills and passion for flower arranging came from her mother, a florist. Cabinets and counters are filled with her flowerpots, lighted obelisks, baskets, vases and a hanging antique herb-drying rack.

The décor also features Linda’s father’s old barn tools, her grand-parents’ watering cans, her grandmother’s toolbox, and her mother-in-law’s vintage French “Santon” sheep collection. Twinkle-lights add to the charm.

Outside, a fairy garden delights tiny visitors — including her two-year-old granddaughter ­­— as does a vintage ceramic face gracing one wall.

“I only had to buy one thing for my new retreat — a $20 cabinet!” Linda smiles. “The rest are hand-me-downs.” Friends gifted the furnishings; son Brian made the workbench. “All three sons will come and do holiday crafts if there’s beer involved!” she laughs.

Seasonal activities will soon resume, including craft parties and, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making holiday wreaths for friends with her daughter-in-law, sister and niece. A member of the Portland Garden Club, Linda also helps with workshops making fire-starter bundles for their holiday sale.

Another seasonal activity guests enjoy: adding to a colorful farm scene hanging in the Shed. “I sketch on canvas each December for friends and family to paint on. When people are given a paint brush and a glass of wine, they get their gumption up! It’s a fun tradition.”

When not creating or relaxing in her She Shed, Linda is walking their Bernese Mountain dog, gardening, playing the piano, cooking or canning.

“I love to cook!” she says. “Every year I make basil and nasturtium pesto from our garden. My cooking skills came from my Norwegian grandmother, Gammy. Some of hers came from Chinese immigrants who worked for my grandpa. Every Christmas Gammy made chop suey and lefse, a Norwegian flatbread. Some family members still have that for Christmas. I thought it was normal!”

Changing a beat-up backyard building has changed her life. Everything in Linda’s She Shed tells a story. She loves sharing the warmth she’s created, the door open as wide as her smile to welcome visitors.

“My She Shed has seen many different phases,” she says. “It evolves with my age, interests and life changes. It reminds me of growing up, of having my own crafty space in an old barn. I love it out here.”