A Very Good Life

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2012 ~ Rain~ Orchids

2012-02-15T00:54:00.000-08:00

“Love like rain, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots keeping itself alive.”

― Paulo Coelho, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Sunset after Rain by Gene Sasse

The cars sparkled from the car wash. The new smart irrigation controller for the sprinkler system installed. It rained, inching Southern California ever closer to a "normal" rainfall total.

Emerald green grass thanks God for the rain and me for the fertilizer. The young coyote thanks us for making so many rabbits grateful for our lawn. We will have to be careful. Coyotes do not understand the wrath that will come if they mistake our indoor pets out on their daily runs for free-range brunch.

Rest in peace, Whitney Houston. It was a revelation to hear you live as your star began to catapult toward the heaven where you now reside. You begged forgiveness for a cold. If you hadn't mentioned it, no one would have known your vocal chords were in the slightest compromised. Such is the life of a performer. We who admire your craft took what you gave up for granted. Forgive us our impatience with your imperfection.

The best of who you were lives on through your music and the generation of artists you inspired.

This month, this orchid is my private performer. She has a twin in a more sheltered position whose bloom is not quite as developed.

Largely ignored since health issues hit our family last year, the orchids have proven to be quite the troupers. Now that things are settling down, their beauty radiates against a mostly green garden.

Love trinket box by Gene Sasse

Valentine's Day is unevenly celebrated here. My husband was likely on travel through many. How we are treated in the every day more than mandatory gift giving days that are important.

The year my husband bought me a car, Chuck next door teased him on behalf of the husband's union "How are you going to top that?" This year, we split a pastrami sandwich from The Hat World Famous Pastrami , and I couldn't be happier than if we had flown to the best deli in New York. Presence trumps presents.

The blossoms of Magnolia Soulangiana fill the background

Seen through my living room window, a bird hesitates on the clipped branch of the tabebuia. While, most of the feeders have been allowed to lie empty for a thorough seasonal cleaning, the birds are thrilled with this avian equivalent to a people's protein bar.

Linking to May Dreams Gardens GBBD

Thank you to Good Reads for the quote about rain.

The Oven as Art ~Gluten Free Italian Dinner

2012-02-09T23:59:00.000-08:00

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
~ William Morris

William Morris was a socialist, a man who renounced the Victorian Age. The irony of his beautiful work. meant to honor an eglatarian better world could only be afforded by the very wealthy.

It took 6 weeks for the extended warranty provider recommended by Maytag to decide it was time to replace rather than repair the range. Their settlement offer was for 65% of replacement value off the lowest price on Internet- that would take another 2 weeks to be shipped. Which just might explain why it is the contract that was to be e-mailed that day was then to be mailed within a week and then 6 weeks and is still not here. I can deal with that next week. For now- the priority had to be replacing the old range and microwave before there was an accident.

2 weeks of every spare moment was spent studying floor models and Internet reviews. Then it was time to get the real price between competitors. Delivery, set up, disposal of the old unit- and extended warranties had to be compared. The least expensive "compromise" model didn't fare so well in the all-inclusive matrix.The $500 extended warranty on one range blew one store totally out of contention.

Gerry left this decision totally in my hands. The GE profile microwave door was well on its 4th repair- each time greater than the cost of a brand new unit. So I said bye-bye to one of the more disappointing purchases of my homemaking career.

Pricing suitable models- campfires were starting to sound real good. Not good enough that when a local vendor met all the criterion- including price- that when they said delivery would be in a month- I had to say no and keep shopping.

.

Meet Juan Carlos. As I understand it, he is an independent contractor for Best Buy. Not only did I get everything I wanted at a fair price, customer service heard that I was trying to coordinate the arrival and install with my husband's discharge (even when you are getting everything you want- there is still something to stress over).

Best Buy moved heaven and earth to make my install the first one of the day. Juan was professional. clean, gentle with my possessions.

Gerry was concerned when I told him I could not get the same double oven configuration in bisque. The new LG appliances are officially stainless steel- but have ample black trim, cast iron grates and a wide 5th burner to grill off of. Not only handsome- this unit gets an "A" for cooking where the other never got over a "B".

My husband's mother stayed the first few days post hospital with us. Equal parts to be with her son and to have another adult around so his wife has an extra pair of hands. My mother-in-law, being gluten intolerant- it is fun to play with recipes for someone so unfailingly appreciative.

Tonight I made meatballs with ground turkey- pushed the usual spices down a bit- and replaced crackers with ground Corn Chex. Mixing the eggs, celery and carrots- the mixture was too slippery. So each ball was firmed by dredging each through a bit of gluten free biscuit mix before being dropped into hot oil for 3 minutes. When the entire batch had a touch of crisp to the meaty crust - the deep fried balls waited in a medium lasagna pan to finish baking under a bath of Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce.

The rice corkscrew pasta noodles were cooked according to directions. Once rinsed, slices of butter melted with ricotta and mozzarella cheese. And as there are no pasta dishes that don't love olives- a drained can was stirred in with a generous pour of heavy cream.

Trevor was last heard from on stand -bye. Guess his pasta may be for breakfast. Whenever, we look forward to feeding him - love and pasta.

Exceeding Normal~ Simple Pleasures ~Super Bowl

2012-02-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. "

Benjamin Franklin

What sweeter sound is there than the cooing of dove? Look closely in the branches and see what lovely shape is nervously anticipating that the barrel I have aimed at him might not be a camera, but a gun? He needn't have flown off. I wanted to sing he and the family back "It's okay- I cancelled my NRA membership."

Sometimes I wish I were more like the wind vane. Proudly it goes about its business, without fear of disappointing or disputable errors.

I must get about during normal hours to capture the V- formations of ducks declaring it time for snowbirds to settle in our mild clime. Not to excuse, just to explain- last week we had the rare opportunity to be with people who normally exceed normal - medical professionals and their support staff.

Many came to America for an education, then stayed for the greatness of this nation that generously welcomed them. Some have family left behind where there is great strife. Places where nature's nasty side leaves scars over decades; countries that do not hold human life with the same respect as the United States has a long tradition of.

As these people cared for my loved one, I promised to pray for theirs.

The simple mural with a ship and pipe painted like a light house was a primitive salute to the healing powers of an ocean view room. Kenny, our youngest son who lives in Huntington Harbor, had to hold back a bit of a giggle at how the child-like scenic charmed his parents.

pebbles mimic water smoothed rocks

Pebbles on an outcropping roof made me laugh for all the times my knees have suggested trading in my hillside haven for a raked pebble patio.

What beach scene is complete without palm trees?

Never underestimate the power of simple symbolism in promoting healing.

Now, a hospital room is not the "normal" place to hold a Super Bowl Party- but when the host can't be in front of his own big screen- his wife goes wherever he is. With pleasure.

"Normal" years, my husband's request for game time food can be summed up by the end result - heart burn. This year offered the chance for his wife to discover the simple joy of sneaking a single bottle of Cook's Brut Champagne- like is nested in a 4 bottle picnic pack to serve over ice in the ubiquitous Styrofoam cup.

The crispy bubbly turned out to be perfect to sip with the childhood delight of cheese squeezed onto buttery crackers . I know, there goes any reputation for being a bit of a snob on food and drink. Maybe this isn't as fine a combination as Miranda Lambert holding hands with her husband Blake Shelton while serenading a nation with America the Beautiful or as sublime as Kelly Clarkson's Star Spangled Banner- but it was darn good in the tradition of simple pleasures.

Gerry is home now. Just a few short weeks and we are wiser and healthier and full of more faith than before how miraculous life hit home with the precision and impact of a guided missile.

For every challenge- what we have to be grateful is 10 -fold. As much as I look forward to what his returning to work means as a sign of life having returned to normal, I am already missing his daily around the clock companionship.

Our oldest son is flying in from fly-over country tomorrow. I have reams to write. But my fingers may not be typing. Trevor is a man- the practiced normalcy of writing is far exceeded with wanting his words to fill every cranny of my consciousness.

Time is never squandered when it is used to bond with loved ones.

Sharing Blessings ~ Receiving and Giving Both Have Pleasure

2012-01-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

Country formal- vintage lace and stylized pottery design exemplify my idea of heaven in home

In styling speech-makers, presentation is partner to content. The most effective communicators elevate words of denotation to phrases of connotation. The bond with the audience comes when a trinity of thought, intellect and soul is formed.

Among family and friends, the setting is partner to the emotional communion. It is what makes a house the home where the heads.

When Sandra Price gave me the pottery plate, it was piled high with strawberries dressed in reverse stripes of white, dark and that mocha shade of milk chocolate. "Share Your Blessings with Family and Friends" could be her and Chuck's family motto.

While Sandra is younger than I, she has taught me much about the art of gracious giving. One- smile. Two- make the gift about the receiver. Three. The gift doesn't have to be new. Over years of friendship she has brought down things she instinctively knew I would like.

This lacquered jewelry box is as close to a family heirloom as my mother left. It was a gift from her brother, a memento of his service in Korea. It is on its way to the granddaughter who remembers it as a treasure chest.

Two generations of little girls marveled at its contents. In its heyday it had been filled with cabochon-encrusted jewelry my father hand polished and set in his garage workshop. From within, little fingers let strands of department store beads run through their fingers like water falling from an engorged stream.

Wonderful for building memories~ not so good for the jewelry box. Broken hinges and filled with decades of dust, I had my doubts when I handed it to my husband to see if any glory might be restored.

The air compressor had its worked cut out for it, blowing embedded dust from the original velvet interior.

Acrylic tubs were blended until the brownish black background was matched. It was then thinned with extender to spread on barren spots and corners with the smoothness of a spray.

A gold pen gilt the outline outlining the inlaid abalone mosaic lid border.

Tiny brushed dipped in acrylic enhanced what was left of the oriental landscape renderings.

Broken hinges were repaired, minuscule fasteners refashioned to fit where the originals had long ago gone missing in action.

Two layers of wax free shellac brought up the sheen and sealed the artwork.

A polishing with Renaissance Wax.

My mother has been gone for over a year, but through polishing and passing this memento, a portion of her lives on.

Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

This Valentine's Season, the partnership of vintage lace with the platter remind all who view it, above all else, this is a family home.

Crisis Management Requires Peace of Mind

2012-01-26T00:41:00.000-08:00

"Every goal, every action, every thought, every feeling one experiences, whether it be consciously or unconsciously known, is an attempt to increase one's level of peace of mind."

~Sidney Madwed/ Keynote Speaker and Poet of the Business World

Peace of mind does not happen at once. Like a garden, it is built by a series of actions with serenity the goal. Some strategies offer immediate gratification. Others take years to appreciate.

Shea Zukowski's Lavender, Parsley, Peppermint and Sage has been a lovely little guide to making our home more serene through elevating household chores by turning the laundry into an aromatherapy session. A wet washcloth sprinkled with lemon and bergamot essential oils in a dryer load made folding towels a delight. Tangerine essential oil conjured a perky attitude in laundress (me) as an extra layer of citrusy aromas emanated from the steam iron.

Bouganvilllea 'Rosenka' at maturity

A garden with a view works both ways. If you can see out- every neighbor and passerby can see in. You don't live on a hillside long before the value of privacy sky rockets. So begins the balancing act between borrowed views and private ownership of precious solitude.

Everything important I've learned in the garden. Every action begets a lesson. Or two.

Life is not constrained to written words. The plant tag promised that the bougainvillea 'Rosenka" could be kept to 1' high and 3'wide.

Across the yard at dusk, you can see her crepe bracts tinged in the color of the coming sunset reaching out wider and taller than the garden bench. Moments should be enjoyed for what they offer. The open silhouette of a tree in winter is as wondrous as summer shade. Nature does not need a thermostat to provide what is most appropriate.

With a wildland finger canyon beyond, there is a constant supply of bunnies nibbling on the green lawn. The bougainvillea offers shelter when our puppies take chase. Not that our chihuahua- mixes would have a clue of what to do if they ever caught one. With artful zig-zags and break- we have learned to have faith- this is an unlikely a game of hide- and- seek, where neither bunnies nor puppies would know "what to do" if they actually touched.

Their exuberant pings across the lawn catapults joy over low moments.

If there is anything that should be banked for hard times, it is heartfelt joy. Then when your crisis comes, you will find the courage to use hardship to build something beautiful from the broken parts of life.

Anything a reserve of joy cannot fix, take it to the Lord. The odds are far more in favor of Him as helper than the government programs that let so many people down.

With certain exceptions. Government is excellent with straightforward services where private industry does not police itself. Register up to 3 phone numbers to the Do Not Call Registry here. It won't stop the political or charitable calls or any of the bank wanting to provide one service. But in our home, less ring-alings means I end the day less ding-aling.

Thinking Green- Showing Love in the Every Day

2012-01-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

In order to love simply, it is necessary to know how to show love.

-- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Love is shown in how the details of living daily are expressed.

One repair leads to another. Even the most careful craftsmen cannot work without creating some collateral damage. It is now two months of home and garden convalescing from the fumigation. It has been an opportunity to re-think elements of the garden setting.

Repaired archway shows off nicely against newly painted retaining wall.

The gateway arch protecting the pathway to the back door began its life as a standard big-box cedar archway. Not quite as wide as the side yard opening, my hunky handyman husband amended its frame with shelves to broaden its footprint to the full width of the garden opening. Alas, the archway had fallen victim to the heavy fumigation tent.

I suppose we could have avoided the structural split by having moved it before Western Exterminators arrived. However, as untreated wood pieces might harbor critters intent on literally eating house and home out from over us, it stayed. At its side, the firewood was restacked against the house (with the help of the fumigator crew, thank God). We left our home in good hands, with a prayer that any collateral damage in the war against termites could be made right.

It is now 2 months later. Our neighbors are saints, watching us munching at repair and renovation, moving around the permimeter, slower than snacking snails. While our neighbors waited for the injured arch splayed on the driveway to be repaired, repainted and stood back up, it was our opportunity to refresh the naked retaining wall.

Some things cannot be planned to perfection. Experience has its place. Blue seemed alright in theory. It is my favorite color. Our house is blue. There are blue tones in the driveway paving stones. In reality, it never loved the landscape or architecture. Real life is like that.
Resurfacing the wall was my first choice. The budget demanded - stick with paint. Okay. But no more blue. The color would need to relate organically with the blues and grays of home and roof, but blue failed in application. Move on.

The inspiration came from my favorite gardens. Their common denominator are broad backdrops of green. For your enjoyment, pictures taken of the Portland Rose Garden have been dropped in this post.

The formerly blue retaining spent a week striped in 5 shades of green until 'Weatherfield Moss' got the unanimous nod. Two gallons coated the impression of a hedge across the wall.

Plectranthus 'Blue Yonder'

Santa Barbara based landscape designer and garden coach Joan Bolton sent the name of the plant I had tooooo lazy to look up in last post. My Pectranthus is a living souvenir of my trek to the Botanical Garden at UC Berkeley . Southwest Airlines doesn't charge for luggage- she came home in an extra suitcase. Yes, we gardeners are a curious lot.

What I love about her is she looks so dainty. So well decked out in velvety leaves trimmed in white with floral spires impossibly saturated in purest blue. So delicate appearing, her looks are at odds with her iron constitution. Here, she thrives in a pot in full sun. She cools the roots of her companion roses, protecting it both from the vagaries of weather and also the irregular care of the gardener.

As soon as the fumigation was scheduled, our roofer was called to inspect afterwards

Last night an inch of rain fell. Good thing the roofer came by to inspect last week.

Catching a cement roofing tile takes skill

By law, wood roofs are no longer allowed in Southern California. Fire hazard. When it came time to replace the overhead kindling, we chose cement tile grooved to mimic the grain of wood, in the deepest gray we could find. For added shadow line, tiles are offset.

No material is without its drawbacks. A cement roof requires maintenance. Because it cracks. Particularly if it is walked on. Like after exterior painting, washing skylights or exterior painting. Even a good strong wind can take tiles off.

If, like us, you choose it for its many attributes, then you need to find a good roofer. Someone honest, craftsman-like and reasonably priced. Someone like Matt Walker.

The featured rose garden is the International Rose Test Garden -

Washington Park, 400 SW Kingston Ave, Portland, Oregon.

(Images taken at the 2008 GWA (Garden Writer's) Symposium)

Matt Walker can be reached at 714.525.2284

Garden Blooming Blog Day - GBBD - January 2012

2012-01-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

Iris, Valerian and budding roses are curbside visual joy

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

~Philippians 4:8 NIV

Sea Lavendar Statice (limonium perezii) is ubiquitous to even non-gardener gardens

"Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

~Jesus

~ Matthew 5:48 The Message Bible

With a warm winter, the earliest pruned roses are beginning to leaf and bud out

What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.

~Job 22:28 NIV

Not remembering the bright blue flower head at this critican moment- I pledge to tag specimens of note):-

"The Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him."

~Psalm 32:10

Red Valerian dances about the garden, and beyond

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

~ Proverbs 4:23 Today's NIV"

A garden can never have too many daylilies.

"Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."

~Jesus

~ Matthew 5:48 The Message Bible

Orchids tell if you are an attentive "mother". Treat them well and they will bloom. Ignore- they sulk.
Mine promise flowers for Valentines Day.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

~Proverbs 16:3 NIV

The tropical Billbergia is a refuge child long-ago escaping my mother's tropical garden- I know not when. The Sunset Western Garden Guide recommends regular watering, but mine only seems to need love.

" Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

Thank you to Good Thoughts Blog for making the research for Bible Quotes so EASY!

Linking up to Carol May Dreams Garden Blooming Blog Day.

When the Heart says "Go" but the Brain says "No"

2012-01-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get a good laugh out of what lands in your E-mail in-box? For instance, do you chuckle at offers of pole dancing lessons? In my case, sliding down a pole would be easy- but getting me back up? Someone might have a camera phone- my dignity could be lost forever over the Internet.

But this one tops them all. Groupon sends me a deal of the day. It is JetLev's offer to strap water-powered jet pack and put a GoPro helmet-mounted video helmet over my head: that part of the body God designated to hold my brain.

My heart wants to do it. I am tempted. But in the battle between heart and brain, life has taught it is better to let the brain win. I am, after all, a woman who broke her arm pruning roses. I should NOT do this, if for no other reason than respect for The Lord who made her.

Personal decisions such as this do not mean I begrudge someone else making a different decision. (Although, I hope our sons miss reading this and go hit the "buy" button.) If they did, though, I should want to see the video and imagine the great rush of life they felt. Their appreciation for life lived full on is something that makes me both cringe and love them as much as any mother loved any child.

Any day loved ones are full of joy, I believe should be commemorated. It is my observation that when we have lost family or friends, while grief is fresh, images of the person may conjur up dark emotions. However, with time, the same visions - through the visual imprint - their spirit sparks a light in the heart- where they live-on.

Full capacity- Footing In Times of Turmoil

2012-01-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

“Do not undertake anything beyond your capacity and at the same time do not harbor the wish to do less than you can. One who takes up tasks beyond his powers is proud and attached. One who does less than he can is a thief."

-Mohandas K. Gandhi

When it is half-way to Valentines Day and Christmas Decorations still fill the living room, I suspect I have taken on too much. Time to adjust.

Daffodils in San Bernardino Mountains by Gene Sasse

Life is a precarious balancing act, the ground beneath our feet changing from wide walkway to narrow wire without our consent. Sometimes the changes come slowly, giving us time to prepare. Other times, we trip over the sudden change in terrain.

Craggy Summit by Gene Sasse

Especially in time of turmoil, how we adjust to what to unfairness is a good indicator of mental health. It is imperative that when we least want to, we find the balance towards forward motion. Pacing our plans and actions.

I'm a double- D girl. Not talking about bra size. I have two demons that stalk me: depression and diabetes. Keeping them outside my life is a priority. I am fortunate: exercise works for me.

Working out at Fitness Advantage in Diamond Bar keeps me in what a friend calls "Mighty Mouse" shape. It's not your typical big box gym teeming with people focused on finding dates or cutting deals. It's more akin in personality to the bar in the defunct TV series Cheers- "Where everyone knows your name." As important- they know their equipment and will work with you to make your journey to better health quick and lasting.

Syliva Galleli - who co-owns Fitness Advantage with her husband Kelvin Pruenster centers the business on a holistic approach. Getting healthy starts from the inside out- then layering it with the fun stuff- where the improvement comes from the outside in.

The climbing photo was taken when I was in training in Pasadena. A rock climbing adventure anticipated that summer. When the instructor at the practice wall wall broke her ankle- while standing at the bottom- I decided that God may have wanted me to be in shape to go mountain climbing- that doesn't mean he wanted me to actually do it):-

The last several months have been like living in the center of a perpetual hurricane. Watching the turmoil taking loved ones hostage. I confess: at times I am fearful of how long I am protected. Moving my own health to the top priority spot kept my spirits off the floor.

In my youth I would have been angry that "life" was intering with my projects and plans. In particular, my husband is a good man- a man who worked long hours with uncompromised integrity. His family is athletic. He is not deserving anything but GREAT health- and the continued runs to the hospital take a toll on everyone who loves and admires him. It hasn't been the smoothest recovery- but recovery it is.

We are fortunate that in the very few times the service of a medical provider did not meet our expectations - we have the opportunity to go elsewhere. The Republican candidates who took Mitt Romney's words out of context this week on this subject - I am done with you. There is a reason people hate politics- and on behalf of everyone who has either wanted to fire a doctor but had not options- go away. Come back if you grow up.

In youth, in times of great anger and hurt I was known to lash out with my tongue. Or my pen. Or otherwise "bad behavior". A life of just enough mistakes has taught when vengence is paramount, wrath makes a victim of truth. "Slow down" was probably the best advice ever given me. Even if it took hearing it more than once for it to sink in.

As written in the the first Epistle to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 13:11

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

Thrasher by Gene Sasse

And so every morning, I open with a prayer. Thanking God for just one more day in this personal paradise. Three decades of wife to Gerry and mother to Trevor and Kenny. All else is secondary to the joy these three men have honored me with.

Opening quote courtesy of the Kingdom of Organization- Franklin-Covey

Fitness Advantage
1249 S Diamond Bar Blvd
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
Phone: (909) 396-0309

Decide to Be Happy

2012-01-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.

~James Openheim

A bed of "Ida Red' Iris growing at Argyle Acers, TX There is one blooming in my side yard- it is the 2012 inspiration for that section of the garden. When Gerry goes back to work I am planning a planting week to celebrate God's continued blessing.

The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good.

- Bertrand Russell

Happiness is a Serious Problem is the Dennis Prager book that changed my life. If the local Goodwill Store has sold out- Amazon carries.

There are times when happiness will not be at hand. Life has those moments when she is so unfair, so cruel. Those are the times we need to be in prayer. At all other times, happiness is a decision from which blessings flow.

My mother. Ethel Maria Sepulveda Lent as Navy WAVE occupational therapist

"What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful."

- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

Yesterday, Epiphany, 3 Kings Day, was the holiday celebration of her youth in Puerto Rico. In counting my blessings- having her as my mother is always on the list. Her life was not easy. She rarely complained. She never ranted. She just got on with it. With a smile. Eager to be back in her garden when her "work" was done.
It was my mother's decision that as long as she had a garden, she could be happy. When that was no longer possible, she passed the trowel, so to speak. It became my daughterly duty to coax from mother nature as many bouquets as the season allowed. Her happiness, despite circumstances that lesser women would have sunk in despair over, was a gift that continues past her time on earth.

Hanging Out With Hummingbirds and More

2012-01-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

A Hummingbird hanging out on top of the weeping rose. Why I wanted a better camera. To better share with you the wonder of where we live.

This is the valley the hummer views as its territory. See why we hillside dwellers love living with a view. For all the extra work: there is simply nothing grander than borrowed views clothed in all the glorious greens. Green is not a color. It is a universe of its own.

One that isn't just the thousand shades of leaves and blades. There are the seasonal spikes of leaves blazing yellow, orange or red just before they flutter from the limbs to ground; to dry and nourish the tree from which they fell.

The scenery never steals the beauty of single flowers. The orchid buds are just beginning to poke their necks from the mop of leaves. But roses here are never out of bloom. Not completely.

Modern. English. I love them all. How abundantly they flourish this coming spring is largely determined by how intensely they are prepared over the next 3 weeks. With warmer than usual weather, I am in a race with breaking buds.

January sunsets are the best. Their early entrance in the day is God's favor to help slow us down. Keep gardener's from premature bent over posture):-

Time to turn in. My old point and shoot camera has its uses. But it could NEVER have taken the man in the moon's portrait. Not with the detail that suggests he's a bit sleepy. Ready for a nap.

As much as we love our chihuahuas, sometimes it is nice to not spend our evenings as their personal heating pads. Which is how Tahoe came to have her own personal heating blanket. We simply let her have mine. Night-night.

Just as soon as I have linked over to see what is happening on Show and Tell at My Romantic Home.

Welcome, 2012! And the Resolution is...

2012-01-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

The best resolutions are the simplest. One of the most life changing was the year I decided - When someone offers help- say "yes".

Last year's resolution was to pay off debt. While the process of living to priorities and letting all else go caused me at times to be whiny, on this other side of that mountain, life is much freer. When given a choice, always choose the road with the most personal freedom. That is the state where you can best effect your utmost.

The last look back at 2011 is that in crisis, the hymn associated with the ill-fated ocean liner the Titanic- Nearer My God To Thee, took on a deeper meaning. Home from one more, prayerfully last emergency run to the hospital, there is a renewed aura over our house and garden.

It is gratitude.

With it being a BIG football day, it brings to mind Tim Tebow. Tim- You keep showing your gratitude when good things go your way. Eventually, some of the critics will "get it" and be better for having understood the power of gratitude.

In the scheme of things, it doesn't matter that the software for the new camera doesn't work on my computer. That can be fixed. It doesn't matter that the living room is still stacked with decorations needing to be packed away. It doesn't matter that the Christmas lights only got half-taken down. Or that the garden wall I began to paint entered the New Year not much past looking like paint samples.

What matters is the man who put my phone number on a paint chip as he left a New Year's Eve Party in Belmont Shore 37 years ago is home, getting healthy.

2011 ended on the best of notes. A young man relieved me of my seasonal night-time raid of sidewalks and gutters for leaves blown from trees. He delivered the gardener's gold in Hefty bags right to the backyard rim.

His parents came by to ask us for dinner. The meal was fabulous -we filled in with dessert and Spanish wine

However, it was the magical healing power of laughter that was best. It was GOOD to feel its restorative quality. Home before the time ran from 2011 to 2012, the torch of one year to the next was filled with music.

After months of being afraid to look into the crystal ball of the next year, I am confident that all will be better than alright.

All of which leads to the 2012 New Year Resolutions

There will be more laughter.

There will be more music.

Images by Gene Sasse

The 12 Days of Christmas - Transition

2011-12-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Married to an engineer, this time is traditionally "ours". In our 36 years of married life, less than a handful of times has business interrupted this short period where we could reliably be off together It is our time to tidy up the loose ends of the previous year and coordinate plans for the next.

Inspired by Santa Barbara garden writer extraordinaire, Joan Bolton, I am considering retrying a childhood delight- growing poinsettia's in the garden. My mother grew her precious yellow poinsettia in her Whittier backyard just outside my back bedroom window. It outgrew me long before I outgrew it. This all lead to penning a piece for DiamondBarPatch.com on how to Keep and Repeat Poinsettia. For those fortunate enough to also have Christmas cactus, cyclamen or amaryllis about the house- Joan's blog article will guide extending your season with those beauties, also. She is marvelous horticultural writer who communicates mountains of information into compact words in an easy to follow format. When her stories land in my mail box- they are a MUST read.

To everyone who reads this blog- have a safe and blessed New Year. I treasure each of you. Thank you for prayers sent our way. Know you made a difference.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

2 people working 6 hours- the tree alone represents12 man hours of labor

Not every inch of every corner was decorated for Christmas this year. I don't think anything was lost in translation for a family so pleased to be together. Eric and Billie's family supplied us with delicious appetizers to tide us over until the main event. Christmas Eve dinner.

The weather was so nice- we could have eaten on the patio. However, that is our norm for entertaining. For Christmas, it is nice to change things up.

Instead of the usual dining room table as buffet cart- serving stations were set up around counter tops throughout the main living level. Just the last minute seasonings, bread and butter were on the table. The sewing machine held ice water, the relishes and napkins within the arms reach of seated guests.

Gerald's younger brother, former MLB pitcher Eric Plunk, masterfully carved the turkey breasts. With my husband's hand not quite ready for this sort of exertion and both our son's missing from the table- I was so grateful for his help.

Being short an oven and the repairman short the part, the menu was shortened to just enough to feed 8 Sumo Wrestlers for the 12 days of Christmas. It has been decades since we celebrated this holiday here - and I wanted my husband's relatives to know that there was no expense too great or line to long to prepare a memorable feast just for them.

A short blessing was said for the food and for those who could not join us this year.

The Menu Actual Menu

(as in when I had to stop cooking because my feet gave out)

Cream of Watercress Soup

Butter Lettuce Salad with Candied walnuts and Dried Cranberries

with Hazelnut-Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

with butter and lavender honey

Sweet Potato Casserole

with Bananas and Pineapple

Brined and Smoked Turkey Breasts

with Gluten free Cornbread Dressing

and Gravy

Boars Head Ham with Pineapple Sauce

Crème Brule

Assorted cookies

Berries

The odd plate was because forgot to count myself in the head count when setting the table):- Rather than have everyone scoot away from the china cabinet so my plate would match- I just reached in the kitchen cupboard.

After dinner, we gathered in the main room, with the children fascinated by the gallery wall.

Abigail was particularly interested in finding out who was whom. When were her cousins (our sons) so skinny?

So I did what any Aunt would do. Get out her 36 year old wedding album to show the kids that their father wasn't always 6' 6" of athletic prowess.

When Gerry and I were married- Eric was about the height and weight of his teenage professional model daughter. It was time to open presents.

Eric Jr and his girlfriend- Sara Lynne- enjoyed a private joke.

Alden is into animal prints.

My favorite gift just may have been the pair of rolled pillows I had made for my mother -in- law. For her living room chairs, the main fabric was leftover from our reupholstering her dining chairs.

Did you have a favorite gift you gave?

Merry Christmas - Guess what Santa Brought

2011-12-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

"I" have a new camera. A real Canon SLR to better capture action.With a stabilized telephoto lens for clarity at a distance. An improvement to the story-telling arsenal of tools.

This gift is like his big screen TV of 2009- only in reverse. The TV is really his- but I have full access. It came home while I was at a Pasadena Fiction Writer's holiday party. The camera is mine- but he has full access. Unless he's going to Switzerland - then the camera stays with me. If he wishes to use my camera in the Alpines- I will need a ticket, too):-

It wasn't for my own pleasure and convenience that brought the new camera here just now.

The surgery that saved my husband's life presented an unanticipated detour. An arm nerve was damaged leading to his right hand. It has been painful and altered his ability to use the hand significantly. It is expected to heal- but we want the fastest most reliable route with the lowest risk. Since last week to full recovery is out of the question- this purchase is something of my attempt at alternative medicine without a license.

My research was quick. I called Sue Maxwell in Oregon. E-mailed with Senator Bob Huff- whose camera I once drooled over - looked up online what writer's Debra Prinzing and Debra Baldwin are using to augment their written words. Photographer Gene Sasse highly recommended Calument Photographic in Santa Ana. If you need a camera or supplies- check there. For outstanding service and pricing- it was well worth skipping the more conveniently located big box retailers we had planned to shop from.

It is my theory that through his practicing with the new camera, gently nudging the buttons without overt repetitive motion, Gerry's full recovery will be speeded along with both happiness and haste. That is more important that the images we are already enjoying.

From our house to yours-

A Blessed Hanukkah and Merry Christmas.

Giant Gingerbread House

2011-12-14T19:47:00.000-08:00

12' high by 12' wide and 6' deep, the diminuative 72 square foot Swiss chalet gingerbread house inside TAPS Fish House and brewery at Dos Lagos in Corona is nothing short of enchanting.

Carpenter-designed framing crafted off-site, the structural integrity was assured when it was brought into the restaurant to be sheathed in a gingerbread recipe by Culinary Director Tom Hope. With a stained glass front window of rolled butterscotch, the inside sprayed with chocolate icing, it was time for "the crew" of 8 to get to work on gluing decorative touches with icing.

400 pounds of gingerbread

750 pounds of icing

95 pounds of vanilla wafers

20 pounds of marshmallows

and a gazillion holiday candies

Gum drops, gum balls, fruit slices, starlight mints and assorted hard candies

100 man-hours- Anyone care to calculate the calories?

If your inner-child isn't already for the cheerfulness of the season- get a gander at the complex character made by the balloon-master.

Design Lessons From a Country Formal Wedding

2011-12-11T22:25:00.000-08:00

"When the one man loves the one woman and the one woman loves the one man, the very angels desert heaven and come and sit in that house and sing for joy."

~The Brahma Sutras

Tivoli-Too is an enchanting garden event setting in the heart of one of Southern California's premier art communities, Laguna Beach. On rooftops at the foot of the lush canyon side courtyard, cupids stand arrows at ready should destined lovers not understand that it is their fate to be together.

It is at the outdoor altar that long-time sweethearts Tara McCreary and Matthew Campbell exchanged their wedding vows.

The bride's sister, Kaitlyn served as her sister's only bridesmaid.

Father of the bride, Dennis McCreary escorts his daughter to meet her husband with the approval of gathered family and friends.

The wedding suited the couple. Comfortable. Joyous.

While we could not stay for the reception, there was no way I was leaving without a few pictures and notes - particularly on how the landscape architect made use of the topography in designing the country formal event setting.

The altar area is raised and visually organized with symmetrical settings of pots. In a compact area- you can really get bang for your buck customizing just a few pots with seasonal or theme related color scheme at the focal point.

The natural materials of rock risers, flagstone flooring and rough surfaced pots in neutral tones feel right at home. Timeless and rustic at the same time.

The statuary is appropriately unglazed. Isn't an elephant spitting into a pond so much more elegant than those dreadful reincarnations of a little boy peeing? There are some things best left unshown. The only place for those abominations might be hanging over a cliff on the back road in Maui- an ode to potty training on-the- go. Anywhere else- niet-no. Oops- I digressed...

The little stuccoed hacienda on the side. Tiled rough over a long patio- green mullioned doors- natural hewn wood . This is charming California of old Hollywood movies.

Statuary birds nesting on little shelves play up the theme of the opportunity for life in the garden. Ferns pull the site away from civilization- to a place more primal. Where one might hear frogs serenading fairies in the dark hours...

The designers understood that succulents are more authentic potted up than bright Disneyland arrangements would ever be.

There is nothing wrong with mix and match. Here, the formality was where it was best. Where suited up people would dine and dance.

Life Unzipped

2011-12-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Assorted Roses and flowers from my garden in a jar that used to hold a candle

Forgive me. I haven't forgotten you. The last month has been like a computer file- large enough to need to be zipped- but no time to do so. Not to excuse- to explain

My husband's healing went from short sprint to a more mortal furlong. We ask God for a bit of patience through some unanticipated "ouch" time. We anticipate that Gerry will soon not only be a medical miracle, but someone feeling GREAT enough to enjoy being a living testament to when God's grace holds hands with skilled and caring medical practitioners. Before the year is out, we have some serious thank you letters to send out.

Termites know what a wonderful climate Southern California. Those that took up residence here did not ask permission. With a spouse in recovery and unable to pack away food or move mountains of potted plants away from around the house and under the patio covers, it was not convenient. With a good bid from Western Exterminators- the invaders were given the death penalty.

While the house was under the tent, the puppies went to PetSmart Pets Hotel for 4 days of relaxation with play dates and doggie ice cream. We adults set up camp with my mother-in-law.

Back home- the kitchen and pantry cabinets are washed and restocked. Tomorrow I hope to erase the garden disruption from the consequences of hiring a fumigation tent . If fortune and the sun shine, I may even have time to paint a wall so the firewood can be re stacked before the rains start. Just thinking about it my muscles are telling me to call the massage therapist first):-

Life is now pointed straight to the normal seasonal busy. There are stories to write. Presents to Wrap. Decorations to put up. Mail to send. But if it doesn't all go smoothly, I will not care.

No matter what. In 2012, I start the year with a healthy husband, a healthy house- and we are all surrounded by a bountiful garden.

The Gift of A Holiday Letter

2011-11-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

In 1843, an enterprising gentleman by the name of Sir Henry Cole commissioned John Halcott Horsely to design the cover for the first commercial Christmas card. Pictured above, notice the small child joining in the wine infused revelry. Leave to a Zazzle vendor to have a drawing of the card available for purchase.

It is good to be back. DiamondBarPatch.com just published my article Send the Gift of Holiday Letter on the art and history of a great Christmas Card, which now extends to all the holidays of the season. In the age of the Internet, personalizing the message with images is easy. In 2009, the informal portrait of Gerry and I with Tahoe, Vegas, Reno and Quila was featured in our own letter.

Do you send holiday cards?

When Humor Works and When it Doesn't . Laughter and Healing

2011-11-20T10:16:00.000-08:00

Give a Moose a beer and you never know what will happen.

Must be Moosehead Beer !!!!!!
This actually happened with some guys from Maine.

They dressed the truck up with a guy dummy spread-eagled on the roof of the truck.
The driver and passenger put on Moose Heads.

Down the Maine Toll interstate they went, causing about 16 accidents.

Then they went to jail.

I used to use the expression "drop-dead beautiful"- until a former Breck girl of my acquaintance dropped dead of cancer, leaving a husband with two small children to raise on his own.

Men have a harder time convincing themselves to think of a hospital stay as a spa vacation. They express their emotions differently. A woman might tell her husband " I can't wait to get home to you." My husband kept repeating different variations of "Get me out of here or shoot me."

So I went to Wal-Mart and bought a Nerf-N-Strike Blaster. At $11, my plan was to pack in in my bag and ambush him the next time my love said "just shoot me."

Only something happened that made a perfectly funny joke horribly inappropriate.

Last week, a dear neighbor knocked on the door. With his oldest daughter's wedding in less than two weeks, it would be natural to have a day-off to attend last minute details related to the celebration. His face was lined and eyes downcast- I reassured him that Gerry is well on the mend. I shared my planned joke. Our neighbor went absolutely white.

It turned out his ex-wife chose that very morning to shoot herself.

Suicide. I remember years ago, when I drove to work listening to one of Dr. Laura Schlesinger's radio diatribes, she was lecturing on the dynamic of anger in the taking of such irrevocable action. All these years late what she said struck an ever more real personal chord. The anger it takes to thumb your nose at the gift of life- especially coming into a season of joy- the woman who took her life was a fool.

Every ounce of sympathy and compassion I feel is not for the woman who chose to violently end her life, but for those who ever dared love her. I will know their healing has begun when I see them laugh.

Gerry is home, his body teaching it is actually faster to cruise than try to race back to normalcy.

With this new found wisdom, my husband chose the landscape deer needlepoint that took a billion years to complete, not to mention the bag of gold to properly frame, for Nerf target practice. Instead of stomping my feet like Rumpelstiltskin, I laughed out laughed out loud.

Laughter, being involuntary, is a beacon that I have faith that God shall continue to guide my husband's full recovery. We are overjoyed that with just a couple exceptions, every hour brings a sign of renewed fortitude. Long before the next hunting season, Gerry will be in prime physical shape,back to stalking wild game with his brother and our sons. Though perhaps armed with a camera.

This Thanksgiving will be quite unconventional. In our home it will be quiet, with feasting curtailed. This year it will be impossible for any tradition to overpower the raising of learnest prayers of Thanksgiving to God for the good fortune and love which surrounds us.

Thank you to Judy Duvall for passing the photo and top story. The visual is so funny, factuality doesn't matter.

Garden Blooming Blog Day - November 2011

2011-11-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

In front of the garage. Where a sensible person plants an automobile, a pair of Peter Beale's 'Evelyn May' roses show off the color that launched my obsession to legally import a dozen blooming British Beauties. Easier said than done. One of the top ten accomplishments in family lore.

I send their good cheer to you. And to our adventurer son Trevor, who is working in the cold of North Dakota.

I just can't get enough of the many hued succulent that goes by the impossibly long name of Graptopetalum paraguayense ‘Pinky.’ With her easy to love attitude- you can order from Annie's Annuals

The beach bells of peach tinged trumpet flower - Brugmansia is her formal family name. During the day you know where she is from all the buzzing coming from inside her bells. At sunset- she exudes an elixir of heady floral scent so powerful breathing the perfume might turn acquaintances into lovers

Begonia 'Richmondensis' (Richmond Begonia) - is a year round blooming trouper needing only an occasional shearing back. Tickle her taste buds with diluted sports drinks and she responds with a healthy year round response in our relatively mild climate.

I love the juxtaposition of a Germanic rose that divides the civilization of the upper garden from the wild beyond. Every year the firemen checking on brush clearance stop to admire the rare harmony that exists when love of garden and respect for nature marry.

Thank you to Carol May for keeping the gate open for this month's Garden Blooming Blog Day. Such kindness is appreciated.

Healing begins with Hope and Truth

2011-11-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

Saint Jude Chapel Stained Glass by Ann Pope of the Judson Studios

A small plaque just inside the Chapel is inscribed with the words of Ann Pope, the stained glass artist with the venerable Los Angeles craftsman Judson studios behind the symbolism of the chapel's window wall.

"The effect I have tried to achieve is that of a curtain hung from the ceiling, being rent and torn by the power of the "light" and peeling away from the very framework which encapsulates it."

In describing the design scheme and colors " the grey curtain with a blue lining represents the world in which we live with all the varying shad of light and dark. the netting is symbolic of the complexities of our lives, and the flesh tone behind the netting is the gentle calmness achieved after over coming these complexities."

There is a final layer of clear glass expressing "there is pure light we have been promised in heaven." The position of the tabernacle she points out plays a very important role. All movement is directed to this point, a starting point for both hope and truth."

It has been a great pleasure being served by medical professionals that enjoy their work. That say "God Bless you" as they go off shift. What those lacking bedside manner is not related to their ability to tell the truth. The best professionals know to tell the truth kindly with hope.

Truth in its own can be cold and callous. If it is all a doctor is interested in, he will never be more than a mechanic of people.

However, truth told with kind respect for the patient gives hope. Doctors who practice this style of medicine are healers.

Panoramic Images by Judson Studios, specializing in stained, faceted and architectural glass since 1897.

In Sickness and In Health

2011-11-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

November 8th, 1975. The vows were traditional. I promised-

I, Lydia, take you Gerry, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

Our honeymoon was skiing at Mammoth Mountain. My husband was an accomplished water skier. Teaching him to take his skills and send him down a mountain on the first weekend with snow that year- Gerry had amazing balance. I have never, before or since, seen anyone go so far, so fast, so out of control- yet remain upright. How we kept out of the emergency room that year is proof that God watched over us in the exuberant days of early wedded bliss.

Mammoth Mountain became a place with special memories when the sons that followed- Trevor and Kenny - were potty-trained on the slopes before they were 3. My theory is that wet diapers are extremely cold.

Over the past 36 years, Gerry and I have celebrated our anniversary any number of ways. Trips to Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, hunting with the in-laws, Pop Warner Fundraisers, the Diamond Bar Community Foundation Gala, a surprise trip to Europe.

November 08, 2011

This year topped them all.

Our anniversary was spent at Saint Jude's Hospital in Fullerton.

There began a trip back to good health for my husband.

This is the part where I get to share a thought quite treasonous for a writer to her profession. I confess: I cringe at the Julie/ Julia blog turned book turned movie project. I pity people caught in reality-they-are- not programs. Though some of the TV projects are visually quite attractive if you turn the yakking off, there is a value popular culture does not comprehend.

It is privacy. There are times when one is best quiet. The writer is not nearly so important as the people we write about.

Now is the time to catch my breath. Drink in our family's moment of great fortune. Very shortly my husband will be back off to the profession he was called to when he was 10. I will return to my garden and my glass. For as long as God allows, all is to be well. Praise Him.

Not everyone is so lucky. Tonight I learned, members of a family we know were on a road trip. There was an accident. Understanding the oncoming danger of an out-of-control truck, the driver turned the family's vehicle, saving the lives of his two passengers at the expense of his own.

In the face of tragedy, only the peace of God can transcend grief.

The flower image is by Gene Sasse. More info to follow.

Bat Shit ~Rebirth ~ Artistic Expression

2011-11-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.

- Danny Kaye

It was planned as a romantic end to a day moving to their dream home in Diamond Bar. After a long day of unpacking, Cathy's husband met her in their master bedroom suite, where she settled in to what else- a love seat. Freshly bathed, Ed carried up the stairs a silver tray with 2 crystal glasses and a favorite sherry.

It was near dusk. The stereo was tuned to soft music, Ed opened the French doors leading to their balcony. He massaged Cathy's shoulders. The fresh air and sherry worked in concert to let the massage ramp towards some marital bliss. Ed began to tell Cathy how much he loved her, when in flew the bats.

According to Dirt Works, which sells bat poop (i.e., guano) "Many civilizations have used guano as a soil amendment and considered it sacred, so much so that disturbing rookeries was once a crime punishable by death. Fortunately, you can buy Bat Guano from us and only good things will happen when you do."

It took awhile for the new butterfly to shake its wings out to fly

Earlier in the month I watched the striped caterpillar park on this post. Soon, a green acorn shaped chrysalis was glued in its place. Some days later it turned brown and ugly- like a tumorous growth. Just when I wondered if a butterfly died en utero, somehow this beautiful winged wonder worked its way out of the encasement.

Not strong enough to fly, I gently lifted it to cradle in soft planting until it flew away.

The actual pattern with our garden features

Enlarging the photo of the inspiration piece 400 % rendered a pattern to manipulate for the stained glass insert in the dutch door. Personalizing with a replica of our Victorian bird feeder, changing the birds to western US species and colorizing closer to our personal vision of paradise.

As this is a collabortive piece to be displayed in our home, I gave my husband the final thumbs up on the color, texture and light qualities of the glass selected.

It didn't used to be this way in our home. My husband has always been an intensely busy man. For many years he spent more time with his suitcase than with his recliner. During those years I made lots of arbitrary decisions. My intent was to smooth things out for him. Turned out this was exactly the wrong thing to do if a man is to feel important to his wife.

Fortunately, I learned to use some discernment in decision-making. Young brides, I am not saying this is an easier process- however, the results are richer.

The artistic use of glass enriches a humble setting

It was probably 50 years ago, before Knott's Berry Farm had a real roller coaster, charged for parking or admission. This stained glass window in Knott's Chicken Diner was the seed that grew into a love of windows adorned with stained glass. There is something comforting to see these windows still in place all these years later.

The choir of Mt Calvary Lutheran Church, Diamond Bar

The purpose of life's downturns may be to keep us humble. To keep us aware. To remember to include God as collaborator of how our lives are painted. It has been so long since Gerry and I were both in church at the same time, I'm glad the topic of the sermon was "The world is going to end" with our presence was used as proof.

The choir sang Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God. " The battle hymn of the reformation still inspires strength in chords nearly 500 years after it was first sung.

Never doubt the power of words and music. From his unimaginable personal pain, Martin Luther could not have imagined the lasting impact of his artistic expression.

The Reward of Struggle and Hard Work

2011-10-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.

~Martin Luther King

Last week was a struggle. As you get older, the odds are you will be tempted more often to give up. But whatever comes your way, the only thing to do is keep on. God did not make us to fail. He made us to adjust and move forward. If for but one more day. Great blessings can be waiting on the other side of midnight.

The form for the bass lamp project to be shaped over is out of stock. So I'm taking the projects out of order. Gerry will soon finish the kid's wine cabinet. So I am getting a head start on our next joint venture. The stained glass window to insert in the upgraded Dutch door to our garage. It will be similar to this model found on the Internet. The size needs to be changed- the birds will be modeled after birds that drop in here and the tulips- they aren't going to be any shade of brown.

The autumn garden adjusts to the changing weather with far more grace than I. Years of tilling compost and pairing plants has produced vignettes that I am at long last pleased with. When I am taken away to care for loved ones, they manage on their own.

The back canyon is an exercise in priorities. The wildflower seeds were broadcast with compost over native soil the day before a rain. A single oak waits for its weekly water allotment delivered in a bucket way back in the barren background. Besides some minor up front effort, this is the kind of gardening where most of the activity required is to pray for God's grace, that He will help the seeds shout out their joy in springtime color.

As much as I love wildflowers, autumn is when fires roar through hillside communities. The effort went into clearing the canyon. Even with help, it is a job that leaves your back bent, your knees screaming for mercy, your nostrils filled with pollen and who knows what hanging from your hair.

But when you are finished, the mind is clear as the waters of a Caribbean lagoon.

The last of the pots are moved to more appropriate locations.

Now, we can put up our feet and pick the last of this season's tomatoes. In all this autumn toil we discover that the lack of having much of in common when we were first married turned out to be worth the struggle to make it work.

Picking color

2011-10-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

“If you are drawn to certain colors and objects, chances are

that a compatibility of spirit will bind them together.”

~ Alexandra Stoddard

All the senses are involved in eating. How a room looks has the power to enhance or detract from the great binder of the family home sacrament- the formal dinner. Helping my mother-in-law update her formal dining room required capturing both her grandmotherly warmth and Christian dignity.

My mother-in-law wanted drama dropped into her home's interior. Previously, she had light floors, white walls and white ceilings. Conservative and traditional, she was afraid of stepping out with a bolder color scheme.

The room we chose to start with was her dining room. We found inspiration for change in the colorway of her beloved Franciscan Desert Rose pottery.

Voila! Benjamin Moore's Aura paint in Norwich Brown matched the color in the pottery trim. Holding the paint chip against the oil portrait revealed the moss-tinted brown also resides in the background of the oil portrait. The depth of color enhances the richness of the cherry wood dining set and old gold "pops" against the foresty backdrop.

In decorating, forget the label. The table runner tag suggested the printed fabric is a shawl. A Christmas gift from grandchild Kenny and his bride, Shannon, it is a fabulous table runner.

Rooms should be dressed like the people, reflective of personality.

Light and color uplift the room's personality through the mirrored china cabinet backdrop, crystal candlesticks and frosted lemons.

Closer to the holidays, bright brass accessories will be moved front and center. A change of wardrobe for the seasons, if you will.

If you have ever used an accessory to choose wall color, I would love you to share!

Linking to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Thoughts Inspired by the Back Door Butler

2011-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.

~Iris Murdoch, A Fairly Honourable Defeat

A copy of The English Garden Magazine and flowers brighten the otherwise dark color

In the age of self-service and attached garages with automatic openers, it is the seldom-used bar near the garage entry that serves as our butler. Turning the corner from away from home duties to back at home, on its surface the welcome spirit of reading materials and flower arrangements is laid our for our return.

Stems of Julia Child, Betty Boop, Pink Flower Carpet Roses turn a service area into a welcoming entry. Red valerian plumes pop out with the flourish of a feather pen. A mystery mauve rose is like a fairy godmother. In her nameless state, her goodness will not be denied.

A plume of red valerian provides a playful flourish.

This lusciously plummy number was given a chance to finish her apprenticeship in the garden, even though her early years were filled with disease and straggly performance. In her youth, the mystery rose bloomed but once a year; and that I think she did only because she sensed the spade and trash can were coming for her.

Our mystery rose had few things to recommend her. While experience with the frequency of an eclipse- her bodacious blooms are bathed in the most heavenly scent. The intensity of these two qualities saved her life. She lived long enough to try a move to a different part of the garden stage. She spread her arms and flourishes. If this rose were an actress, she grew up to be a Helen Mirren.

Outside, it is bragging weather. 68 °degrees. 66% humidity. This time of year the sun sets for early, a mercy for those of us who spend the day in the garden doing just one more thing before we head in. To cook. To eat. To read. To write. To do a bit of housework. But mostly, to dream of the next day in the garden.

GBBD - October Mornings

2011-10-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

~Marcus Aurelius

While the coffee brewed and I am out with the puppies for our morning inspection came the aha moment that confirmed I was awake - this time of year the moon sets in the sky not far from where the sun will swoon tonight.

In the quiet of early morning the sky blooms as though one with the garden. There is no bright line where the 'Betty Boop' roses stop and colored clouds rise on the horizon.

The 'Julia Child' roses send their cheer as I walk back to the kitchen. In the day planner is a list to-do. Plan A- included trimming away disfigured leaves from the grapefruit, tangerine and lemon trees, then dousing their leaves with Spinosad.

The strip of bare dirt a neighbor keeps as a fire break never looks better than when triple digit temperatures visit us. Today the temperature sputtered somewhere in the mid-90's. The cooling trend portends longer days outside in our famously pleasant weather.

This lovely little succulent has all the colors of the sunset captured on its leaves- just like the little ceramic fairy painted them. Annie Hayes (of Annie's Annuals) says of one of my favorite in its class -

"The first time I saw Graptopetalum paraguayense ‘Pinky’ without hesitation I fell in love with its densely crowded leaves in sensual sunset hues forming highly attractive trailing rosettes. This was a succulent I could really admire."

If you hurry to Annie's Annuals catalog- you just might catch the 20% off fall sale. Even if you don't- you will catch a smile. The site is just so darned irrepressibly cute.

Back in my front garden. The last of the stephanotis bloom is about to open and send her perfume into the night air. The collection of pots is largely moved, opening a blank wall that maybe someday will be a backdrop for a wall fountain.

My ambition sometimes exceeds my stature. In my forever seeking perfection through rearrangement- there are two gargantuan pots still to position. A squat cauldron- like pot needing to be squeezed to the back through the narrow side yard and one tall heffer are left to lift. My regular tree man and his helpers are scheduled to help me get these off the check list next week. By asking the crew to come when working in Diamond Bar is so much cheaper than asking for a special trip for so small a job.

This little lovely rose looks like a miniature 'Renae'. So romantic in her casual abundance. I've lost her tag. Guess I'll have to buy another to call her properly):-

If you desire to walk about more gardens, hop over to Carol May's garden. A fellow garden writer and member of the Dirty Hands Girl Club, the gates to Garden Blooming Blog Day should open soon.

Hotter than Tamale Weather ~Changes in Garden and the Kitchen

2011-10-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing is permanent but change.

~Heraclitus

Butterflies are the reward for warmer temperatures. This beauty; anyone out there know her name? If she posed for the laminated fold out ID pamphlet for Southern California, she was turned so the inside wing pattern was hidden.

Inside the house, the thermometer smiled that it never had to exert itself over 78° F. Outside, was another matter At her cruelest, the sun's breath broiled the garden at 107.5° Still, that was merciful compared to the brutal 118° inside my husband's shed.

Thank God for James Carrier, inventor of air conditioning and for Trevor Plunk. Our oldest son installed our automatic sprinkler system between college and career. Hand watering may be the most pleasant chore during So Cal heat spells, the plants, particularly in pots, get tired of waiting.

If skiing in a blizzard is a sign of kamikaze sportsman, gardening in this heat is the sign of a gardener obsessed. It was a relief to see the the 'Easy Does It' rose settled in over the weekend with just a jigger of B-52 washed down with a gallon of water.

Autumn is for action. Some pots were moved to interim locations. The honeysuckle planted by the birds won the right to its corner. This meant saying au revior to the Cleveland sage. Some branches holding still in a bucket bouquet. Plan A is to root some cuttings for the outback.

Buddleja with butterfly image from Viette's

We bid Adieu to a buddleja. Not all worms are created equal. Whatever the maggot like creatures infected the woody stems- they are on the way to the dump. No plant is so precious as to risk an entire garden.

My husband, lover of Tabasco and all things hot and spicy, has been having a bout of tender tummy. For the time being, offerings from the kitchen need to be kinder and gentler than nut and chili encrusted deep fried whatever.

With football and the World Series upon us, this concoction is GOOD enough for game-time company.

Hot Brie Garden Dip

Gently melt a skinned wheel of brie snuggle fitted into a heat-proof bowl in the oven. While this is warming-

Sauté in extra virgin olive oil (infused with just a touch of garlic) sliced button mushrooms. Set the mushrooms aside.

Repeat with artichoke bottoms (If canned, rinse first to tame the acidity). When heated through, give them one good mash with potato masher.

Boldly stripe the top of the brie with sliced black olives, mushrooms and gleaming artichoke mash. Finish well with drizzling of pan deglazings.

Serve with crackers.

Bon Appetite!

All photos, except the one from Viette's are by Gene Sasse.

The French Gardener ~ Nourishing Reading

2011-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

"Love requires effort, exertion and will...Love is not purely a feeling but an act of will. The man in the bar who neglects his family will tell you with tears in his eyes that he loves his wife and children. Love is as love does." Jean- Paul, The French Gardener

Garden. Gardener. These are words that call me to the bookshelves in search of realistic romance. Descriptions of transient beauty unfolding kept my eyes strolling the book's walkways with character's pulled as people are through life. Tugged at in a battle by want and will. Sometimes rising to the occasion, sometimes not. I seek words to nourish my soul: stories that are like a life in a garden, replete with anticipation that compels staying for one more page, one more chapter. I crave literature that hurl the reader to the last delicious bite of typeface.

The French Gardener is not a landscape design picture-book. But the magic of the words create the illusion that it is. Desire is symbolized by the beauty of the rainbow. Is its beauty in its presence or in its ethereal impossibility?

Rainbow by Gene Sasse

In her novel The French Gardener, Santa Montefiore planted a beautiful garden of wisdom laid out in garden rooms, some wildly intimate, others stiflingly grand. Scenes are scented with love, orange blossoms and gardens both wild and manicured, the pages are filled with personalities that exchange energy with the garden, and a few that are like weeds or poison ivy- to be avoided or yanked out.

Gardens and love are mutual metaphors. Each has the power to heal and restore the human spirit. Even when the surface appears dormant dirt, through active participation, beauty can be restored.

Linking late to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home.

Hergonomic- Ergonomics for the Woman Gardener

2011-10-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

In Goldilocks and the Three Bears there were three chairs "just right" for each chair's owner. For a woman, finding a shovel "just right" for how we are created wasn't always easy.

Illustration by Arthur Rackham

It took a group of women who pitched in to help Ann's Adam's son, Michael, when he was Adams the chef at The Farmhouse in in Emmaus PA. By supplying the artisian and heirloom varieties of produce, restaurant evolved into their region’s first farm-to-table establishment. In that first venture they learned professional-grade tools for ladies to be lacking.

Green Heron by Peter Wallwack

Having solved the food-supply need, they went about solving the need for tools just right for women. They named their endeavors in honor of the entrepreneurial birds that visit their fields, the Green Herons. These beautiful birds are resourceful in enticing fish to be where they are needed. Like fly fisherman, they gather what is at hand, turning odd bits of feathers and fluff into bait.

From Green Heron Tools – comes the the world’s first HERgonomic shovel, "just right" for maximum comfort, efficiency, safety and ease of use in the hands of a woman at garden.

Every feature of the HERS™, a spade/shove hybrid, is engineered to optimize how a woman's body moves differently than a man's. It starts with a man's strength gravitating from his upper body, while us gals pull our power from our lower center of gravity.

Blue Heron crafted the shape and diameter of the handle, contouring the green grip and texturing it to enhance performance in the most manicured hand. They didn't just give us the standard shaft pressed between the handle and blade. Instead, lengths of All-American Appalachian hardwood ash are turned in three lengths, creating the best angle for effortless torque for women, petite through tall.

Attached like with the integral strength of a fully tanged knife, the blade's extension is riveted through the handle. The 16 gauge recycled steel is light. Responsive. Durable. Dig your heels when you step onto the broad shoulder of the tempered steel blade. It was designed with footwear in mind.

Put a HERS shovel in your garden arsenal. Feel the power as you dominate the landscape with proper tools in your hands, one shovelful at a time.

Learn more about the company developed by and for women gardeners and farmers here

Michael Adams still promotes local ingredients with a catering business he runs in Bethlehem, PA.

The Times of Steven Jobs / February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Times have changed. My contemporary, Steve Jobs, had much to do with it.

April 1982. Trevor on the first home computer of anyone I knew

It was around 1981 that Gerry used his earnings from a side job developing medical software for a Doctor at City of Hope to buy one of the first one hundred Apple II's off the production line. My husband swore it was "all he would ever want." Until the Apple II-e was released.

What my husband proclaimed was not a lie. But it wasn't lasting truth, either. He was just enamored. The future had arrived and he was happy.

I did not imagine a day when everyone would want their own personal computer. I didn't even want to type. I could not imagine this day when individual family members would have desk top and portable computers- and separate computers to for personal and business functions. We had only owned a color TV for just a few years. A big console we bought second hand from the first openly gay couple I had ever met, in Palos Verdes.

Back then, Gerald could run algorithms at night while Trevor played Etch-a-Sketch on the family computer during the day. Back then, the big slots where the little floppy discs went, they made an out- of- tune motor noise if a little boy stuffed a match box car in there as if it was a garage. Which made the repairman laugh.

And now I type. And type. And type. Thanks to the visionaries of computing.

Steve Jobs
Matthew Yohe Original uploader was Aido2002 at en.wikipedia

I think Steve Jobs would like this poem. It hangs on our refrigerator.

I would rather be ashes than dust!

I would rather that my spark should burn out in s brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot.

I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow,

than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The proper function of a man is to live,

not to exist.

I shall not waste my days

in trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time.

~ Jack London

Presence- the next supermodel~ changing seasons

2011-10-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

"Presence is more than just being there.”

~Malcomb S. Forbes

Abby wearing Nikibiki

Meet Abigail Plunk. Accomplished horsewoman, tennis player and now model. My niece.

At 17, she shares with Taylor Swift and Jenifer Aniston what the popular culture calls the "It" factor. I call it "presence". Abby rocks everything she wears, but particularly little black dresses.

I need to put away some bottles of Little Black Dress wine to celebrate when she turns 21. James Beard nominee Elliot Essman wrote a wonderful review of the line.

Wherever her path in life takes Abby, I don't see "our little" miss black dress growing up to live the life of Maxine. Unless she chooses.

Maxine offers another face to the definition of presence. Crabby people can visit our heroine's fan page on Facebook.

The tree. The bench. The bird feeder. They add their own kind of presence to the garden. I thought about moving the bench this week- that would be so wrong- the corner of the yard would be naked without it.

In the hollowness of a landscape cloaked in darkness, a single cluster of yellow roses exudes presence She came in a box from Jackson-Perkins, with no name to call her by. She represents the people who pass through our lives in dark times. Even if we do not know their names , that does not erase the beauty of their presence when God sent them our way.

The presence of a California poppy captured by Gene Sasse

Wednesday, both cars were scrubbed and polished. Thursday it rained. 8 drops of water on my car, 3 on Gerry's. It was heaven's early warning system, a clarion call for change of garden duties. Within a week, the weather people are promising a genuine soaking.

Anyone with sunshine and empty dirt, it is time to round up some wildflower seeds, spread them and if the birds don't eat all the offering, when the blooms burst it will feel as if magic is rising. But we know. Magic is not commanded from thin air. It requires action.

Give a Portion of Thyself- Freelance is like Baseball

2011-09-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I wish I could send you the pampering perfume of the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals. A blended bouquet of French Jasmine, Lily of the Valley and Rose will glow for a good 60 hours. The hand-poured mossy green soy wax is displayed in its own apothecary-style jar with a lid to turn the flame off without a smokey smudge.

Once the candle is finished, the container will be polished and reused as an elegant container for gift giving. Imagine the lidded jar holding candies or sea shells. Perhaps an elegantly old fashioned label printed proclaiming its new use as a holder of homemade bath salts.

The window was my first stained glass project. My husband bought me the equipment for Christmas and the family paid for a class through Diamond Bar Parks and Recreation. In turn, their gift to me was returned to them through this window that we have all enjoyed.
My next project is a bass Tiffany style lamp. Pattern by Worden, next week the glass will be hand selected. Not just for color, but for how texture and light reflecting qualities.

More than task lighting, the glass shade is an artistic statement that reflects our mutual love of the outdoors. When it is finished, it will be my gift to husband. It will be the statement piece as we transform a long-abandoned bedroom into his new study.

This week it was announced by Patch.com that freelance writers are still welcome to submit- but we will not be paid. I do not know if this is regional or national. I did expect that for better or worse, Arriana Huffington's 300+ million dollar payday would affect the operations of what is a young start up company. The only questions were how, when and whom. Time will tell if the decision to target assets to her expertise were well advised of not.

Image from Huffington family Christmas card before her then husband's Senate run

I wish the best for Patch.com. As a writer, you were sweet as a summer romance. Lovely while it lasted, and while the breakup may be bittersweet, I will remain glad for our time together.

I hurt for the editors who got to pass on the change in policy towards freelance compensation. Writers do have an inclination to wonder why such a matter was not covered by some US Civil War 1865 proclamation. My position is, better to be in my shoes than the editor's. The workload of an editor can be summed up like this

When I was a community editor, I always thanked God. First for being called to the position. Then that it was to a monthly publication, not a daily one):-

To young aspiring writers everywhere- make peace with the following. Like professional baseball players, the best batting average is below 500. You will not be paid well for being well-rounded. You will be paid for perhaps how you perform only 1 skill set- but that one thing you do must better than any other living person.

If you are up learning that stumbles are character building events to be thankful for, then go for it. Be a writer. There is nothing more professionally uplifting than falling in love with your topic and then having people remember what you wrote.

A good story is a gift that keeps on giving.

Local Readers- Bar- the Enfleurage soy candle by Archipelago Botanicals is available at D&D Interiors, 514 N Diamond Bar Blvd # G , Diamond Bar , CA 91765

909-598-1219 for hours or more information

Caffeine and Mental Health

2011-09-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Coffee by Gene Sasse

" A new study finds that well-caffeinated women have a key health advantage over their more abstemious sisters: They're less likely to become depressed.

-Melissa Healy

Chambord coffee maker, double walled image from Bodum

A very good Southern California morning to you. Outside it is 64 ° F. Fog obscures the distant view, forcing focus on the close- in details of the garden. As the sun pierces the filmy pewter veil, the temperature will percolate upwards. Today should reach the mid 80's. As the blue sky seeps forward, what we see will change, but be no less glorious.

Illy espresso image courtesy of Sur La Table

This month I started spiking the morning pot of java with a half scoop of espresso. The study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine and publicized in Jewish World Review by Melissa here explains why I have felt so good despite an onslaught of reasons to feel otherwise.

Flowering coffee plant as seen on Wikipedia

When life seems out of control; when you do not recognize where you are headed- STOP. Re-evaluate. Not everything is best left in our personal control. Asking for help is honorable.

Understand that not every road is repairable. Sometimes we need to take a different fork in the road.

Focus on where you are, not where you planned to be. Cherish good memories. Pick new goals and move on. To allow malaise to mire your path is never productive.

Praise God for every breath, even when you don't feel like it; for you will.

On the eve of Rosh Hashana- the Jewish New Year- may this Christian woman share a Jewish toast

“Leshanah tovah tikateiv v’teichateim"—May you be inscribed for a good year!”

Zurich ~ Hazelnut/ Balsamic Salad Dressing ~ Cinnamon Glazed Walnuts

2011-09-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Zurich at Night

I dream of Switzerland. Back before I knew my husband, I had saved to attend the Fashion Institute there. My mother, who never asked for anything, who never planned on staying gone from Puerto Rico when she enlisted in the Navy knew. If I boarded the plane for school in Europe, I would probably never come back.

She asked me to stay. And so I stayed. If I had any regrets, they are long forgotten.

Church

If I were to drive a car from Diamond Bar to Zurich, ignoring the impact of things such as oceans, seas, rivers and mountain ranges would have on the journey, at an average speed of 60mph (96 kmh) straight-through- it would take a bit over 95.5 hours to arrive. Exhausted, covered in seaweed and wearing a cowbell.

Healthy Living

Fortunately, my husband flew. Through New York on 9/11 on American Airlines. Fortunately, that incident was much more interesting for those of us on the ground than it was for passengers on the plane.

Water

I looking forward to tagging along on some future trip. I want to know if Switzerland looks, sounds and smells as I imagine from Gerry's photographs. Clean, outdoorsy and green.

Entrance to community garden

Green and gold are the colors Switzerland is known for. Usually locked in vaults. However, after nearly 36 years of marriage, my husband knows to what I am drawn.

Green and gold growing in gardens. These last few images of the community type. With a short growing season, the camaraderie is equal to the food grown.

Compost bin

My darling even knew to bring me back a photo of that greatest commodity in any country- compost.

Back home in Diamond Bar, daily life went on double time with my life's partner gone. If the Santa Ana Winds pick up, we are entering the time of year with the greatest fire danger. Spiders suitable for roles in Tarzan movies are auditioning in odd corners. With him gone, it would be the one time I could clear his office- at- home space and get it painted without inconveniencing him.

I have a rule, that whenever Gerry travels, whenever he comes home, there is no doubt that his presence is needed. I can make do on crackers with cheese all week, but when he comes home, it is to order and abundant food.

The night before he arrived back in California, a chicken was roasted, pasta prepared and two roasts braised. One chuck roast was seasoned Mexican style and one with leaks, wine and mushroom gravy.

A bit over the top? Not when you consider how easy kitchen prep has been the last week.

A special side dish came by way of Nikkipolani. I played with her dressing of hazelnut oil and balsamic vinegar. A pressed clove of garlic, a pinch of salt and just a dash of white pepper shaken well. WOW is how she described it and WOW it is.

Gerald loved the surprise of the simple green salad garnished with dried cranberries, the walnut bits toasted in hazelnut oil sweetened in the cast iron skillet, glazed with melting sugars- white and brown and spiced with just a bit of freshly ground cinnamon.

Romance can be as grand as the old cities of Europe or as simple as the sensational taste of fresh salad.

GBBD Sept 2011, The Garden in Context

2011-09-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

"Language is not merely a set of unrelated sounds, clauses, rules, and meanings; it is a total coherent system of these integrating with each other, and with behavior, context, universe of discourse, and observer perspective."

Kenneth L. Pike

See my garden in the context of where I live. Diamond Bar, California

Well-trimmed Eucalyptus as backdrop

The population is diverse. The people are good. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina did her very best to destroy a good portion of the US Southern coastline. The following Friday, 1,790 miles away, the children at Diamond Bar High School got on the phone. With more than a little help from their parents and cross town rivals at Diamond Ranch High School, they raised over $70,000 for the American Red Cross.

Diamond Bar is a diverse community. Perhaps it is the cross-pollination of cultures. Of all the things that grow in Diamond Bar, it is children that we grow the best.

I am a great believer in gardens with plant diversity. Yes, it is more work. But isn't the work required a hallmark how worthwhile an achievement is judged? I don't garden to have a space to ignore. I garden to interact.

This is what a monarch sees close up.

This is what the human eye sees.

At this cusp of autumn, commuting caterpillars crowd their favorite lanes up the stems of butterfly bush.

Succulents, lantana and roses

I am not a big talker. I am a writer. And when the keyboard is resting my finger's voice, if it is daylight you will likely find me outside writing my beliefs in the garden.

Rose Lantana

I believe that every color is beautiful. In humanity and plants.

Choose your plants like your friends. For their strengths.

Queen Anne's Lace

But don't forget to hold precious delicate beauty. A drop of impracticality cures rigidity.

Thank you to Carol May for hosting this month'sGarden Blooming Blog Day Open Garden Tour.

9/11 - Living on Vacation- A Wildlife Garden

2011-09-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

9/11 will forever be a set point that reminds us how precious and fragile life is. Watching the ceremonies dedicating the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania yesterday, I should have held a bucket to capture my tears to water the garden with.

The speeches were all of the one nation under God variety. Former Presidents Clinton, Bush and VP Biden- the word "I" was subservient to the greater good. The result was the greatest type of outreach- the type that is empathetic rather than self-serving.

God bless my nephew Juadon. You are serving this nation with honor. What men such as yourself you are willing to sacrifice, I pray our nation honors in every way possible.

'Kiwi' Aeonium , Santa Barbara Daisy and 'Moonshine' Yarrow defy the sun's best effort to jerkify the trio

When we first looked at our present home, my husband fell in love with the scent of the chaparral covered hillsides. An avid outdoorsman, he said, “It smells like we’re on vacation.”

At times we need could use a negotiator to work on for detente between us and nature. Moments like when the snake popped out to grab its dinner in front of me or when my husband had me "watch" the tarantula resting on his briefcase. Somehow, it all works out.

'Butterfly Bush' feeding a baby monarch butterfly-to-be

Where once there was not much more than sagebrush, we now have generously planted with trees, understory and a lawn. Certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Habitat, our garden offers richer opportunities for wildlife than the tinder-dry brush did

PLEASE enjoy my article on Creating a Backyard Habitat. DiamondBarPatch.com published yesterday.

This 9/11 Consider the Flight 93 Memorial is just 10 million dollars from completion. Express your gratitude to the citizens who took on terrorists in our darkest moment.

White After Labor Day- 9/11

2011-09-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

"Not everything that can be counted counts,

and not everything that counts can be counted."
~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

By any name: Garlic Chives , Perennial Chinese Chives or Chinese Leeks, the late summer garden counts on their steadfast return. Their cheerful white after Labor Day stand in the garden is symbolic; even when the heat turns hostile-hot, God sends up gifts to nourish the butterflies.

I thought it was a good idea to plant up a few. Turns out it was a GREAT idea- can you imagine how dull this little nook would be without their white smiles?

The herbal compadres have hopscotched all barren patches to where the garden bed bends at the back of the main garden.

It is a matter of faith- they will steer themselves right around that corner.

The flat bladed leaves are a petite versionista of leeks. The reward for having gardened organically where they pop up is they can be used to replace now flopping- over chives in recipes.

For all the joy of a thousand or so blooming garlic chives, perhaps my favorite memory of the garden this holiday was the surprise of a single butterfly where it was not expected- just outside the first stained glass window I designed and built.

It rested on the succulent mound while I ran inside to get the camera.

Nothing can make a morning that starts off so well go wrong.

As 9/11/11 approaches, let us take some moments to celebrate the unity of the days that followed right after the attack that brought down the World Trade Center.

Writers are taught show, don't tell. This link -Michael Israel -shows, through performance art, the best that rose came from the ashes of that tragedy. Thank you to Trisha Bowler for sending it our way.

Dragonflies~ Tortilla Soup ~ Scorpion

2011-08-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost,
to reach out eagerly and without fear
for newer and richer experience.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

Dragonfly by Gene Sasse

Saturday, the patio thermometer waggled its way up into the danger zone: 105 point who cares. Outside, dragonflies hovered about the water features we keep for wildlife.

Many cultures view the dragonfly as symbolic of transformation. Several Native American cultures believe that dragonflies hold the souls of people who have died. Perhaps this is how in the United States, dragonflies symbolize rebirth and renewal after trauma and loss.

Asians have brought to our country a likewise high respect for the expert hover-matics. I am told that Japanese view the dragonfly as the embodiment of joy as well as a symbol of courage and strength. I read that in Japan and China. dragonflies are harnessed for medical purposes. I have read the Vietnamese use these insects to aid in forecasting the weather. This makes sense as when I see ants on the kitchen counter I know one of two things his about to happen: rain or extreme heat.

When I see dragonflies, I think of the quote at the top by a great former first lady.

Days like these are when I like to scan leftovers and canned goods like they are sea shells and I am a child at the beach. For Sunday Supper, I assembled the makings of Tortilla Soup, feeling every bit like I was a Mexican Mama.

Lydia's Tortilla Soup

More often than not, in the freezer there are parts of a chicken that were used to create a broth. Sometime in the past few weeks, the remains of what was not used in a formal recipe were simmered with an onion, celery, carrots and spices (black and white peppers, salt, parsley and and thyme) in water and white wine.

This was pulled from the freezer, defrosted and strained of all but the broth, which was boosted with a gluten free chicken broth to fill the medium- large pot 2/3's way full.

As the pot came to a simmer, vegetables were layered in. A few peeled and chopped russet potatoes, a carrot that was peeled and cut more to resemble chunks than slices. One stalk of celery is sliced and a handful of chopped sweet onions fall into the broth as easily as a teenager falls in love.

From the freezer I pulled some chicken meat, cooked and diced for ravioli. The Italian dish can spare the meat without giving away the secret that a portion of a cup was stolen from the stash. Dirt was scrubbed off a A Mexican summer squash before its slices were split in two half moons.

A cup of corn kernels should take about the same amount of time to go from starch to sweet- so in to the brew they go to finish while I go out to the pantry to gather the rest.

These don't need to cook, they just need to warm: An average sized can each of white hominy and black beans drained. Also opened and drained were a (4 ounce) can chopped hot green chili peppers and sliced olives. A can of chopped tomatoes made the broth rich and added inviting color. 3 crushed garlic cloves and a spoonful of chicken flavor enhancer- anticipation now floated throughout the house.

As the flavors simmered together, it gave me time to fill the baby fryer with corn oil to heat. A stack of tortillas sliced into thin slivers was offered to the bubbling oil until it turned them golden crisp. Drained and lavished with garlic salt- they are offered as a condiment to serve.

Besides these slivered homemade chips-a tray crowded with bowls of green onions finely sliced, cilantro chiffonade, jack or Mexican cheeses finely shredded and a plate of avocado slices was at the ready.

As we stood at the counter, ladling out bowls full, we forgot how hot the day was. This is the kind of food that encourages words without fear- conversation. A nice way to end the Sabbath.

We almost didn't notice the scorpion scampering across the kitchen floor at bedtime. May he rest in peace.

Small Improvements-

2011-08-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

An ode to our neighbors, this sign is half homemade.

"Sometimes, the smallest improvement to our lives can make the biggest difference."

~Alexandra Stoddard

Chuck and Sandra Price have a grownups play yard. Outfitted to live in year round staycation, they live next door.

I am a certifiable readaholic. I read everything, and have a special love of signage Spotting the tin insert with the words "Resort and Spa Next Door" on a shopping expedition, of course it had to come home with me.

It wasn't perfect until last week when my husband shared his toys- oops, tools- with me.

A piece of scrap redwood, a $2.00 bottle of Alizarin Crimson America acrylic paint- and a lesson in how to use a band saw, scroll saw and oscillating spindle saw- and the humorous ode to my next door neighbors is complete .

"My" shed, built one lesson at a time.

Mounted high on my shed, it is a small improvement that lifted my spirits yesterday when it was 102° F with humidity in the upper 40 percentile. What my husband describes as "a nice spring day in Florida" tips into misery-ometer territory for us weather-wimpy types.

For newer readers- here are a couple images of the shed that is my pride and joy.

It all began when our children were young enough to think it was cool to be paid in Chuck E Cheese Pizza.

My husband's tools were limited to a circular saw, a hammer and an engineer's attitude that everything is possible.

When Diamond Bar-ians get to remodeling, there is some some really cool dumpster diving around town. All you need is a few moments without any pride):-

A cast off needing to be rescued, reused and recycled- this little corner window was lifted from where it lay next to a trash can.

It became the impetus for my shed.

I was thinking of the playhouse I never had. Dreaming of a trip to Lowes or Home Depot to retrofit a shed-kit.

My husband was thinking - " I can do it myself." He thought it would be fine wood storage for his burgeoning he-man hobby. If he thought it was a way to get tools free of added cost- oh, well. I have my shed and he got more tools from this project.

When we considered moving mother in with us, we teased her this would be her room.

The finial added to birdhouse made a pediment that set the architectural character.

If the stained glass transom window had been installed at the time, we might have found her with her bags and walker parked at the doorstep.

After her death, the window was Christened "Ethel's Window" in honor of my mother

The solar-lit panel makes an elegant statement after dark- art cum nightlight on steroids.

2x4 by 2x4, brick by brick, lace covering windows, one small improvement at a time, this little structure changed me as it was changed. Building it, my husband learned the economic advantages of kits over custom construction. Sheds of our own are a luxury beyond description.

Such are the lessons and synergy in life.

P.S.- Thank you Chuck E. Cheese for the use of the little picture.

Garden Obsession

2011-08-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

"The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession

~Phyllis McGinley

The woody orange vine looked so innocent in the 6" pot brought home from an LA Arboretum sale. Today it is as tall as epe myrtle it links arms with.

The neighbors next door, who have a pool, have never complained about the summer confetti in pink and orange that floats over from my side of the fence. Not only that- they encourage this obsession. Chuck and Sandy Price are the definition of GREAT neighbors for a gardener.

The "Cottage Garden" sign- Does it define or reflect the surroundings?

Looking north across the brick patio you see one of the first vestiges of making this house ours: the lattice work that Gerry cut and framed with our sons, Trevor and Kenny.

Every so many years we bathe all the patio wood trim in creamy white. Fat glazed pots hold variegated ficus at key points on the patio - balancing the recipe for horticultural material needed to properly "naturize" the bricked-over patio floor.

In the background is the blue shed my husband utilizes as an outpost for certain woodworking chores.

The vegetable planting is more accurately a path than a plot. Brimming with tomatoes, hot peppers, herbs and society garlic, it also has a small tub turned into a gurgling fountain- the moving water inviting birds in to eat marauding insects.

If you 've never scissored the pinkie- purpley blossoms of society garlic (Tulbahia to Latin enthusiasts) as a replacement for garlic cloves on garlic toast- you are missing quite the conversation starter. The color is simply luscious in the shimmer of hot butter.

This week, the daytime high temperatures have lumbered into the 98 ° F mark. Close enough that the hibiscus are open like fairy sized satellite dishes.

A monarch butterfly caterpillar munches on a denuded butterfly weed (asclepias) stem

Garden neophytes see the rough edges of the August garden as deciding air-conditioned chores are better this time of year. However, there is a practial aspect to some seediness allowed. Look closely and you will see one of a heard of caterpillars munching the strength to grow wings to glide through the air. Other plants- such as Cleveland sage- their seeded heads are allowed to dry to darkened feed for birds seeking shelter from the harsh coastal sage conditions just beyond the property lines.

'Betty Boop' Rose

Two bushes and a tree form 'Betty Boop' have outgrown their spot in the border like a teenage athlete outgrows his first car. In cooler weather, one will be cleaved from the center and adjusted into a spot nearby- extending the rhythm of their near-ever present blossoming.

I always wanted honeysuckle- though I doubt this is where I would have planted it. Some birds likely chose the spot despite its lack of welcoming attributes. My brain must be as small as the birds, for walking through the nearby gate- the scent of honeysuckle intoxicates. overtakes all reason- and so it stays- occasionally threatening to run up a stranglehold on the arching buttefly bush 'Black Knight'.

This axis from the edge closest the patio, verbena bonarensis planted its feet. Here, gangly arms bob under the weight of hummingbirds and finches as they wait to dodge the airspace crowded with butterflies.

With my husband's tools having squatted my car's spot in the garage, this side yard is often the path I take from home to automobile. The draping summer lilac (Buddleja) is allowed to spill over the chunks of wood waiting to be turned. The idea for the covered shelving was picked up on trips to England, where I was enchanted with the idea that the most humble of utilitarian spaces should revered with some touch of beauty.

As soon as Tracie "opens the gates" it is time to time to hop over to the linky party at Fishtail Cottage. See what is blooming in the gardens of my fellow flower addicts.

Fall Floral Arrangement

2011-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."

~Claude Monet

I loved the pumpkin planted with roses, spires of Mexican sage and an asymmetrical conifer collar. Staged on a bronzed mirror- it was the centerpiece that 3 years later still enchants my memory of what a wonderful time was had at the 2008 Garden Writers Association Awards Banquet.

'Hot cocoa roses' image by Gene Sasse

As Monet believed flowers uplifted his senses as an artist, it is also true that gardening offers the opportunity to romanticize dining at home. I am loving the idea of replicating the centerpiece by setting a water-filled jar in the center of a hollowed out pumpkin, then arranging hot cocoa roses, Mexican Sage and perhaps leaves of scented geranium. The lacier leaf of a citronella variety was my first thought for greenery.

On the patio, the citronella scented variety silently shoos away unwanted flying critters away from the evening's courses. However- men like variety, and changing the setting might prompt a more romantic response from my husband ):- In autumn, there will be a few evenings where it will be preferable to move some furniture, turn on some Frank Sinatra classics and set the table square with glowing embers in the fireplace. Maybe the puppies will even spend the night at a pet hotel...

Garden Harvest Supply Catalog image

In this setting- the rich tones of Chocolate Mint Geranium are better suited to stage a seriously romantic dinner. If shopping local for this horticultural gem isn't fruitful- - go to Garden Harvest Supply. My plant stared as a 4' Slip. It now regularly comes in the house- either in flower arrangements or with the leaves set as a ruffled doily beneath a cake.

Garden Thoughts and Dreams

2011-08-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful. ~Abram L. Urban

Clematis 'Jackmani''

96.8 ° F. Summer is finally here. What says cottage in a garden more clearly than flowering vines? The vining English rose has trouble keeping up with the clematis in bloom, but it is my experience, with time the rose's blooming season will extend. In the mean time, its ample green foliage keeps the temperature spread inside my husband's shed closer to 5 ° than the 10 or 12.

'Cinco de Mayo' Rose

Southern California's summer sunlight calls for bold colors in the garden. The rose 'Cinco de Mayo' looks like a mariachi sounds. Vibrant, without apology for who she is. It is the rose my niece, Anka, saw in Portland- calling the blooming garden full in the city's famed rose garden- the most spectacular.

'Dick Clark' Rose

'Dick Clark' is one of the younger roses to huddle my hillside oasis. It sits near the oriole feeder and is just now beginning to flaunt the stamina Tom Carruth, the King of Weeks Roses bred into this baby becoming a bopper.

Now to link over to Tracie's Cottage Flora Thursdays.

GBBD (Garden Bloggers Bloom Day) August 2011

2011-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. "

~Martin Luther

Sandy leaned over the fence this morning. Charlie is leaving for college this week. The taco vendor would be there at 4 if we wanted to join the festivities. Giving me a chance to tease Charlie about going to college in Tuscon (we left him money with a note to choose a canteen or snake-bite kit) and another chance to photograph what may be most valuable in our garden: shade.

Many of the flowering trees have lost their blooms to leaves in a thousand shades of gray. But not the crepe myrtle. As summer is starting her slow wind down to autumn, she's just getting started with florescent pink blooms that will fall as confetti.

In catalogues, this is Begonia 'Ginny'. But for me, it will always Begonia 'Allison'. The day after I brought this plant home, my niece Allison received her angel wings. She was 18 months old. There are some things that are without fairness; beyond explaining. So it is with the death of a child.

Even the simplest of plantings offer beauty where they make their home. Aster, mint and a pink ivy geranium snuck under the brick border to a place I would never have chosen for them. Proof that nature knows best.

The surviving twin of Weeping Hibiscus 'La France'. The other lost to an unnoticed drip watering system disconnect. For all their virtues, the problem with pots is the edge for error is razor thin. Forewarned is forearmed. I kicked myself when I removed the skeleton of the deceased treasure. Nature sends humbling messages even to advanced home gardeners.

I forget the name of this cultivar of shrimp plant. But it waves frequently throughout the year- oo I will look up before I post it next.

It wouldn't be a visit to my garden without an image of a rose. This 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' was a gift from my darling niece Anka. Like her, it gets better every year.
Without her blooms dominating the summer border, blue agapanthus and lavender shooting heads of society garlic would be boring.

This shot is from my home church- Mt Calvary Lutheran Church on Golden Springs. As the lead quote is from the great theologian who founded the first protestant church, it seemed right to include it, even though this shot is not on my property.

Count me as one of those gardeners that abhors bare dirt strewn about by gardeners on their weekly blow and go assignments. Bare dirt may be natural on the moon- but on Earth, God spread plants, rocks or thick carpets of leaves. Rather than bare dirt- golden blooming is low maintenance, low water, low risk.

Thank you to May Dreams Gardens for hosting this month's GBBD.

Why We Need Civic Beauty

2011-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Miscanthus, sunflowers and annuals imbue an old part of town with fairytale qualities

We're going to get all these sidewalks cleaned up so people can walk down them, because they're going to be coming back.”

~Robert Rogers

Times of turmoil are when we most need beauty. A walk around San Marino last week was just what the doctor should have ordered if I called her):-

Amaranthus, sunflowers and annuals enjoying the summer

The big news around town is the grandchildren of Congressman Gary and Cathy Miller were found in Mexico and returned to California. For those who think this ends the sad saga- found in the encyclopedia under "bitter custody disputes"- unfortunately the salacious accusations against the children's father, Brian Miller did not skip a beat.

Sandra Dibble of the San Diego Union-Tribune did one of the better jobs in describing the charges against Jennifer Lopez Dejongh in “depriving custody in violation of a court order"

simple sidewalk planting with zinnias and poppies

Not much irritates the journalist in me more than mis-stated facts- and there are so many mistaken "facts" picked up from one paper and spread to another that I cry for my profession. We want to do well, but sometimes schedules and budgets being what they are, we fall short.

Jude Lopez Sr, the father of the Jennifer - a woman who factually packed up the children, taking them across International borders with her new husband to avoid compliance with a temporary custody arrangement that she was signatory to- has the microphone.

It is rather topsy-turvy that his interviews include portions where he is expounds as though he is also spokesperson for the Miller family. Beyond his rehashing the accusations against the man his daughter chose to father 3 children with- he is then allowed to conjecture as to why the Congressman and his wife were involved for any reason other than love. I wish there was a way to explain to my former friends that in this, the press is not their friend.

What Mr. Lopez is the perfect person to explain what his family was thinking when -

One week after Jennifer fled with the children, Elizabeth, the daughter of Congressman Gary and Cathy Miller, and aunt to the children, died at age 33. The following day, the Lopez family picketed Calvary Chapel of Golden Springs- the home church of the Millers.

In hindsight- Would they have allowed the congregation to mourn Elizabeth in peace?

Common plants providing uncommon beauty

The lovely setting that provided emotional peace last week is found in front of

Mission Nursery
2510 Mission Street, San Marino, CA 91108-1636
(626) 799-1689