Martha Mae Cary spent many hours behind the counter at Graves Flower Shop in Ontario, CA and in the workroom as well, creating bouquets for romantics and wreaths for funeral services. As my grandmother, she transferred her creative skills, her practical talents, and handy life hacks each and every time we were together. She was … Continue reading Flower Shop →

So I noticed that nature is currently anticipating the eminent arrival of spring. New growth. New life. And dear Lord is it ever time. Wouldn’t you agree that it just feels right when there’s an official start-date to something? Whether the first day back to school, first day on a new job, or the first … Continue reading Hold Up →

How it started and how its going . . . It took sunshine. It took water. It took nutrients. It took time. The cuttings Debbie gave me looked great from the get-go. Carefully placed among the river rock in a slender planter bed at my entryway, months and Covid months later the survivors are thriving. … Continue reading How Its Going →

There’s only one clay pot of strawberries that I maintain but it has several fruit producing plants in it if that counts for anything. Among one of life‘s many little blessings is the fact that, during Covid, the berries produced in this micro-crop have been the sweetest in the fifteen years that I’ve grown them. … Continue reading An Actress? →

Sweet tangy berries. Nutrient dense greens. Creamy organic coconut milk. These three distinctly different companions go well together, even compliment each other. I personally skip the ripe banana that most people add and thereby save myself those 34 carbs to be allocated elsewhere. That aside, when you toss the berry/greens/milk trio into a blender along … Continue reading YOU →

I already enjoy bird watching so what Marina did only accelerated an existing obsession of mine. She stoked the fire by sending me the new bird feeder in the first place. And then ten pounds of seed magically appeared at my doorstep. Thoughtfulness of another fulfilled by a genie in a bottle known as Amazon … Continue reading Connected →

Butternut soup, crispy pan-fried sage from the garden, and the crunchy, savory goodness of fried cheese. Have you tried it? Frying cheese that is. Like water turns to ice, like grapes turn to wine, grated cheddar (or Swiss or Parmesan or . . .) can be transformed into the perfect accompaniment to a chilly winter’s … Continue reading Transformed →

Yesterday was landscaping day in my neighborhood, the noisiest day of the week. Sleeping babies and old ladies will cry or swear respectively when awakened by the dulcet tones of the gas powered trimmers and ghastly leaf blowers. They’d just finished in front of my place so I rushed out the front door to examine … Continue reading Intervention →

It rained until almost noon on Friday after having begun as a cozy indoor morning with extra cups of coffee. It was the Great Backyard Bird Count annually promoted by the Audubon Society. From my own protected perch indoors I spotted a couple of sparrows taking cover in the bougainvillea waiting for a break in … Continue reading Too Much? →