A little garden time

The weather isn't bad here in California but you can definitely tell that the plants know it's spring. There was nothing in this bed when I moved in. I had no idea what any of these plants were, how they'd interact with each other or how to take care of them.

Thankfully, I caught on and am now rewarded with some of the most amazing colors I've ever seen. I mean what's better than hot pink and orange? Not much!

I hadn't seen aloe in bloom before this last year. This aloe was given to me by my neighbor, I proceeded to neglect the poor thing in a pot until my mother-in-law finally just stuck it in the ground. Now I can't stop staring at it's crazy yellow blossoms, this one is about 4 feet tall!

This is a tree fuchsia with a different aloe bloom behind it.

And for good measure, here's a little bit of Lola doing what Lola does when she's not doing something else... like sleeping in weird positions or begging you to play or pitifully drooling for a treat.

A little earlier than most

This may sound ridiculous, actually I know it will, but it's beginning to feel like spring here in Southern California. What? It's the day after Christmas! It's the end of December, we just passed winter solstice, it's cold and dark! Yes, I know. My California garden seems to take hiatus for October, November and much of December, but it seems spring is in the air for my succulents. Flowers are blossoming, bees are visiting, soon I'll be prepping my garden beds for tomatoes.

Hi, from my new table!

We picked up a new outdoor pub table for our patio this weekend. It's the perfect height to enjoy some eggs in the morning or a quick beer after work. Like right there! My iPad and I are enjoying a little break time. I hope you're summer's bright and sunny.

The Dirt Bag: 2

Today's haul --
3 ears of ruby red sweet corn
4 lemons
1 bundle of parsley

The Dirt Bag: 1

My best friend sent me a hilarious gift of a Dirt Bag. My best friend since kindergarten apparently thinks I'm a dirt bag, or at least that I'd get good use out of a dirt bag. And you know what? She's right! I love dirt and bags. The Dirt Bag has a burlap exterior with a hefty blue tarp lining and I've decided to make it my vegetable picking caddy. My vegetables and fruit trees are down the hillside and I can't make it back up to the house with more than three or four lemons in my hands. Enter Dirt Bag.

I never anticipated I would have a thriving garden let alone a thriving vegetable crop and multiple fruit trees. The fresh produce I pick constantly amazes me so I'd like to document it in a better way and I think The Dirt Bag might just be the perfect way to do it.

Today's haul:
a metric ton of cherry tomatoes
6 limes