1/1/11

Welcome to a new year! I love new beginnings and fresh starts. I love the new path of a new year, a new month, even a new day. And what else do I love? New projects! So today is Day 1 of my new 365 project. It's something I've been wanting to try for a few years to help me keep track of all the cooking, gardening, knitting and roofing projects that go on around this house.

These garden lights and rock landscaping were an unexpected yet completely needed project during 2010. With the incredible productivity and drive of my husband's mother, -- who doesn't like when I keep calling her my mother-in-law, so I suppose since she spent FIVE WEEKS with us in 2010 I could start calling her by name on my blog -- Pauline moved bucket after bucket full of roof rocks from piles on our patio down to landscape our garden beds. And I didn't take a single photo of her! That's why I need a photo-a-day project. I love the results of her efforts more than I could have imagined. The new landscaping also motivated Thomas to install low-voltage garden lights along the new dry riverbed path, along the deck edge and up the patio staircase.

Every time I go outside I feel like it's a new garden. Day or evening. Thank you, Pauline. Now it's time to dream about what we will get ourselves into in 2011. And I promise to provide photo evidence!

Thinking the clouds away

You may have heard that it has been raining for days in California, an unusual treat that turned into a travesty. There's tons of flooding all over the state because the clay earth is fully saturated, we're safe here with nothing more than a few puddles on the lawn and filled plant pots. But now it looks like sunny California is back, at least for now.

Garden beauties

Hot peppers, green peppers, our first avocados, and of course, Lola. The weather has chilled off quite a bit for October and I'm hoping these green peppers can make it to maturity so I can eat them up! I think the next item on the agenda is going to be a better herb garden. I have about seven rosemary bushes and not much else. I'd like to at least get thyme and parsley in there too. Basil will have to wait for warmer weather, and mint is such a weed that I'll have to find another place for it. Now the only detail is actual time.

I'm gonna need some recipes!

I have to say I'm really happy with our raised garden bed project. A relatively small space has given us quite a bit of food and I'm not even utilizing the space to it's fullest because I'm still getting used to growing vegetables. The eggplants are beyond my biggest dreams for this garden. They just keep growing and flowering and producing. I kinda can't believe it. The plants are big with pretty purple or white flowers and huge leaves that hide the fruit. I bought a variety pack of eggplant seeds so I don't know what all these different ones are but I love that there's purple, white and green ones. I wonder if any other colors will pop up?

I grew dinner

Welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming. I'm not posting another thing about that four letter word that starts with an R until it's done, seamed up, and there's no more steel on my lawn. Did you know I have a vegetable garden? Yeah, I forgot. Totally. I happened to notice it today and found quite a surprise, this Chinese eggplant, a bunch of scallions and a hot pepper. Thanks garden for surviving without me.