I garden more than I clean house

I can go without food and water while gardening.  Time passes too quickly.  Night falls and I remember I'm hungry and thirsty.

A trip to Oregon earlier this year was gift to the senses and the eyes.  The phrase "A sight for sore eyes" was certainly the case while driving to the coast from Portland.  Came across this home with a long driveway.  A craftsman style bungalow with inviting pines along the driveway.  To be a pine tree is to see above everything below you and breathe in everything above you. 

Emily Dickinson

In preparation for an Emily Dickinson themed printing class I read some of her poems and painted my version of her.  When I paint I generally put on the kettle and make a nice cup of tea.  Tea and coffee are such non-judgmental companions.  

I see light, texture, pattern, and flavor.

I garden to make the planet a more beautiful place...

even if I'm the only one who sees it.

Weekend of Hearts

From the Scottish Poem Library:

'Quietly, amid the rush-hour bustle,

I blush.

I smile just thinking of you.'

I like the days and weeks leading up to Valentine's Day because of all the creative and crafty hearts that begin to pop up and decorate shop windows, stationary stores, and garden nurseries.  It's difficult to avoid buying something with a heart on it or shaped like a heart.    I visited my sister n law Stella this week.  She always has her kitchen table prepared for her family or a guest and it's always decorated in the spirit of the season or holiday. I stopped at La Monarca Bakery in East Los Angeles, on Whittier Blvd.  They have a lovely selection of Mexican sweet breads (pan dulce).  Delicious and colorful.  Lastly, on Saturday morning my husband and I went to PDM in Newport Beach, Ca and had tea and the to die for cinnamon twist.  We got there at 7am and the twists were warm with a flaky crispness on the outside.  Simply divine.  

Little Red Backpack

 I made a friend through a friend (her mother).  Her name is Aja ("asia").  I was drawn to her before meeting her because her mother described her in a way that peaked my interest.  She's a "foodie", she likes the cold weather, she's traveled, she's adventurous, and she likes quirky things.  I'm none of the above except I like quirky things.  I travel, but I'm not a world traveler like Aja.  I'm too timid or chicken for that.  I like comfort zones.  This week I received a surprise gift package. Inside was a tiny red leather backpack and it had a tiny note inside from Aja.  She bought the backpack in Tokyo, Japan.  It's a keychain...said all the kids wear them. Aja made tiny paper origami stars which were loose in the package.  She also included a favorite book of hers titled "Lost in Translation", having nothing to do with the movie.  It has unusual words in different languages with sweet illustrations to match.  Lastly, Aja was so sweet to use the rubber stamps I gave her with Seattle images...well, she lives in Seattle.  This was one fun and happy mail day.

The Cat's Eye

This is a hair salon I walked by while in Ballard (Seattle) on 11/29/16.  So charming and cheerful.  The sun was actually out this day.  Old town Ballard.  There happened to be a wonderful children's toy store a few doors down, but over priced.

Savor of Life

Paris Tea is the life of savoring flavor and aroma.

When I was 22 a co-worker invited me to lunch. We walked to her house and she made chile rellenos and a pot of English tea. She served it in an English teapot and added cream to my cup of tea. I'd never heard of cream added to tea, having grown up in East Los Angeles where I saw no one add cream to tea.  I never turned back.  My tea always has cream.  That opened up a whole new world of discovering and tasting a variety of tea flavors but I always fall back to a delicious cup of a blend of black teas.  This Paris loose leaf tea is from the Perennial Tea Room in Seattle's Pike Place Market area.  A lovely tea room and proprietor.  So much to choose from.

THE FLAGSHIP

The Hummingbird is definitely the commanding admiral of any place it perches.  For such a tiny bird, it packs a huge punch of hutspa, gusto, and confidence.  Hummingbirds are fierce when protecting its territory.  It wants all the nectar to itself.  When it comes to raising young, the males are "wham, bam, thank you mam". They take no part in rearing their young.  The mother does it all.  This hummingbird is a male Allen's which has established my back yard garden as his territory, but so have a few others.  The battles are daily and often.

Kindness

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible". Dalai Lama

On occasion I faulter  .