Crash!

Crash!, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Rowan feel asleep at the wheel last night :) Now if I can just get him to fall asleep in his own bed, I'd really have it goin on...

I caught one!

I caught one!, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Maddy is so silly

Ta-DAH!

Ta-DAH!, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Isn't she the coolest ;)

Let's take a ride

Let's take a ride, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

The ever-popular golf cart!!! Rowan takes his responsibilities as driver very seriously. It's Triton's turn to drive next!

Maddy the ham!

Maddy the ham!, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Meet Maddy, Rowan's cute little cousin!

Om Mani Padme Hum

Om Mani Padme Hum, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Jeff's Uncle John died this last week :( This is a lily from his pond

Pleats

Pleats, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

The first Brandywine from my garden, and boy was it mmmm hmmm! Pleasantly tart, still warm from the 95 degree sun. It made a great pico de gallo. Can you believe it is in the same botanical family (solanaceae) as the previous plant?

This is my son's horoscope for the week, how apropo for a 2 year old! :

"One morning I came upon a small demonstration on a street corner," wrote Sparrow in The Sun. "Several men were holding signs that said BRING BACK DUSK, and shouting, 'Dusk! Give us dusk!' 'But dusk will come again this evening,' I pointed out to one of them. 'We don’t care,' he replied, with a wild look. 'We want it now!'" If and when you become impatient in the coming week, Taurus, remember Sparrow's story. Progress will proceed at its own pace, not yours. The peaches will ripen when they are ready, not necessarily when you are.

Sacred Datura

Sacred, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Here you see a deadly beauty, the sacred datura. It is one of the few plants the cows won't graze on at the B's, somehow they know! When I was in high school, a friend of mine experimented by eating one of the spiny fruits of this plant, and ended up in a coma for several days. He survived, but was, well... different after that. Living in the Central Valley will drive you to try strange things!

Mmmm Dill....

Mmmm Dill...., originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

A future butterfly munching dill. I think it will be a swallowtail, but I'm not sure. I rediscovered my macro lens attachment this weekend, and had lots of fun with it! There are worlds upon worlds under our feet...

From the garden

From the garden, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

Cherry tomatoes, 'Marketmore' cucumber, basil, and shallots. All of this came out of my backyard! I made it all into a pasta salad

Pasta Salad

1/2 lb tricolor rotini or fusilli pasta
3 T olive oil
2 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T Dijon or stoneground mustard
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion
3 T chopped fresh basil
1/2 cucumber, sliced
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/8 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions, drain & rinse under cold running water.
While pasta is cooling, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and seasonings in a large bowl. Add all vegetables except the tomatoes (refrigeration causes their flavor to deteriorate) and pasta. Mix gently until blended, and allow to sit in fridge for 1 hour. When ready to serve, add tomatoes and parmesan, mix gently. Buon appetito!

Twisty vines make me happy :)

, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

This might be an aristolochia? I'm not sure as I haven't seen it bloom. I learned about a very cool artist, Franck De Las Mercedes, who is sending out priority boxes covered in abstract paintings & containing abstract ideas, such as Hope, Harmony, etc. It made me think of a childhood friend, Joyce Truitt, who worked for Hospice when my mom was sick. She gave me a box of Love, and for some reason this PISSED off my grandma, who exclaimed it was "a box of nothin!" She is a no-nonsense kind of gal! Anyhow, I'll take a picture of my Priority Box when I get it so you can all see.

Pasture Pastoral

Pasture Pastoral, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

The view from the old cabin Juliet has been clearing out. I can see why they chose this spot :)

Blog icon?

, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

This is a shot of the corn crop at the B's place

Footsie!

My son, Rowan. He's two now (and how!) This is the only time he is still enough to get a clear shot: nap time. Looks like he got my long toes!

Grandpa Otts Morning Glory

Grandpa Otts Morning Glory, originally uploaded by *Lovelight*.

This is an heirloom variety morning glory growing on my garden fence. Yes, morning glories can be a pest, but I put up with them for that COLOR!

Braided onions

Here they are folks, the fruits of my labor! It's amazing they made it this far, after all the times they were trampled by my very large dogs and my very energetic toddler!

Testing 1-2-3

Hello, this is my first post on blogspot. I have recently (well, compared to most people in my new area) relocated to Missouri from the west coast, and this blog is a record of my experiences in this strange new land :)

Here you see my first harvest of onions. I will be braiding them today. I have a small organic garden in my backyard, complete with compost pile and lots of weeds ;)