swing making

Last weekend we were hanging out in the garden, and my daughter and her friend were playing on the "twizzler", a beloved hanging toy on which the kids can twirl and swing.  Unfortunately there were two of them and only one twizzler.  So I proposed that we make another swing.  And rather than say, not right now, like I sometimes do, I said let's do it.  And we did.  In 30 minutes - or maybe that was an hour and 30 minutes........., we pulled out the drill and a piece of scrap 2x6 and drilled the holes, found some rope (after a phone call request), and hung it up.  And it worked.  Such an amazing small victory for my DIY efforts, and a great teaching moment.

favas

I have started taking a clearing and cleansing class with a good friend of mine.  We are just getting started on the clearing part, and I have been looking around with a slightly different frame of view.  I have yet to start on clearing some of my priority places inside (that starts tomorrow), but I did get inspired over the weekend to do some clearing in the garden.  And I can learn most of life's important lessons from my garden.  I was looking for a place to plant squash and cucumbers.  It's time to make room for those summer veggies.  I was looking into the spot where nasturtiums have been growing, and then I realized it was time to clear the favas.  I had planted them to feed the soil, but didn't get to turning them into the soil until too late.  And once they bloomed - beautifully - I was easily convinced to let them grow pods for eating.  I have been harvesting the favas for the last week, mostly eating them raw in the garden.  But now it was time for a grand clearing.  And it felt great to make room.  I left the roots in the soil with all those nitrogen globules (my highly scientific name) in place, and added some compost in each large hole I dug for my new veggies.

Then I had to do something with the favas.  Usually I make a puree similar to the one in Chez Panisse Vegetables, great with homemade ricotta, by the way.  But that was too demanding for me, tired from gardening.  So I found a great recipe on 101 Cookbooks (Heidi Swanson) for grilled favas.  And how delicious they are.  I LOVE being able to just toss with olive oil and salt and throw them on the grill (like I do to my asparagus).  Then once they are done, you can relax with friends at the dinner table and shell and eat them, pausing and chatting (and drinking rose, if you like).  A lovely Saturday dinner it was (so great I made them again tonight).  And there are still more favas in the fridge..........

lemon balm tea

When life gives you lemons........or lemon balm, that is;  make lemon balm tea.  It is great stuff, and good for you as well.

One of the wonderful things about gardening is how it teaches you to make use of what you have around you.  For example, I need something green for lunch (to go with my almonds), and am short on time.  Answer: pick a few leaves of lettuce and a pea and a few favas and pop them in my mouth.  Done; yum.  I love having herbs to snip and use in my cooking (one of the things I would thoroughly miss if I ever left California).  And now, I make use of the lemon balm that is growing and expanding (invading?) in several areas of my garden.  Snip, snip, snip; it looks better when trimmed.  And then you just rinse, put in a pot or jar and pour over boiling water.  Let it steep for an hour or more.  If you like, add a little honey or agave and drink.  Or chill and drink over the next few days.  I sometimes add a little mint or lavender or both.  Mint is great when drinking it cool.

biking to school

We do a lot of biking in our family.  Bike paths and city streets; both seem to be a favorite for me and my kids.  One of the reasons we live where we do (and not in the hills with beautiful views nor in the country) is that we can walk or bike to most of our activities.  I love starting my day biking to school.  It is energizing and a great way to smell our urban version of nature.  Most days my kids agree, and my son now is old enough to do it by himself.  On cold days we dress warmly, but on days like today, we just enjoy the sun on our skin.

So happy Bike to School/Work Day!  It is a great way to get around.  If you don't have plans tonight and live in the East Bay, there is a great event going on down in Old Oakland.

market bags

I happily finished one of my craft projects in time for the sale.  Muslin market bags - ones to take to the farmers' market or any market and fill with produce.  Next time I will go for the bigger size; these are a little small.  But nice for a bunch of carrots or some onions or garlic, or a few apples.

And I am getting even better at printing on fabric; at last I am developing some better techniques.  It is helpful to minimize the number of stampings on each piece; 2 was just about right.  I still love carving using the rubber carving blocks.  You can't get the same detail as with linoleum, but it is better to keep it simple when printing on fabric anyway.  And the ease of carving - particularly on the onions, made it so fun to do.  Here's to the next project, likely those napkins in search of a stamp....

hanging out at the pumpkin house

We had a great Sunday at our craft sale.  It was warm and sunny, and many good friends stopped by to hang out and buy some of the beautiful crafts.  After all the preparation and cleaning and crafting, it was so nice to sit and relax and enjoy the place.  And eat all the delicious cheese, chocolates, and homemade lemon balm tea (more on that later!).

craft sale this sunday!

It's here.  This Sunday 11-3.  Come to our Spring Craft Sale and enjoy the warm spring courtyard and garden.  And homemade lemonade, lemon balm tea, and ricotta!

I have been scrambling to finish up work, make some crafts, and somehow turn our home into a pop-up storefront.  The gardening and planting was easier for me.  The decluttering inside less so.  Eeeeek!  How will it be ready?  This is why people don't live IN their stores!  Baby steps.......  Remembering this is a good way to clear out our living spaces leaving only the most used and loved things.   Aaaach!  You can do it for 15 minutes, setting the timer.  Sit for 5 minutes and experience some calm.  It's still a stretch for me, but one that is getting more comfortable.   And how good it will feel on Sunday morning when it is all ready.  I think.

carrots

It was a magical day of carrots yesterday.  I was helping with the first grade gardening class, and we uncovered all sorts of carrots as we were weeding.  Some of the kids pulled a carrot for the first time; it was great to watch them.  I washed them and then we all ate them and shared several with teachers and onlooking parents.  So sweet and fresh.  I brought home the littlest ones for Butch the bunny - he loves the greens.

After school I checked on the littlest carrots in our garden, just peeking up from the soil.  After waiting a week or more for them to pop up, and with the cat or kids or watering cans potentially disturbing them along the way, I am always happy to see their little green shoots in a line.  They made it.  I thinned then, gave them a little extra water and good wishes for speedy growing.

Later that night when my kids were sitting at the dining table working on homework and an art project, I decided to bring out my stamp to carve.  I am making muslin produce bags to sell at the upcoming craft show.  I wasn't sure which stamp to start with, so I asked my daughter, and she answered clearly, "carrots".  I then dusted off an old but lovely small sketch book from years ago, in which I had sketched some stamping ideas.  What should I find, but a carrot sketch, lovingly drawn for my further inspiration now.  Rather like pulling a carrot out of the ground after planting it months prior...........

planting tomatoes

Around these parts, it's time for tomatoes.  Planting tomatoes, that is.  At the end of a warm day like yesterday, it seemed like just the right thing.  I even made myself a little margarita to quench my thirst as I dug in the soil, shoveled in some rich compost, and planted the first 6 plants.  I got them from Kassenhoff, and they recommend that you remove the bottom leaves/branches and put the plant in deeper, covering the bottom half.  We will see how it goes; for now they are looking quite happy.  I even took the time to rework the irrigation - switching the drip line to the nearby peas and carrots (I love planting them in a bed together), and moving the line with individual emitters to the tomatoes.  This year I am going to try a test and also keep a drip emitter line (6" for those who know about these things) in the tomato bed, thinking that it may help keep the general soil moist for critters like worms and such.  If I would mulch the beds (maybe, just maybe, I might get to that), I am sure that would also help!