Dodger Fever!

Steve took Grady to see the Los Angeles Dodgers play the San Francisco Giants at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco today.  G was torn between wearing his LA hat and his SF hat.  Fatherly guilt helped him figure it out and he left with Dodger Blue atop his head.  The Dodgers beat the Giants 8 - 2 and G filled himself with cotton candy, chocolate ice cream bars and the like.

A father-son memory was made and that brought a smile to my face.  My two Dodger fans.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Last night we watched Where The Red Fern Grows.  I had never read the book or seen the movie.  What a tear-jerker.  Of course, my dog-loving son really enjoyed it too.  According to an old Indian legend, only an angel can plant a red fern and wherever it grows is sacred.

The movie actually motivated me to repot my very own fern that has been getting beat up by the garden hose for almost four years.

In the one shady spot on our property, in back of our house, lives a sad looking fern that has been trying to grow up through the rock bed.  It is constantly getting stepped on and abused by our green garden hose when we watered the flower and vegetable gardens.  I finally transplanted it into a wine barrel, mixed up the soil and gave it a good watering. 

It's doing great after being transplanted and I look forward to cutting fern fronds to help beautify the house, as well as using them for art projects with G.  It only took me four years to get around to doing this.  Hmm.  Glad we rented that movie.

Umbrella Fix

I went to Recycle Town in search of a garden umbrella and umbrella stand.  I scored this umbrella (minus the stand) for $5.  Our property is great, but is has absolutely no shade.  Zilch.  Therefore, an umbrella was essential if I wanted to spend more time outside this Summer and Fall during our warmest/sunniest months.

My handy husband drilled holes and created a brace in this wine barrel we had and, voila, we now had an inexpensive umbrella and stand for our garden sitting area.

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.  Done.

Kite Flying

When was the last time you flew a kite?

Summer Happy Hour

I played Bunco today.  Remember Bunco?  My mom used to play it back in the day.  Another way for women to spend time together, roll dice and do some light gambling AND have a glass of wine in the middle of the day.  Genius.

I rolled most Buncos and won a whopping $15.  To celebrate this win, I came home and made cocktails (and one mocktail) and sat out in the garden to enjoy the remainder of this gorgeous Friday.  Friends popped by and homemade pizza was consumed. 

Such a nice way to end this Summer day.

Smith-Corona

I spent the day thrifting with my good friend and neighbor in Petaluma.  I had been waiting to find her the perfect graduation present and stumbled upon it today.  A greenish-blue vintage Smith-Corona typewriter in its original case.  It just needed some new ribbon (which I quickly ordered online) and it was good as new.  G was excited to give it to her and typed up a little poem to accompany this gift.  I love it when the thrifting Gods shine down upon me.

Homespun Camp: Day 2 - Woodwork & Sculpture

Today the kids at camp created a large totem using reclaimed and recycled materials found on Peter's property.  I love how the kids were able to create art from found objects (which they so naturally do anyway) and now have a permanent structure to honor their work on the Pastures property.

Homespun Camp: Day 1 - Leatherwork

The leatherwork class at the Homespun Summer Camp was a huge success.  G created a pouch for his Pokemon cards and a leather "magic wand".  He also made many new friends and learned from local artisan leatherworkers.  He was hesitant about going to this camp and literally thanked me up and down when I picked him up.  He can't wait to go back tomorrow.

Summer Solstice: Read Me!

Summer is officially here.  The longest day of the year and we spent it reading, reading and reading some more.

Father's Day Love

Number 8 is my favorite:  He Tells Me Things That Are True.

Yodel-A-He-Who?

Sweetest yodeler title went to my little man.  He yodeled nine times and received a free dessert for his efforts.  It was like he won the lottery.  He was so brave, funny and, yes, very sweet.

Virgin Harvest: Update #3

:: Garlic volunteers have finally been harvested.

:: Garlic flower balls.  Yes, balls, have been cut and arranged in the kitchen.

::  Butter lettuces and edible calendula flowers.  The petals are so beautiful on top of a salad.

::  Seed pods from Opium Poppies.

::  I transplanted some chives and parsley to add to my kitchen window box.  The chives are wonderful in scrambled eggs, potatoes, salads, etc.  Having it all nearby helps when throwing a quick, summer meal together.

Summer Luncheon

G and his friends dined on homemade pizza on our back deck this lovely Summer afternoon. I spied them through my bedroom window and listened to their sweet conversations.  We had a full day of fun planned - hillsides to climb, golf balls to hit at the driving range and a game of soccer.  Yes, I was trying to tire them out before they tired me out!

Seven Mile Stretch

This is my Summer road trip.  Highway One from Bodega Bay to Valley Ford.  Seven miles and we have the best of both worlds.

Valley Ford:  Open pastures, llamas, cows, dirt roads, trips to the post office, eating locally and sharing stories with our neighbors, running into friends in town and walking our dog.

Bodega Bay:  The beach at low tide, getting ice cream, visiting the Bodega Bay Marine Lab, chatting with locals at the post office and visiting our friends at the wine shop.

Poppies in Bloom

Summer Reading

The new nightly ritual for G has been to go to bed, grab a stack of books and his flashlight.  He puts himself to bed by reading until he can't read anymore.  No hard and fast bedtime, just read until you're tired.  I love this new Summer drill.

Valley Ford Sunset

Rio Nido Roadhouse Pool

My Little 'Ole Self

I've been having a hard time coming back to write on this blog over the last few months.  I've tried to post pictures and little notes that I want to remember, but I'm really uninspired and a little sick of myself.  I read a lot of blogs that inspire me and have spurred all sorts of experiments in terms of reading, cooking, travel and being a mom.  I thought perhaps I'd take a break from sharing my hum-drum daily life, but something keeps nagging me to continue.  The risk of typing up the littlest of things that happen in my life is that it could be fodder for others and putting myself out there feels a little scary.  However, what's done is done, so now what?

I think I'm going to try to post one image a day throughout this Summer and add a line or two if I feel like it.  No pressure.  Taking the Summer off, so to speak.  Perhaps I will feel recharged as I approach my 40th year on this earth.

Summer vacation is here.  No early morning wake up calls.  No making lunch at 7 am in the morning.  No rushing to meet the bus.  No structured homework time.  Nightly bath time is now optional.  The plastic pool will need to be hosed off and filled.  The garden will beckon us early before the heat of the day is upon us.  The BBQ will take center stage.  The farmers' markets will become our grocery store of choice.  Afternoon cocktails will help us end the day.  Flip flops will rest by our front door until the first rain greets us in late Fall.

Welcome Summer vacation.  I'm so glad you're here.

Unti = Summer Sipping

I received the most lovely delivery today from Sissy of Gourmet au Bay.  This is a sure-fire sign that Summer is almost here and rose Wednesdays will have to recommence with my gal pals.  Unti's rose is my absolute favorite and once it's gone...it's gone.

Pancakes, Plant Sale & Rodeo

Steve is on the Board of the Valley Ford Volunteer Fire Department and is training to become a volunteer firefighter.  He helped organize the first pancake breakfast for the department.  It was a huge success with the loveliest pancake breakfast, as well as bloody mary's and gin fizzes served by community members.  We needed to load up with a good breakfast, as we were in for a fun-filled Saturday.

The next stop was the Bloomfield Plant Sale & Flea Market.  Last year the husband and G went to this sale and purchased a small ice cream maker for our household.  My mom picked me up some vintage pyrex bowls in my favorite pattern.  I had to check it out for myself this year and thought it was a sweet event.  Homemade jams and marmalades, plants starts in gallon containers, toys, clothing and the like.  We walked away with a jar of homemade raspberry jam and a vintage farm structure with silo and farm animals to add to the ever growing collection of farm paraphernalia.

Next stop, the Russian River Rodeo in Duncan's Mills.  Apparently, I was bound and determined to drive all over West County today and hit every event in my sight.  We met friends and enjoyed G's first ever rodeo.  The kids were entranced by the bucking broncos, barrel racers and calf roping events.  When we got home, G penned a song about the rodeo and displayed his autographed copy of the reigning Miss CCPRA Rodeo Queen prominently in our front entry.

What a whirlwind of a day.  It ended back at home, where our one acre parcel had just been freshly cut, removing the towering thistles and weeds that had been growing over the last year.  We opened a bottle of wine, sat on our deck and caught up on all of the small town shenanigans that happened throughout the day.

Cheers to where we live!

Molly Arrives

Welcome to our family, Molly.  We promise to take very good care of you.  Lots of love, hugs, ball-throwing, leisurely walks and treats in your immediate future.  We are so glad you're here with us.

Virgin Harvest: Update #2

Radishes grown from seed.  A first for me and I had no idea they would just pop out of the ground and tell me they were ready for picking.  They were so crisp and flavorful.  I will definitely plant more of these "Pink Beauties".

We had our first salad from the garden upon harvesting the tender butterhead lettuces called "May Queen".  There is just nothing like fresh lettuce greens.  It makes all other lettuces pale in comparison.  So tender, as advertised, and refreshing.  I lost a few of the seedlings to the chickens, but most of the rows of lettuce are still doing well.

I planted my garlic late and just used a few heads I had in the kitchen.  I separated out the cloves and placed in this raised bed closest to the house.  They are coming along nicely and I can't wait until their beautiful orb-like flowers bloom, indicating they are ready to harvest.  I planted about 24 cloves, so we'll see how they do.  

These little cherries are from our cherry tree at the south-end of the property.  Last year the birds got to them, but not this year!  They need a few days of ripening, but the colors are gorgeous.  I wanted to make a cherry tart, but we can't stop eating them directly from the colander.

This is my first time growing anything from seed and I have to say, I'm pretty darned proud.  I have a history of killing plants and I'm trying to start small this year and not overcommit in the garden.  Here's what I have in the ground as of today:

• 3 tomato plants (with 4 more to go in the ground this week)
• 4 surviving beet plants that were started from seed
• 12 onion starts
• 3 pumpkin starts (gifted from a friend)
• 1 squash (unknown variety, as gifted from a friend)
• Multiple Sunflowers (all started from seed)
• 12 zinnia flower plants started from seed (not doing so well)
• Multiple cosmos & bachelor buttons started from seed and hoping they germinate
• Multiple potato starts growing in containers and ready for next layer of starts
• 4 chard plants started from seed
• 3 dill plants started from seed

I'm going to try and transplant two Meyer Lemon Trees and put in containers.  They were hit hard by frost, so I need to severely cut back.  There is new growth on one, so there is hope.  I absolutely love the taste of Meyer lemons and would love to have these trees produce in the coming years.

That's it.  I'm still at it and not giving up this year.  I tend to start and then let everything die, but I've been motivated by Nici's Virgin Harvest Challenge this year and hope to report on more success from my little patch of earth in Valley Ford, CA.