Who’s Gabbing and Who’s Gushing

cucumber blossom

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anais Nin

Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.
~ Doris Lessing ... Read more →

Basil loves the summer heat, but I have to be vigilant in keeping the blossoms plucked off or else it will promptly go to seed and wither away. Thankfully, there are a multitude of lovely uses for basil to keep the plants nicely pruned and productive.

A few favorites are ... Read more →

Hey dolls! So last week it was crazy and did not post my training on Friday. And since I know you are just dying to know (just kidding) here it is ;-)

Last week was brutal on the body-- so much so that on Friday I did not go to Crossfit. Not because I did not want but because my body felt broken ... Read more →

Did I ever tell you that bread is one of my biggest weaknesses? Yes it is true!!

There is nothing better than a hot piece of bread, fresh out of the oven with a crunchy outer crust and a super moist inside. Oh and heavily slathered with butter will finish it off just nicely!!

I LOVE BREAD! And so does my family.

We make wheat breads and also gluten free breads weekly ... Read more →

Many of us “love” many things. We love this, we love that–sometimes we overuse that “L” word don’t you think? I really like a lot of things, but LOVE is strong. It is the for better for worse stuff right? It is loving this thing when all is well but also loving it when it is not.

I spent the day in my veggie gardens on Friday. I had taken a day off of the “day job” and asked myself what do I really want to do… my answer was quickly “play in the yard.” As I was out there for 7 hours all by myself (with an occasional visit from hubby and Jasmine) it gave lots of time for thinking and pondering and yes, musing.

I am in school studying Organic Agriculture. I have many ideas from supplying a CSA, to renting garden plots for community folks, to teaching organic gardening, to teaching growing your own food to lower income, single moms, to hosting farm to table dinners and on and on and on.

As I was outside on Friday, I wondered to myself if I could spend all day, everyday outside, growing things, helping others grow things, being dependent upon the weather, sweating, getting totally dirty, and yes, being by myself for much of my day ... Read more →

One of the benefits of knowing other farming friends is that you find out about things you didn't know before.

Last week my friend, Kristi, told me that her daughter had huckleberries for sale. Huckleberries are a forage crop, found in the forests and woods. Lots of people go huckleberry picking during the summer in my neck of the woods and I hope to be one of them next year. I had never tried a huckleberry before buying some from my friend's daughter ... Read more →

I had a problem with my door. For the most part it is homemade by our landlord, and for a while it was great. Then things started to settle (as they do) and the tension wire twisted a little. As a result the end of the wire which was formally pointing towards the door, now pointed towards the interior of the house. Not a big deal right? Well this little wire is just about thigh height and quite sharp......see where I'm going here? Yeah I not only tore up a couple of my favorite skirts (weeping) but also gouged my leg a few times too. This had to end! I tried to bend the wire back the way it SHOULD go, but that was not working. So after drinking a hard cider, I went at this thing with a poorly thought out notion (one of my best ones). I grabbed some superglue and a glass bead, and slathered the wire in glue, and jabbed it through the hole in the bead. Surprisingly, it worked! It is now, pretty and non-dangerous to clothes and legs! ... Read more →

It's not that I don't make soap anymore, I do.
It's not that I don't want to continue Saponification Sunday, I do.
It's not that I don't want to share all the excitement that revolves around mystical magical lye, I do.
It's just THERE'S NO FREAKIN' TIME!!!!

Was I yelling? I didn't mean to yell.
It's late, I'm tired, but don't you worry. I have soap pictures, yes I do ... Read more →

Almost August----Almost Unbelievable!

Starting in the left hand corner and then clock wise:
Chocolate Sunflower, Moon through the tree, The Sunset reflected in the eastern sky, Snapdragons, Lake Cresent and part of the front garden ... Read more →

I love taking walks in the morning when everything is fresh and new. The dew covers everything and makes the flowers sparkle. The roosters are crowing, the birds are singing, with one exception this Mockingbird. She is angry at me ... Read more →