In Mid-March 2020 the news that California was going into lockdown, “14 days to slow the spread”. As surprising as the announcement was…… the air in California had become so clear & clean it was like a miracle. By August, the fires started, and walking the hill became impossible. The poor air quality left an orange hue across the Valley. My niece (Christine) invited me to Laguna Niguel, near Dana Point which was beautiful! She reported “No smoke here”. Christine was right, the air was clear and her home along the coast spectular. I went for a few beautiful days. …
2021
Snackable Sunflowers
My sunflowers were looking a little shabby so I decided it was time to take them down. I had been inspecting the snack seed sunflowers and thought that something must have gone wrong; they were not producing edible sunflower seeds. I took down the smaller one first and after close review decided YEP, something must have gone wrong, no sunflower seeds. I moved on to the larger one (below) which was growing on the East side of the yard and discovered that birds had been eating the sunflower seeds from the face of the snackable sunflowers. I rescued the seeds …
My favorite Peach Pie Recipe
Crust 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling 1 cups (2 sticks or 8 o) unsalted butter, very cole, cut into small cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 4 to 6 Tablespoons ice water Egg whites for brushing bottom & top of crust 1. Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to freezer for 20 minutes to 1 hour so that they become thoroughly chilled. 2. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 8-10 times until mixture resembles coarse meal, wit pea size pieces of butter. …
A Summer full of Sunflowers!
Mammoth Snackables Brown Eyed Girl VanGogh Snack Seeds Sunspots Sunspots & Brown Eyed Girls Mammoth’s before they were 14 feet tall VanGogh Snack Seed & Mammoth Mammoth A variety of sunflowers kept small by planting in a small container. Sunspots And… you guessed it… Mammoth Goldy Teddy Bear
Sun Sugar Tomato “Sugo” (Pasta Sauce)
This mostly “Sun Sugar” Tomato Pasta Sauce is fabulous. Sun Sugar tomatoes are small, golden, and incredibly sweet. The tomatoes themselves are beautiful in a simple salad with basil. This year we have an abundance of Sun Sugar tomatoes. Sun Sugar Sugo is cooling on the stove at this very moment. Simply follow these few steps: Cut sun sugars in 1/2 and larger tomatoes into 1/4’s. Today I’m using Sun Sugar & Early Girls. Fresh ingredients right from the garden makes the best sauce. Along with tomatoes I’m adding 2-3 Italian Long peppers and 3 homegrown yellow onions. The only …
Words to Live By
Something happened on the way up the hill to my tree. You never know when you may be the only person on the scene of an accident. I was on my daily hike and that’s what happened to me. Out of respect for the family I am not going to go into details. After speaking with many fireman, police officers, and the 2 dispatchers: Here’s what is important: Take a CPR class if you can. When talking to a 911 dispatcher they will need to know:Your NameLocation, Nearest cross street or landmarksWhat the problem is. I can tell you right …
Sunflowers in My Garden
My grandmother always had a sunflower in her garden. Several years ago I secretly planted sunflowers on all four corners of my raised planter beds, since I didn’t tell my husband he almost pulled them up but because they were uniformly growing in all four corners he asked me if I planted something different; I did! We discovered how beautiful they made the whole backyard look. The kids next door were delighted when they saw them and are now are planting their own. The varieties of Sunflowers are endless . These are what I’m planting this year. Brown Eyed Girl: …
The Hill
My daily hike up the hill and back is about 4 miles and takes me about 1 hour. This hike along with daily meditation & stretches has changed the way I look at the world. I hiked and still do up to “My Tree” which became a symbol of the pandemic. When the weather cleared due to decreased traffic the tree was beautiful. When the fires started though out California the tree was shrouded with an orange haze. During this time I decided life is short and the decisions we make on a daily basis affect us profoundly. During the …
Enchilada’s with a Kick!
This recipe is great, you can make the filling, have it alone for dinner one night and then use the leftover to make enchilada’s. Preheat oven to 350 degrees: Filling 4-5 Tablespoons olive oil1 cup chopped yellow onion1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper, chopped5 cloves of garlic, minced2 lb ground turkey (or 1 lb ground turkey and 1 lb ground chicken)1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional this can add quite a bit of heat)1/4 teaspoon flake salt 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in skillet and saute onions and …
My Summer Solstice
Another name for the summer solstice is Midsummer or Litha or Estival. It occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has it’s maximum tilt towards the Sun (so Cool!). June Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and December in the Southern Hemisphere. The same months in the opposite Hemisphere are called the Winter Solstice. Summer Solstice is June 21st,The longest day of the yearand My birthday. Have your ever looked up Summer Solstice? My favorite is Summer Solstice Parties. I found Solstice Rituals and even Summer Solstice Jewelry, beautiful photos, photos of the summer solstice. I was going to use a …