Dear Reader

Dear Reader,
Do you really care that I stay on track with one of my many passions in this blog? Do you want me to write to entertain you?
Is your interest purely relating to the farming passion of my life? Spirituality? Food? Family? Music?

What is the point of one's blog, anyway?

I have a couple of answers that I think will move me ahead in this glorious life that is living as me.
I am passionate about love and living. This means that there are many areas that are an influence to my joy. So I propose that I write about the things that turn me on. As well as the things that give my life meaning. So, really, I am writing for me. If you find that you are touched in some way...then great. If no....go to the next blog. There are plenty.


Our self-named "rowdy neighbor boys" are some of the best neighbors we have ever had. Thoughtful, engaging, kind, happy people! They are brilliant young men who happen to live in a gorgeous house on a quiet rural-almost-urban easement. They have lots of interests, including delicious food. They hunt and fish and are oh so kind to share with us.
(I have a wild turkey breast that I get to find a great recipe for)

Last night I prepared some fresh local blue fin tuna that they caught off our coast.
We have mac nut trees on our property and I was inspired to make a mac nut parmesan "crust" for the fish. Lily carmelized some of our onions to accompany the fish. It was a delicious meal. Super delicious.

Thanks Aaron and Garrett. Keep on inspiring me.

What inspires you?

Home again

This has been the most EPIC summer. I have traveled more than I had ever expected at the year's beginning! Thank you to the fossils of the dinosaurs for the juice to zoom across the highways and the skies.

I am living a charmed life. So are you.

Charm and serendipity flow everywhere. From here to eternity. Just gotta see it and jump into the whirlwind of it. I allow it to carry me and my intentions along.

My heart has lead me to wonderful experiences of love and service and I am eager to see it all fall into place.
On Thursday we toured some homes near us that are beautiful places where adults are living with autism and it's effects. Soon there will be fresh food growing in the yards and the goodness will be prepared into ever greater meals and joy will be flowing. It is a glorious thing. Thank you for the opportunity. This is gonna be so cool!

Our urban farm is kicking out food again. Zucchini cakes and whatever other recipes I can come up with for zucchini will grace our table for days!

I began canning last week. I love August. So much creativity on the counters. I am charged with keeping them clean so that the canvas can be ready for anything!
Ha!

Life is Wonderful. Life is Meaningful.

Just when you thought...

Sometimes things can look terrible at the outset. Then, when my head is screwed on right and I get back into right thinking.....
IT'S ALL GOOD.........

I remain steadfast in my positive headspace and all that I see ahead looks like opportunity.

We have been getting support on the farm from a super guy, who happens to be a welder. We are not welders and asking him to do certain tasks was something we shoulda watched. Hindsight-20/20.

Sweet guy. He put in 5 days of hard work getting all the weeds pulled and the compost spread all over this place. The last task was to weed the tomato bed that Sam and his beloved Karen planted in March. Well, the plants looked like weeds to him and he pulled the tomatoes and the weeds. Scott and I just cried. We had put so much love and energy and attachment to those plants...Sam's last crop.

I couldn't spend too much time there. Too sad. Waaaay tooooo sad.

Find the Good...
The fruit was gathered and believe it or not, it has been ripening in nice steady stages for two weeks. I have been quite surprised! Some of the fruit is dried now, some frozen and some pickled. I may even get it together to make ketchup and "can" it. (It's easier than I remember, it just takes all day to cook)!

My/our farm is ready for the coming seasons. We are on a springboard of sorts. Everything is primed and as soon as we return from Farm Aid...we are off and running again. It is so exciting to think about all of the things we want to grow.

Life is full of hidden blessings. I am discovering them all the time.
I'm still learning how to make the pictures go where I want them to be. That lovely plate was put together by my new chef friend Mario at Flying Pig in O'side. House made Ricotta, Champagne dressing, tempura anchovies....a delicious amuse bouche. Hand a man tomatoes and watch him shine.
I love my life....food!!!! Ahhh yes.

Love you Sam. You grew some delicious tomatoes this year babe! Like last year and the year before!

Ahhhh! August

My European roots are yearning and longing. They want to enjoy the truth of what August is about. VACATION!! Everyone, except the service workers, is on vacation in Europe. Yes, everyone is a really big word. I mean, where are the bakers and bus drivers? Who manages everything during vacation time? So realistically, maybe not everybody....

Words...blah blah blah.

I am so aware that all the words spoken and written have a place from whence they come and a place where they land. They all have substance...so when I paint with a broad paintbrush I get a little edgie.......wanting to be authentic and real......

I digress.....August has caught me with my vacation head fully engaged. It showed up on Tuesday as I attempted sitting in the Home Office of my employer. Successfully pushed through that, accomplishing work and felling better for it, I guess. I want more vacation.....

I learned quite a few things on Tuesday...

my favorite phrase was....

Was that the best use of my time?

Pondered that. Then pondered that some more. Gonna keep pondering that.

For the last 5 years the first week of August has been given in service at a conference at Asilomar Conference grounds in Pacific Grove, Ca. I taught youth classes and then lead the teaching team. We accomplished some great and fantastic experiences during each of those weeks on the Monterey Bay. I made new friends and found more about myself to love and trust.

This week is poignant for me. I have "graduated", or is it "released", and flew by Asilomar to say hi to friends and stayed on the north end of the bay instead of being on the conference team. Many things have changed...some for good.....some still need to be better.

In 2009 when we were here, Sam had a great time. He volunteered with a groundskeeper and did some support work with the Monterey Pine seedlings that are in an area near the youth classrooms. On Monday a group of us blessed those trees with a ceremony to spread some of Sam's ashes. It was beautiful and so loving for us all. His love is all around us and I am so appreciative to be dancing in it! His friends are a treasure to me.

Things change and that is the way I like it. I want to grow and expand. That must be why I am a farmer. I plant seeds and reap harvests that are abundant and strong. I cultivate my life to have all of the right ingredients to thrive. When the invasive species show up I get rid of them....you know what I mean, the weeds and bad bugs.

Cultivation brings congruence.