So Long Good Buddy

Odd numbers really aren't my thing, but today I had no choice. The precious dog who shared his life with me for 12+ years had to move onward today. Little Buddy, Dubby, BuddhiSatya, was adopted from K9Haven.org over 10 years ago. I had decided that it was time for a dog, after having some bad luck with dog ownership over the years, along came Buddy. I won't elaborate, but just tell you he really was the "best dog ever"...I will miss him so much. It was so difficult to make the decision to let him go, but it was the least I could do. The transition was peaceful, he was with me, Christina & George. We were able to hold him for a time after the passing. I remember once asking how anyone could have given up such a fantastic dog, and Christina said, "So you could adopt him Mom". Such a wise child...I love you little dog, you have a part of my heart with you for always and ever...

Tuber Planting

I think I planted the tubers about 2 weeks ago. Here are a few shots of the patch. I was fortunate enough to have the fragrance from a blooming wisteria, heavenly! Some have begun to sprout, yeah!

Kombucha what?

Okay, yes I know, I am doing ONE MORE THING! My daughter had been drinking bottle kombucha. The stuff is kinda pricey. I was aware of this health elixir for many years, but never really read up on it much. After doing a bit of exploration, I found that brewing this stuff is like a mini science project, and who doesn't LOVE science projects?

You'll see the set up, the water & tea, and then the development of the SCOBY ( symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast ). The the final product which is a delicious fermented tea full of pro-biotics B vitamins amino acids, mmmm along with a fine light fizz. But the thing is reproducing like crazy! HAHAHA, much like bees!

Returning

We feed birds, among other things...Each Spring for about the past 5 years we have been visited by "Black Headed Grossbeaks". Really pretty birds, I had never seen them before in all my years, but they found the feeders and their family has really grown. You can see the male at the feeder!

SMILE!

Stack 'em high!

You can see that I have added to the colonies! Adding these boxes is called "supering". The lower boxes ( hive bodies ) are the brood boxes, where queenie lays her eggs. Bees store honey up top in the "superior", hence "supers"...

I am preparing for honey harvest within the next few days!

Vegan Delights

One of my signature "go to " vegan desserts. Sinfully delicious, a mixture of tofu and semi-sweet chocolate sits atop a crust of raw cashews and coconut oil. The maple sugared sliced almonds adorn the top, and a slurry of raspberries makes for gorgeous plating, mmmmmm! I love baking this killer dessert!

Spring has really sprung, and my blogging is suffering?

Right, well, the weather here has been absolutely nothing short of miraculously beautiful in every way! I have sorted all the dahlia tubers, set out tubers for cuttings, potted cuttings, and planned the patch!

Here are some photos of other activities I am working with.


You will see photos of my famous black bean soup with homemade honey wheat bread, the watercolor I purchased at the estate sale ( which I had framed ). The Kombucha that is growing in my pantry ( starting the SCOBY - symbiotic colony of yeasts and bacterias )...Have fun!

Just Do It Yourself Already!

Ok, so the frustration hit me. I was reading about various "small" organic companies that are actually owned by BIG corporations and quite possibly are using GMO products not to mention who knows what. So can you guess my latest mission?

Yup, I am going to attempt to make as MUCH food & drink from scratch as I possibly can!

First step: Soy Milk maker. Saw it this am on the web, and stumbled upon it at a locally owned cookware store in Aptos Village "LeChef"...by the way the owners are the kindest!

Second step: Make my OWN Kombucha tea. Also bought a nice Italian made glass vessel to let the Kombucha grow in. It has a spigot at the bottom and a stand to make pouring easy ( pictures soon )

Estate Sale Treasures

Someone put a sign on a telephone pole at the lower end of the property yesterday advertising an estate sale. It was up the road a bit and I thought I would check it out. I am so happy I did.

The home was on Brooktree Ranch Rd and was built in the early 70's. The style was very eclectic and reminded me a lot of organic looking homes in Big Sur. The house was sadly in a bad state, with water damage, termite damage and earthquake damage from the 1989 7.1 we experienced out here.

Still the house had a lot of creative energy still left. The woman who lived there, Virginia Hughins, passed away 4 years ago, her husband of over 60 years passed this February.

Virginia was quite the artist and was very prolific. If I had more walls I would have purchased more paintings. The lesson here was to choose the works that called to me and to not be greedy. I came home with 3 acrylics and 1 water color. I will post a picture of the water color after I have it framed.

I also purchased her older "Made in Japan" gold leaf plates...so pretty. Thank you Virginia for your beautiful art...

Thank you Uncle Paquito ( Frankie )

My beloved Uncle Frank taught me everything I know about gardening. I hung out with both he and Aunt Augie every day. Aunt Augie taught me cooking and baking. They were and still are a huge influence in my life. My parents were kind enough to share me...

Uncle Frank gave me some cymbidium orchids which he divided from his plants a good 32 years ago. I have made division from those original plants over the years, and the plants are all about the yard. This year has been a great year for blooms! I will share with you some near my front entry. So pretty eh??

And what do we need with soup?

Honey Wheat Bread

Why buy bread? So easy, I make it in the K5 Mixer! My house smells divine~*~*~*~

What to do on a rainy day?

Wow, I actually have one day where I do not have to do one darn thing! Bees are set, birds are fed, I don't have to take my senior citizen dog Buddy to the vet today ( we've had to go a lot lately, tomorrow too, but that is another story ). It is raining, and so here is what the rain inspired me to do thus far:

Why buy it in the can? Red lentil soup. Veggie broth, onions, garlic, tumeric, sweet tater, potato,,crushed tomatoes, salt & pepper. Spinach goes in at the very end.

Plated!

Vegan Enchiladas

Here is a great recipe for vegan enchiladas. You can find it in the book "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch". Of course I highly recommend the book, "Skinny Bitch".
Enjoy the photos of the ingredients up until the final result, dinner. I served the enchiladas on a bed of broccoli slaw, and set out some guacamole, and homemade salsa.