Surprise Daffodil
Guess I didn’t get all the bulbs out of this pot before planting the cactus our neighbors gave us! 
Name This Tree!
We love our big shade tree, but we have no idea what it is. It’s blooming right now and the blooms are most unusual. Anybody have any idea what kind of tree this is?
More info: we live in Central California. There are many divided trunks on the base of this tree. They split off at ground level. The foliage during the spring and summer is very green and lush. It all turns yellow and falls in fall. It is only now beginning to bloom and leaf out again. It is about 30′ tall. Any guesses?
I <3 Spring!
Yesterday an iris, today the peach tree- everything is blooming! It makes me happy to see the plants around me awaken from their winter slumber.. and it serves as a reminder: it’s time to get back out and enjoy the beauty of this world again! I tend to hibernate the winter away, like so much flora and fauna.
The mature pomegranate trees next door are in full bloom, they look so magnificent that it makes me anxious for the day when our baby trees grow up.
Speaking of trees growing up- check out my flickr stream if you are interested to see our baby apricots! I’m so excited, our first fruit from our very own mini-orchard!
Happy Spring!
My tulips are blooming!!
I’m so very excited! I’ve tried to grow tulips a few times but alas, this isn’t the best place for them. This go around I’m having luck though- all 45 bulbs have come up, and 1/3 are blooming! 
Putting Down Roots : Memory Gardens
Spiraea Prunifolia, originally uploaded by Phae.
I think it was my friend Valerie who first put the idea in my mind to plant living tributes to loved ones lost. She had planted a lovely garden in honor of her grandmother, which she showed me shortly after my Grandma Marie had passed. At the time I was living in a rental, but I promised myself that one day, when I had my own land to plant- a forever home, I’d create forever tributes.
Seven months ago we moved into our very own home. Within weeks our very first tree- an almond, was planted in memory of my Grandpa Dee Huff. He was an almond & peach farmer locally for several decades. There was no question in my mind that I would ever eat an almond from this tree without thinking of the very special memories I have of him.
The planting was not without fanfare. The entire family gathered and said a prayer for Grandpa. We talked about who he was in life, how he was related to our children who may not remember him, and promised that we would care for his tree and enjoy it’s bounty in his name always. Each of us helped to plant the tree; digging, mulching, planting and watering it together. And a precedence was set.
There have been five more little ceremonies since: we planted a peach tree for Grandma Joyce. An apricot tree for Grandpa John. A cherry tree for Grandma Clara. Blackberries and raspberries for Grandma Marie. And most recently, this Spiraea Prunifolia in memory of my dear childhood friend Amber.
There is yet a short list of trees and shrubs and gardens planned in memory of others who have touched our lives and moved on. What started as an idea has become a tradition, and a way for us to connect in a meaningful way with our departed friends and family. For us to remember who we are and where we came from, and the people who have changed us and cared for us along our own journeys.
I don’t typically mourn loved ones lost the way others might. I look at the bright side. They have transitioned, their energy now lives in the flora, fauna and elements all around. I tend to see my forebears in the wind, the clouds, the waterways, the fire. I feel their presence in my life- they live on in our hearts and memories, they watch over us. And now, I feel that they have a place on our property to continue gifting our family with their eternal light and love. And we, having been left behind, have a place to connect- we’ve put down roots, steeped in memory and meaning.
There has been some discussion and brainstorming as to how to mark each plant so that we never forget whom they memorialize. Plaques? Wind chimes? Stakes or stones? Whatever we decide, we’ll make the markers ourselves and place them together.
Besides the inherent beauty of our living memorials, I’ve found a true beauty in the peace each have brought me spiritually. I feel a quiet and a connection to nature and to my loved ones each time I stop to check on our plantings. I have no doubt that each fruit, each clipping- each meal will bring me that much more joy.
My favorite thing about our living memorials is the opportunity it gives me to discuss our relatives & histories with the children. I have made promises to grandparents, many made to those at death’s door, that I would tell the kids they were loved, that they would know their grandparents. I’ve not found many opportunities since to do as I’d promised, until we began this newest of family traditions. In just this short time there has been so much knowledge I’ve been able to share already, and I know there will be many future discussions during which my children will come to truly know those who gave them life. Feeling connected to our past is a rich reward for putting down roots, I think.
I hope you will find as much joy in gardening, in the act of remembering, as I do. We can’t control what losses we will experience, we all die. But we can pour our loss into something positive, we can give each goodbye meaning. That is what I choose to do. I may not cry, but I will grow a plant for you and we will remember.
On Gardening
In the past six months I’ve become quite enamored with the art of gardening. Vegetables, flowers, bushes, trees, cacti & succulents.. if it grows I adore it. I might kill it, too. I try hard not to though.
Previous to moving to our current home we’ve lived in a series of rentals, all of which provided lawn services and lacked space for me to plant. The living space indoors was dark, so pretty much every houseplant I gained, I lost.
But here! Here I have great light indoors! Tons of land to plant! And; since I’m taking time off to get settled, care for my disabled parents, deal with my own health issues & regroup after coming to terms with my absolute disdain for corporate design & website development- previously my main source of business… gardening is my main source of entertainment & sense of accomplishment. (Was that ever a run-on sentence?! Ha.)
Anyhow, I feel the need to share my love for growing things with you, my non-existent readers. It’s awesome, guys!
For one thing, it’s been surprising to me just how easy it is to plant & grow my own food. I’ve yet to be successful at starting seeds- not that I’ve really tried; but our local gardening center has just about everything we can think of to plant already established and ready to grow. Young vegetable plants have proven to be affordable as well as hardy.
So far we’ve successfully grown & harvested: broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, celery, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, spinach and red leaf lettuce in quantity. The most surprising thing to me? The taste! If you haven’t had homegrown veggies, sans: pesticides, fungicides, wax, and fresh off the plant- you are seriously missing out! It’s unbelievable. I didn’t even like some of the previously listed veggies prior to growing them in my garden.
Another benefit of gardening has been a huge improvement in my health. The (mostly) light exercise has been great. I bend and stretch to pull weeds, plant, pluck. I walk the property to see what’s in bloom, what needs water, to look for a photo op. And cutting out all those chemicals, plus eating fresh? The changes in my diet have resulted in my pain levels dropping by around 80%. I’ve been able to go off some meds I had once relied on. I’m in a much better place than I have been in the two years since I began exhibiting MS symptoms.
The best thing about growing our own food, above all else? The kids are eating vegetables. Yes, you just read that right. My kids are eating vegetables. No war. No begging. No blackmail. They help grow them, and the veggies taste GOOD. So they value the vegetables we put on their plate, they are proud of them even. And they eat them, in quantities unheard of prior to starting our family garden. Seriously. Without ranch dressing. I swear.
For these reasons I am planning to write a little series of gardening articles for this blog. How to’s, based upon my ever-growing but yet limited knowledge.. product recommendations, etc. I hope that if you garden or are planning to garden that you’ll pop over and comment- let me know what you like! What you struggle with! What your questions are, what your heart sings when you plant and grow a living gift from the powers that be. I have so much yet to learn.. but I really feel the need to share what I do know with others because I’ve come to believe that “victory gardens” are more than a political statement or sign of the times. They are therapy. They are healthy. And they will change your life for the better.
My Little Indian Girl
The littlest of my brood has such a great personality: she’s adventurous, fearless, empathetic, has a funny personality & loves animals more than anything else. She wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up. She likes to dress up and have her hair done, but often I tell her she looks like a little Indian girl with her wild tresses and dirty knees!
*Disclaimer- before you decide my use of the word “Indian” is derogatory- I want to point out that we are in fact of native american ancestry! Among other things. Nothing wrong with being a mutt, I say.
Birdy
I love this big tree across the street, it’s a favorite hang out for the area mockingbirds.
Hard at Work!
Check out the pollen on this little guys legs! We have plenty of bees around our apricot tree, doing their good business- and I’m glad.
Spring is Springing!
Just got our first blossom on our almond tree!
What I Want
