Be Entertained
Just some of the best stuff I’ve found poking around on Twitter this week :
40 Perfectly Captured Motion-Blur Photographs
Crazy Cool Phone Book Sculptures
12 Amazing Photos Of Urban Camoflauge
Dancing Brazil Baby Does A Mean Samba
10 Web Design Bloggers You Should Follow
Jesus In A Tortilla Meet Satan In An Oil Spill
Oh, and – if you tweet? Follow Me 
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.
Use #1001 for old Jelly Jars
Wicked Fascination, originally uploaded by Phae.
To catch wicked spiders in! 
Best PB Cookies on the Planet
Well, that’s what my kids say, anyway!
The Recipe:
Preheat your oven to 375.
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Cream the shortening, peanut butter, vanilla and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well in between.
Mix the dry ingredients, then add to the peanut butter mixture. Mix well.
Make 1″ balls and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. If you are like me and only have a few cookie sheets, use wax paper in your trays so you can skip having to wash sheets each time a batch comes out of the oven
Where do all my cookie sheets go anyway?!
But, yeah- once you have balls of dough on your cookie sheets, sprinkle some table sugar over each ball, then use a fork to create the peanut-butter-cookie look. Tap off the excess sugar and place in the oven to bake for between 8-9 minutes, depending on your oven.
Enjoy sweet heavenly bliss
Dolphin Smile
Fairy Butterfly
This butterfly is one of many that were drinking something from the beach sand at Beardsley Lake- which we visited this past Saturday. It was actually a lovely powder blue in color, but here the sun lit it up perfectly for me and drained it of it’s color.
Here’s a service based business idea for ya…
Ripping and installing one’s music collection on an MP3 player is a tedious, time consuming task. What if someone were to offer to complete this task for you? Would you pay for it? Teenagers- this might be something you can get away squeezing your elders for.
I have been adding my music collection to my MP3 player for a month now and I’m still nowhere near where I’d like to be on this project. I don’t think I’d pay for it at this point, but if someone would have offered in the beginning I’d have been happy to part with some cash.
Just thinkin’. Like always. Happy Hump Day!
Berry Banana Shake Recipe
The kids had CST (California State Testing) all week and it’s a hot day so to celebrate we decided to forego cooking and have a delicious, healthy treat for dinner. We made fantastic early summer fruit shakes. They turned out so delicious and beautiful I thought I’d share our recipe, which is suitable to make four tall shakes.
You Will Need: 3 ripe bananas, 4 cups of vanilla ice cream, 1.5 cups ripe strawberries, 1.5 cups ripe cherries, 3 orange slices and whipped cream (optional).
Make it: Wash, pit and set aside the cherries. Wash and slice the strawberries. Peel and slice the bananas. Mix the fruit together and squeeze the orange slices over the fruit to coat with orange juice. Throw away the empty orange slice membranes.
If you have a super blender, throw it all in and mix it up! If not, we added one cup of ice cream to one cup of fruit per shake. Blend it up and pour into tall glasses- top with a dollop of whipped cream if you like… and wah-lah! Deliciousness.
Enjoy!
Fun Idea for Photo Bloggers
1976 TRIVIA, originally uploaded by kiplingflu.
I saw this today and thought it was a fun idea! Since 1976 is my birth year I just thought I’d link to my birthday buddy who already has a pretty good collection of 1976 memories. If you decide to participate on your own blog I’d love a comment with your link!
What I Want
