California Dreaming

The Last Harvest

As I rush to beat the approaching winter storm, to harvest the stragglers, in the vegetable garden. I took a moment to say my final goodbye to Indian Summer and hello winter.

Ta dah!

The Last Harvest

What's the sound? It's Autumn.

It's 10:30 am and the outside temperature is 99 degrees. A common summer day, in August. But here I am feeling the onset of Autumn.

You say, "Huh"?

Yes, Autumn is right around the corner and it's first harbinger is that little green guy, in the photo.

The acorn.

It started this past week. I hear little "pings" on my roof and metal fence. Small crushing sounds under the tires of my car, while pulling out of the driveway. It's the acorns. They fall everywhere and the following spring I find the ones that escaped my cleaning, making little oak trees
As soon as the acorns start to fall, the leaves are right behind them.

Have I told you, I dread the falling of oak leaves? They are abundant, messy and a challenge to keep up. If I have to move, I wont' pick a house with oak trees. That's how much I dislike living under them. They are ok, from a distance!

So I as I write this little bleep of a blog, I am thinking of Autumn, while sweating in my shorts & tank top. Would you define this experience as "seasonality"?

Stay cool, out there.

Hello, gorgeous!

One of the gifts of living in "most" parts of California, is citrus trees. My fellow Californians that live in the "flat lands" have already enjoyed their citrus blossoms but now it's our turn.

This year, we are truly blessed with an abundance of flowers and bees! There is nothing better than to open the windows and smell the gorgeous fragrance, wafting in your rooms. The fragrance is seductive but fleeting. Only once a year do we have this gift.
But later, if we are lucky, we will have the "fruits" of the bees labor.
Thank you spring.

Yummy for my tummy.

This year we finally decided on starting an actual vegetable garden. We tried unsuccessfully to grow tomatoes and peppers in containers on our deck. Well after 4 years, we said enough.

My favorite husband, fenced off an area off of our deck with both deer and chicken fencing. We have a bit of wildlife problem. Inside he constructed 5 raised beds with chicken wire on the bottom. Again we have a wildlife problem. I will post pictures later on the process.

We planted 2 miniature Zucchini plants May 15th, with the thinking that small zucchini's would be easier to eat than regular sized squash. Wrong.  We keep forgetting that these need to harvested small. So far 4 giants have been brought to my kitchen. You can only make so many breads or muffins.

Guess what? I found the perfect recipe, check out Homesick Texan blog for the best enchilada recipe.

There's hope for my zucchini's!

They have a cow.

via thepioneerwoman.com

In the past I have complained about the wildlife that eat my plants in my yard. I can't anymore.
Ree wins.

Is it or is it not Winter?

In earlier posts I have spoken of embracing the season in which we are experiencing. Not to complain or ask for the next season to come quickly but to truly be in the moment of this season. I have shared with your my love of winter citrus and winter squash. I am still embracing Winter but it's confusing when you see these wonderful, happy looking flowers.

Do daffodils make you smile? I took these pictures two weeks ago. When I drive by these clumps of yellow and white happiness, it's hard not to smile.

Technically we have a week and half of winter left.The past two days winter has unleashed another snow storm and hard frosts at us.

Yes, it's winter and I still stick to my guns about embracing the season, but the daffodils seem to be the harbinger of Spring. Oh by the way, I'm smiling as I write this post!

Are you having some spring fever moments?

Spring is in the air

I know it's February and our winter storms aren't finished with us. That the upcoming weekend has a forecast of rain in the foothills and more snow in the Sierras. But this past Friday I felt like I traveled to a far off land that Winter forgot to visit.

After driving 5 hours, if seemed as we traveled to the month of March. We went back to my hometown of Pacific Grove to visit my mother and found spring sneaking in the door.

The weather was just drop dead gorgeous so off we went to Big Sur to air out the ole gal. This is what I found:

 

The sun was shinning and the hills were green. I even spied a California Poppy or two trying to bloom.

The ocean was a kaleidoscope of blues  but the waves were ferocious and churning sea foam/scum to the surface.

Of coarse we didn't have the roads to ourselves due to the holiday weekend but that didn't dampen our spirits.

But with any good road trip we needed to  stop for a little respite, Ventana Inn was our destination. I will fill you in on Ventana Inn in a later post, a wonderful destination.

 

This is a little terraced garden that is tucked below the top parking lot. There is a few raised beds with various herbs and flowers with this fountain gurgling softly in the background. A bench is located on the lower level, which has wonderful view of the hills rolling into the ocean. Yes, that's the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular in FEBRUARY!!!

Another view from the edge of the garden.

That haze that you see is actually ocean mist. That's how hard the waves were crashing on the shore.

Again, it's FEBRUARY! Enough said.

 

 

 

Below the Snow, Above the Fog.

I woke up this morning to see this on last summer's Morning Glory's.

And this.....

And even more majestic was this sight...

When we moved to Penn Valley, the motto for the area was "Below the Snow, Above Fog". But this morning was an exception.

I forgot how peaceful and quiet, the air can be after a snow storm. The California Oaks are the most beautiful in the Spring with the green moss. But today's snow gave the trees a more majestic look. Keep these thoughts next July when it is the triple digits.