Missing the snow

There are days when 80 degree weather in December just feels a bit bizarre and you long for just a couple of days of pure white snow. The kind of snow that comes out of nowhere and forces you to stay inside in front of a fireplace, eating yummy stew, playing games with kids and baking too many cookies all at once. But then after two perfect snow days, everything melts and things magically go back to normal. Wouldn't it be great if mother nature could behave the way we always wanted? I am reminded of the fabulous snow storm in 2008 that kept me indoors for almost a week. The first few days were bliss as I wandered around the empty streets, watched the neighbor kids throw snowballs and brave explorers put on their skis to roam around the city. That kind of snow doesn't happen often in Portland but is surely embraced on those rare occasions. My son has yet to see snow in person and I cannot wait to see his reaction.

Chicken Coop Envy

For years while I was dreaming about having my own garden, I also dreamt of egg laying chickens frolicking in the yard and being able to simply go and get fresh eggs everyday. It was a "city girl wanting a country life" type of dream and the reality of chickens never happened (not yet anyway). But lo and behold, the next best thing to actually owning chickens is your friendly neighbors owning chickens.

That is what happened last week in the neighborhood. My good friends and neighbors bought three beautiful chickens. Handy Tod built the chicken coop and I had the pleasure of finding the first egg when his wife Molly and I ventured out in the rain to check on them. The kids were beside themselves and Jacob started to point across the street and saying "bok bok bok". Now all Molly and Tod have to do is become chicken experts and I suspect will be supplying all us close friends (wink wink) with fresh eggs. They have named the new members of their family Kennie and Toddie.

Fall Splendor

Usually this time of year is my favorite. Okay well it's a second close to mid summer when the entire garden is in bloom. Fall has it's own mystique and vibrancy and depending where one lives it can be breathtaking.

He wants the biggest one!

So many pumpkins, so little time

I went with Jacob to The Flower Farmer in Canby. Although I had gone to Sauvie's Island in the past, this place had a train and well, in my house anyplace with a train wins. Truly beautiful and set on acres of land where children run around trying to pick the perfect pumpkins. The mini train makes one stop so the kids can feed the animals (donkey, chickens, goats and rabbits) and then goes onto the patch. They even get to pick out their own little pumpkins. It's much quieter than Sauvie's Island (where I usually go) and there are spots to sit (and play) where you can totally be on your own if you choose. There is a farmer's market as well that is quaint and sells the seasonal offerings. Flower Farmer also sells lots of flowers in the summer months and does an annual Basil & Art Festival in August.

ROLLING GREENS

There is nothing like walking into a place and having a moment of profound awestruck inspiration. Such a moment happened this morning when I visited Rolling Greens Nursery in Los Angeles. This is a mecca of all things creative in the world of gardens, flowers, beach and cottage outdoor/indoor design. This is not just a nursery but an overflow of ideas and inspiration the likes of which I haven't seen in quite a while. It makes me understand that all spaces can flow and be intrinsically connected through color, themes and amazing ideas. Whether you want ethnic, rustic, beachy or elegant...this space had it all. I spent an hour just walking around and taking photos. Today's posting is a sampling of the unbelievable installations that I saw within various parts of the nursery.

Old Macdonald had a farm!

looking through some old photos I came across some memorable visits to pumpkin patches and farms and decided that my post today was in honor of this slow seasonal change that is upon us. I am excited to take Jacob to his first pumpkin patch on Sauvie's Island and I am sure he will be standing in the middle of the field trying to lift multiple pumpkins.

It seems as if summer flew by and today at the store I saw orange everywhere and people buying halloween costumes. I will blink once and then it will be Turkey day and lights and the smell of pine Christmas trees. I am trying to enjoy every moment but sometime it just zooms by in chunks of time. Why did it seem to go by so slowly when we were kids?

TOMATO DAYS

When I was a little girl in Russia I remember having a love for a plain and pure tomato. Well actually it was tomato with salt. Russians must love their salt because there is nothing like tasting a beautifully ripe tomato sprinkled with a little salt. As summer is coming to a close the tomatoes here in Portland are finally starting to ripen. Today I stepped outside to find the vines sprinkled with red, orange and yellow tomatoes of varying shapes and sizes. I ate two heirlooms and a handful of sun gold and sweet 100's before lunch. YUM. The hardest thing about planting tomatoes is picking which variety you want and then staggering the various kinds in such a way that you have an abundance of tomatoes throughout the season. Aside from picking the usual suspects it is wise to get adventurous and try out purple, black and even white heirlooms. Each has a unique acidity that adds a great assortment of color to salads and other dishes. 

There were of course other things in the garden today but I was neglecting them because my focus was on gathering as many tomatoes as I could. My neighbor Molly just informed me that you can freeze tomatoes whole for the winter. I've never tried that but that might be something to do this weekend.

Little Hands, Little Feet

I was asked recently to write an article for a friend starting up a website about children. I started thinking a lot about children and gardening. What age do children begin to understand nature and how do we begin to teach them about plants and the connection to food? How can we as parents encourage the natural curiosity that our children display for all things nature. In my case, I recall that my son (now 18 months) was able to focus with his eyes on trees and flowers when he was just a tiny infant. I spent the first summer of his life trying to be outside as much as possible. When he started walking at 13 months it was just about springtime and all the flowers in the garden had emerged, thus I took the opportunity to walk around smelling everything. He waddled behind me, carefully observing and watching my every move. It was only a month or two later that he started picking the flowers himself, leaning over to smell them "like mommy" and handing them to me.


Digging in dirt is as fun as digging in sand and another way for babies, toddlers and children of all ages to connect to the earth and for us adults to begin a dialogue about what things we can plant and how with water, care and sun we can grow food. My son eats a lot of vegetables and recently we picked green beans from the garden, along with cucumbers and baby tomatoes. Suddenly Jacob had interest from a different perspective. He would run to the back garden and point to the cucumber and want to eat it straight from the vine. He walks around to inspect the color of tomatoes and is learning that green is not as good as red. Even now, after all the raspberries have disappeared, he still walks to the canes and points up at the leaves as if he knows those little berries should be there. It is magical to see the connections in his mind that he now makes in regards to some of the foods he eats. It it this awareness at a young age that I feel helps children to understand not only the importance of where food comes from but the cycle of seasons and how change in nature reflects so many things in this world.