may garden

with construction complete, i was able to take nice pictures and get in a post of our may garden.

john designed and helped his friend al build us a new deck and patio. they worked hard and did a wonderful job!

late january i started broccoli seeds under a shop light in our basement. today i noticed one producing a floret!

in april i took a risk and planted some early cucumber and sunflowers. some say planting the two together make for sweeter cucumbers. plus the strong sunflower stem provides support for the cucumber to vine. the plants grew but problem now is the large sunflower leaves are shading the small cucumber, so i've been snipping a few leaves from each.

here's kati with her orgone pendant resting on some hyssop in the new "butterfly garden". it doesn't look very good now, but by summer's end we should have some pretty flowers blooming.

this is the view of our garden from the bedroom.

and here's the view when you hang out the window like a crazy lady. there's the purple flowering sage i posted last time and pots of sweet william from seeds started last year.

yesterday we walked to the community garden to pick lettuce for dinner. in front of john is red lettuce and flowering arugula. to his right - collard greens, red russian kale, cabbage and broccoli.

the garlic is looking good. this year i planted more to be sure i have enough to share with everyone.

lastly, a look around the community garden:

have a great weekend! xoxoxo

sage blossom

apparently sage is a beautiful flowering plant! what a bonus!

so what have you got growing on? (bah, i know, i'm horrible.=) in june i plan to do a post of our home and community garden. i may even ask a friend to borrow her fancy camera. we're growing the usual plus some new things i'm excited to show you. enjoy your unofficial start of summer!=)

a tribute to my sunshine

this is an award-winning photo of my mom taken in 1963 by her talented neighbor. she must have been about five years old. i love to look at this photo of my little mommy. her smile is still so bright!

a few years after this photo was taken, my mother's world was changed when she lost her sixteen year old sister in a tragic car accident. then ten years later, her father suffered a fatal heart attack in their home. my heart aches when i think of the sorrow my mom had to endure as a young girl.

growing up, my mother would talk to us about her losses. this is one of my favorite qualities in my mom. she wears her heart on her sleeve, and she shares things with us that other mothers would try to shelter from their children. she taught me to believe in love and angels and to treat people as though it was the last time you may see them, because you just never know.

 my mom being silly with my free martha apron during a trip to visit my sister in california

despite (or because of) her dark times, my mother's light shines like the sun. she dedicated her life to being the most loving daughter, mom and grandmom. there is nothing she wouldn't do for her family. i've been a witness to her selflessness on so many occasions.

last year my mother cared for our grandmother so tenderly, it was like watching an angel. most people would not have been able to do what my mother did. it was too much for me at times, but never for my mom. she made my grandmother's passing such a peaceful one.

my brother and sister can tell you that our mother is a ray of sunshine on the darkest days. she is the one we go to when the world turns its back on us. she loves her children unconditionally and listens to us with an open mind and heart. we've made many mistakes and some of our choices would have scared other parents. i'm sure my mom was/is afraid for us, but she doesn't take her fears out on us. she trusts our decisions and supports us no matter what, which gives us the confidence to follow our hearts.

words cannot express how grateful i am for my mother and the lives she and my father created for us. life leads us in different directions, but with strong roots, our love continues to grow.

happy mother's day.

xoxoxo