What's In My Garden This Week

Mid May is making its mark in Willow's Garden.

The Sun Gold cherry tomatoes are turning -- gold.

The herbs are healthy.

Sweet basil is just waiting to be thrown into a pasta dish this week.

Slowly making its comeback from near death over winter, the chocolate mint is pushing out a few green  and aromatic leaves.

In the lavender patch, a honey bee is busy collecting pollen.

Since this is Southern California, the ubiquitous California poppies are blooming their hearts out after a mist of rain last weekend.

This bougainvillea lives in a large pot by the front steps.  Even after ten years, it still produces beautifully.

A new addition to the back bank this spring, this California native plant, chocolate daisy, is bravely establishing itself in the clay soil.

The prayer of a gardener

Thirteenth Century Cisterian monk Guerric D'Igny

Lord Jesus:

You are the true gardener;

You are its creator and cultivator,

And the guardian of your garden.

You plant the seeds by your words,

You water them by your Spirit

And you make them grow by your power.

Lord, who is allowed into your garden,

Becomes himself a well-watered garden

That keeps growing and blossoms,

And its fruits are multiplied.

May Flowers

What a week.  Again.  It seems like spring is always spent going full speed ahead.  This week did.  But.  We survived.  And now it's Friday.  Friday Fave Fives with Susanne.

Here are my Fave Five from Willow's Week.

[Insert small note: as I am typing this, it's RAINING!  Any amount of rain is a miracle which we so desperately need.]

1.  I love poppies.  They just pop up in my garden--well, it is the California state flower, after all.   I picked a tiny bouquet and brought them in to the kitchen.  They're wonderful while they last--but poppies don't work well as cut blooms--within a day they had all wilted and dropped their petals.

2.  Sunday was the annual local hospice sponsored Garden Tour.  This year's chosen gardens were...undistinguished.  We had expected more focus on water wise, drought tolerant gardens considering the dreadful state of our lack of water here in Southern California.  Still, it was fun to wander around other people's gardens.  I did notice a color theme.  Lots of orange, terra cotta, and green.

3.  Also on Sunday afternoon, we grabbed a bit of lunch with The Professor's sister and her two sons.  Since our own children all live far away, we especially appreciate the time we can spend with our nephews and their little ones.

4.  Once a year,  the performing arts dept at the university presents "Arts Under the Stars, a free evening of outdoor art, music, film, theatre and dance performances by CI students."  Dragging our blankets, jackets, caps and chairs with us, we joined the throngs on the lawn in front of the university library and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

5.  Lunch with one of the nephews after teaching one day this week.  He works near where my Thursday classes are held.  He recommended Thai food, and I happily agreed.  And at the same time, some legal advice and information.  It is so very useful to have a lawyer in the family :)

Happy May Day

It's May First.  Happy May Day!  Warmer weather, winding down the school year. prepping the garden.  It's also Friday and time to pause in this stress filled week and ponder reasons to be grateful.  Large and small blessings.  It's all good.  Here are the Friday Fave Fives of Willow's Week.

1.  I admit to being entranced with my resident reptiles.  This little guy is a western fence lizard.  We greet each other on the patio or sidewalk.  Fortunately, he's not poisonous.

2.  I'm not an adventurous cook, but I found a recipe that incorporates both tofu and kale in a yummy baked spaghetti.  This one I like!  Compliments of Hummusapien.

3.  A unexpected whirlwind trip brought The New Boy and his mom back to California just two weeks after their Huntington Beach trip.  This time, the occasion wasn't joyous--a funeral.  I joined them on the trip--just a four hour drive, an overnight, and another four hour drive back.  The New Boy was a trooper.  On a lighter note, he discovered what you can do with a piece of fruit and a permanent marker.  Meet the menagerie.

4.  I love spending time with my daughter, no matter the circumstances.  Can I just say how proud I am of her?  I should have named her Charis (Grace in Greek) or Mercy.  And of course, it was so crazy I didn't get a single photo of her.

5.  I love the little things that catch my eye on a busy day.

Tiny shamrock flowers.

Not large enough to really count as flowers for May Day, but they're so sweet.

April Is Moving On

Hello!  It's Friday!  That means Friday Fave Fives at Willow's Cottage.  It's been a crazy week.  I'm not sure why, but it just was.  Maybe it was the two evenings we spent at the university listening and watching the performing arts students present their capstone programs.  Oh, and the new small group from our church is meeting on Tuesday nights.  Yeah, busy.  So I'm a bit late writing my Fave Fives, but I am nonetheless truly grateful for the opportunity to look back over my week and CHOOSE to be THANKFUL.

1. Medical people.  A friend of ours has been in the hospital for a week.  Finally home, he is still needing a doctor's care.  I am thankful that we have excellent health care and especially modern medicines like penicillin which heal infections.  It's not something we should take for granted.

2. Evidence of spring.  When the jacaranda trees bloom, we know it's really spring!

3.  Funny captions.  My sister-in-law, knowing my love of all things yarn related, sent me this picture and comment.  She is a quilter and mentioned she had seen the same photo with a caption about fabric.  It made me laugh.

4. Adorable students.  I assigned my writing students to write about someone they admired.  I was pleasantly surprised at how many of them wrote about their dads.  So sweet.

5. One of my classes challenged me to write the same assignment.  So I did.  And guess, what?  I wrote about my dad!  Here is what I wrote.  I'm truly thankful I had a great dad.

            I admire my father.  My dad whose name was Frank was very tall.  He was six feet two inches.  By the time he was six years old, he was taller than both of his older brothers.  Like me, Dad had light blond hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes.  Dad grew up on a dairy farm in Southern Oregon where he learned to drive a tractor before he was a teenager.   When he was thirteen, his father died, so he had to help more than normal with milking the cows and caring for the crops.  He told me he didn’t enjoy helping his mom in the kitchen, but because he did, he was an excellent cook.  During World War II, my dad joined the Army-Air Force.  Unfortunately, he became very ill and suffered permanent damage to his heart, but that didn't stop him from choosing to live a happy life afterward.  Ever since I was a tiny girl, my dad has been my hero.      

 I admire my dad for many reasons.   Obviously, although he was ill most of his adult life and spent much time in the hospital, he still worked hard.  My earliest memories of my dad are of him reading to me.   Every night, he would sit next to me on my bed and read me a book.  I still own some of those bedtime story books we read together.   Since he was not able to attend college which was a great disappointment to him, he insisted that both my brother and I finish our college degrees because he knew that education was very important.   He was our best supporter!  Additionally, he hoped I would become a teacher and encouraged me in that endeavor.  Some people called my dad stubborn.   But I called him determined.   He was so stubborn that he lived to be eighty years old!  All my life I will remember my dad and how he loved me, taught me determination and was my champion. 

When You're Seven

There is so much to do and see in Huntington Beach, California when you're seven.

The sand and surf provide unending adventure.

Bolsa Chica Nature Reserve has birds, more birds and even more birds.

Huntington Beach is a famous place for surfers.

There are always pods of surfers playing in the waves just offshore.

Mr. Seal, Mr. Seagull and Mr. Pelican are hoping for a handout.  Fish, please.

When you're seven, Huntington Beach is the perfect place to spend spring break.

Beach Break

I'm back from Spring Break and in the routine again.  It's Friday, so of course, it's time for Friday Fave Fives.  Things have been a bit crazy as I make the required adjustment, but I am pausing to remember the blessings of the past two weeks.

1.  Fun in the Sun and the Sand.  My job during the second week of my break was being Meema while Daughter #1 was in business meetings.  Huntington Beach for Spring Break?  Perfect!

2.  Time with her after work.

3.  Son #2 drove down from his university to see his sister and nephew (and us).   Precious times!

The boy and his uncle

or 

Uncle and his mini-me

4.  There are certain advantages to having association with the university.  One afternoon, we attended a concert (mini grant presentation by a faculty member) of Celtic music.  I'm a huge fan of Celtic music, so it was a most enjoyable time.  We bought one of the CDs, so I can listen any time I want.

5.  Recently, I purchased a book someone had recommended to me.  Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron deeply touched me and challenged me.  In the book, St. Francis of Assisi's life and example of true Christianity during the late Middle Ages renews the main character's faith.  I highly recommend this story!

St. Francis Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

where there is injury, pardon; 

where there is doubt, faith; 

where there is despair, hope; 

where there is darkness, light; 

where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; 

to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love; 

For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

What I'm Knitting

I've been knitting up my stash and finishing projects.

This Christmas stocking is finally finished.  My PAL who is six months old now will have her stocking for next Christmas.

Also, I finished a prayer shawl and a hat for a friend who is doing chemotherapy.  Because I was so focused on completing the shawl and getting it to her before her next round of chemo, I completely blanked on taking photos.  Here are the particulars:  Red Heart Soft yarn in a yummy warm raspberry color.  I knitted it in an elongated moss stitch which looks something like this:

xoxoxox

xoxoxox

oxoxoxo

oxoxoxo

xoxoxox

xoxoxox

oxoxoxo

oxoxoxo

Twenty-five inches wide, about fifty-five inches long.  The hat was a simple 2x2 ribbing and plain stockinette stitch for the rest of it.  Alas, no photo.  Again, I wanted her to have it to wear to keep her head warm and covered.

Since I am doing grandma duty this week, I will be breaking my promise to not begin any new project because The New Boy who is no longer new and no longer small needs a new Weasley Sweater.  We will be shopping and measuring.  Having a Meema made Weasley sweater is a tradition.  Here he is modeling his first sweater with Uncle Grad Student.

The newest model will likely be dark purple with a blue N.

April Fave Fives #1

Pausing in the gaiety of Spring Break (just kidding) to check in and be grateful.  Friday Fave Fives.

1.  A somewhat impromptu and unexpected lunch with nephew and his family.  This is the nephew who lived with us for more than a year while he and The Professor were both working for Intel Corp.  Now he's a husband and daddy to two adorable children.  Do nephews and nieces understand how much we love them?

2.  An evening with Will.  That is, William Shakespeare.  The Professor was lighting designer at the uni for a production of Twelfth Night, so we chose a night to attend and watch.  We shared the fun with three friends.

3.  Daughter #2 is visiting Daughter #1 this week.  Cousins are in playmate heaven. This is an example of their fun:

Overheard while playing cars, in between epic battles with the 'bad guy boss':

L: Want to stop for coffee?
N: Sure! And chocolate muffins. *orders a million chocolate muffins*
L: Are we going to eat here?
N: No, I want to eat at the Bat Cave.

4.  Tuesday was  a holiday for The Professor--the only vacation day we shared this spring.  So he asked, "Where do you want to hike?"  I replied, "Sycamore Canyon!"

Don't let the mileage fool you.  It's nearly straight up the canyon walls, switchback after switchback.

The wild mustard really is that high.  (The Professor is a rather tall man.)

See the tiny toy cars down there on Pacific Coast Highway?

5.  Spring Break always means marking items off the to do list.  I love having the time to pull weeds in the garden (check), see the eye doctor (check), finally choose a set of baskets for storage in the bedroom (still working on that).

As we head in to Easter weekend, I want to wish you all Happy Easter!  As we say in our church services, "He Is Risen!"