Friday, August 17, 2012

a quiet, but productive, day







- I had so many squash blossoms in the garden I decided to pick some to try to cook for the first time! 

- A generous harvest from the fig tree...seems every day there are so many ripe figs to be picked. 

- Decided to make jam with the figs. I followed the recipe from Ashley English's book, 
  Homemade Living: Canning and Preserving. I can't wait to have this around for the fall and to give 
  some away! 

- An evening walk in Griffith Park ended a quiet, but productive, day. 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012



I am loving these canning jar lid labels that came inside the second issue of Taproot magazine. This is a beautiful new magazine, published quarterly, that I highly recommend!

Monday, August 13, 2012

baking bread


I made sourdough bread for the first time yesterday! Honey whole wheat sourdough, to be exact. It turned out delicious, but only after I had a few troubles and mishaps along the way. The first batch of dough didn't rise, but I cooked it anyway, hoping that perhaps it would rise once it got in the oven. It didn't. It resulted in two loaves of brick-like bread. My second batch rose during the first rising, but didn't rise during the second. Finally, the third time was a charm and although I didn't have the energy to stay up late enough to let it rise as much as I probably should have, I think it turned out alright.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

at the swimming hole














This weekend was the hottest weekend this summer. So we packed up our bags and went to spend Saturday at a swimming hole I had discovered while on assignment this week at malibu creek state park. The drive into the park on a canyon road was gorgeous, as were the mountains and hills surrounding the hike into the volcanic rock pool. We jumped off rocks, sat in the cool water, and watched rock climbers on the hike out in the evening. It was a perfect respite to the sweltering heat; a lovely summer afternoon with friends. 

Friday, August 10, 2012

evie mae

My good friends Gretchen and Jed's daughter, Evie Mae, turned two this past week. I can't believe it has already been two years since this sweet gal came into the world. These are photos from last summer, close to her first birthday. Happy Birthday, Evie Mae! 









Thursday, August 9, 2012

morning at home

sunrise out my bedroom window
first light of the day on the seedlings

mint on the deck
tomato shadows

I recently purchased this lovely book of poems by Mary Oliver. I can't get enough of it.

Why I Wake Early, by Mary Oliver
Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who made the morning
and spread it over the fields and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the miserable and the crotchety -

best preacher that ever was, 
dear star, that just happens 
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkenss,
to ease use with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light - 
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day 
in happiness, in kindess.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

catching up

a visit back east from earlier...


dogwoods and kate 

greenhouse
ben discovering his shadow
"before I die I want to..." I loved this wall...there was chalk available for anyone who wanted to write.

Sunday, August 5, 2012


tomato harvest
herbs drying for teas and salves
morning in amy's kitchen
evening