My Garden Is Saving Me...Always

    I love looking out my kitchen window at the view onto the back garden. I watch the birds taking their baths, the squirrels running along the tree branches, the sun shifting as clouds go by. 

  It's a great place to just stand and enjoy... as I make coffee in the morning, make my lunch (when I'm working), or wash dishes in the sink just below the window I took this photo through...

Looking through the kitchen window.

  I'm so thankful to have my garden during this stressful time we are all going through.

  I've said it here many times before...my garden is my touchstone, my passion, a twenty+ year love affair I don't think will end anytime soon. It's small, but mighty, and never ceases to surprise me.

  My garden saves me over and over.

  As you can imagine, now that I'm not able to work, because of Covid-19, I'm spending the most time I've spent in years in my garden. Every day, as long as it isn't raining or too cold, I'm out there doing all sorts of little chores. It's helping me get through the stress of being out of my routine. My garden is now my routine, and I'm so happy!

  I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can sit and soak up the sunshine, while relaxing with a book and a glass of wine. 

  Until then, I bundle myself up and head out as soon as we get back from our early morning walk. Before I know, it's well past mid-day. Luxury! Thanks, you wicked virus...for sending us back home from Italy, and for keeping me from work. I'm trying to see the 'silver lining' in this whole mess...and that would be my garden.

  So, over the past couple of weeks, I've been taking some pictures, and I'll be taking lots more throughout the spring. It's the first time in ten years I've been home for spring, and I've forgotten how much goes on here...I can't wait to see what happens next!

  Our property isn't really big, but I've split it into different areas, and they are really the 'bones' of the garden.

Near the "Dining Pavillion"

The path from the front gate to the back areas...

Near the back gate and veg garden.
The veg garden is going away, soon...

A mash-up of roses, dianthus and euphorbias

  Over the last twenty plus years, this garden has seen many changes. Nowadays, it's all about what works best without much water or fuss. I rely heavily on succulents, euphorbias, hellebores...and repeat, repeat, repeat what does well. 

  Still, there are so many little details that I adore...and that I normally don't see now, because of our spring travels to Umbria.

I forgot about this combo.

I love the pelargoniums with the big succulents.

Sweetness.

A gift from a friend who died many years ago.
I love this kitty.

Those darn succulents and euphorbias again.

All of my Japanese maples are in containers.
Our soil doesn't work for them.

Detail of the new growth.
I love this!

I used to have these monsters all over the garden,
but now I only allow two or three to take hold.

Close up, the flowers are gorgeous...it's just that they reseed everywhere,
and get huge! Geranium "Maderenese"

One of several pots of begonias coming on...wheeeeeee!

Have I mentioned that I love my succulents?

Ok, these bulbs are all over the garden!
I sort of remember planting a couple, but had no idea how they
had gotten around! Again, I never see them bloom anymore! Until this year...

Fuchsias can be such a pain, so I just have this one, really.
I love the new growth.

I just let the euphorbias grow where they want, for the most part.
When this apricot rose blooms, it will be so lovely.

I really am enjoying seeing all the new rose growth coming on!

The stunning "Sombreuil" ...one of my favorite roses, ever.
I. CAN. NOT. WAIT...to see her in  her full glory!
This is just an early bloom.

This Viburnum, whose variety I can't remember, has the 'most beautiful new growth.
She's getting all budded up, too!

My pal Tasha gave me a cutting of her plant, and I have
no idea of it's name, but I love it, and have a few around the garden now.
I just think it's so elegant.

More of the blue, sweetly perfumed bulbs that are all over.
I'm pretty sure this is a type of Hyacinth...?

Yeah, yeah...more succulents.
Hey, why not?

I snuck the tiniest bit of this ice plant/succulent, and it really took off.
It will bloom bright pink, but I love it just like this, too.

Last shot of succulents, for now.
Some of my really big ones are getting ready to bloom,
so stay tuned!

  And earlier today, before it got cold and windy...I was all up in the greenery, doing what I love to do best.
  Ahh, gardening. It's really my joy!
  (Just don't pay attention to my, umm, work clothes.)

One down, one to go!
Usually, I would let my garden helper, Pedro, do these big old shrubs,
but I couldn't resist! We keep them a little 'tight'.

  Last shot...our big beautiful tree in the light of the setting sun. We are so lucky to have a big tree on our rather small lot, and we love watching it change through the seasons.
  She's just starting to leaf out...teeny tiny bits of green.

  So, I'll keep posting as spring moves along. There's going to be lots to share, I do believe.
  Stay safe out there in the 'real world', my friends-

A Walk At The Beach

  Well, we are officially in a state of "Shelter In Place".

  I wish I knew exactly what this means, but so far we are getting conflicting realities. 

  I know we can't have our gallery open for the next three weeks, at least, so we went to Carmel today to basically shut shop. We put a couple of signs in our front windows, and then decided to talk a walk at the beach. 

  Yes, we can go for a walk, evidently...as long as we stay six feet away from other people. There weren't many people around, and it was really nice to just chill out and enjoy the views...

Carmel Beach at her best.

Looking south...

...and looking north.

Yeah, it was a nice day for a beach walk.

  

Since we aren't in Umbria, as planned, and we can't go to work...we might as well enjoy our little bit of heaven right here at home.

  I've always loved walking the neighborhoods, checking out the gardens and houses... and I still need my daily walk, after all!

A beautiful tree trunk along the trail.

 I'll be posting blogs this spring from our garden and local walks we take, I'm sure.
 Today I really got a kick out of all that was in bloom already, like this huge 'Ceanothus' along the way...

They are blooming all over town right now, and this one was covered in bees!

  We walked all around 'the point', just because we could. It was nice enough outside to keep us going.

The beach at the mouth of Carmel River.
I hung out here a lot when I was a teenager.

Point Lobos in the distance.
I wonder if it's open? It is a state park...

  Along with the 'Ceanothus' blooming all over the joint, there are also tons of 'Echium Fastuosum' blooming now, and they are at their most gorgeous!

  Big, beautiful blueness just starting to pop open! I'll have to return soon, when they are all opened up.

  It was nice seeing some 'Garden Moments' around town...We love strolling around and finding new gardens to love...

Two big old crab apples blooming their heads off.

A field of 'linaria' that has bloomed here for at least 20 years.
I was so happy to see it's still reseeding itself!

I love this combo of California Poppies and euphorbia,
especially agains this wall.

Another great planting, this one was a front walkway.
Quite striking.

I'll need to return soon to see this wisteria in full bloom!
What a nice surprise to find this.

I love this particular succulent with this particular fence.

  We don't live in Carmel now, but we both have rented different places here when we were younger. It's always nice to park somewhere in an area and just head out on foot. 

  Today, our first day of being closed because of the Covid-19 situation, it felt good to get out and breathe in some ocean air.

  I'm sure we'll walk more here, as well as all over our area...as long as we are still allowed to go out and take a walk.

  Be safe, Dear Readers. Be kind to others as well as yourselves. Revel in the little things we tend to forget or disregard.

  Take a walk.

Finding Our Way Back

  You know, it's really impossible to feel sorry for ourselves. Our life together is filled with so much...

  Yes, this past week was pretty much horrific. We tried our best to get back to our home away from home in Umbria, Italy, but ...and its a great big old but...we didn't make it. 

  We got as far as Heathrow Airport, where we made the very tough decision to turn back. Everything went wrong, and we had no real choice. It was heart wrenching..I cried at least five times, like a baby, in the airport as we went back and forth deciding what was the best option. It was a very sucky time, to say the least.

  Anyway...

  A week later (did we really fly out last Monday?) we are licking our wounds, taking time to decompress, and planning when we can try again to return to our home away from home in Umbria.

  We watch as the entire globe is dealing with 'The Virus', glad to be home in California. 

  Though we had a nightmare, whiplash experience trying to get to Italy, we are glad things worked out and we made it back safe and sound. As of this evening, we feel lucky. 

  

  Lucky that we have had so many wonderful trips to our beloved Umbria already, and we know that there are many more in our future. We know we'll return soon.

  We send all our love to our many friends back in Italy, and we hope everyone is taking care and being as safe as possible. We can't wait to be back in better times, sharing good times together..laughing, eating, drinking...enjoying each other as we love to do. We can't wait to be sitting in the piazza again with our pals. Sigh.

  In the meantime, we are tucking in here at home.

  This week has been a very contemplative time. We have been 'self- quarantined', as we really don't know if we are 'safe' after our 72 hours of traveling internationally... we spent time on the airplane and in Heathrow Airport, for the most part. 

  We have been super careful when we have ventured out, and we are mostly staying home. We are happy to be reading, working in the garden, and making yummy meals.

We are shopping at our local 'small' markets, staying away from the 'big box' stores. 

  I gotta tell you, life is a real trip right now. Who knows what happens next?

  We can totally freak out, or not. I'm willing to move ahead, stay as safe as possible, and try to get back to normal.

  So, instead of sharing my cooking adventures from Umbria, I have a couple of meals to share from here at home in California. We've been cooped up for almost a week now, and all I'm thinking about doing is enjoying my garden and cooking at home.

  

  I've been really happy with a couple of dinners I've made since we've returned.

  First off, there was a simple white bean soup...loads of sage and good olive oil made it super special...

The sage in my garden is looking really great right now.

I've had this bag of white kidney beans for awhile..time to use them!
First, a good overnight soak.

 We started with some good olive oil and garlic.

Then I added the lovely sage...

I figured some home grown thyme would add a nice touch.

More of that good olive oil and water next, to cook the soaked beans.

An hour or so later, looking good1

I pureed some of the beans, to add a smooth texture.
We still had some olive oil from our place in Umbria, so...
YES! Really tasty soup, as we stayed at home, feeling grateful.

  

  Then, today... I decided I wanted to try something new, so I looked up some recipes for 'dal', the Indian lentil dish we love to order when we are out, but which I've never tried to cook myself. 

We are so lucky to live in a small, but super diverse community with lots of small, international markets. We went out and got all the things we needed for an easy vegetarian meal inspired by Indian flavors.

  First, I got some red lentils cooking with a bay leaf, for extra flavor...

  Next, I grated up garlic and fresh ginger...

  

The recipe I was following called for chopped tomato and onions, along with a bit of cinnamon stick, and the afore mentioned garlic and ginger, as well as fresh lime...

 Another key ingredient was whole cumin seed. I toasted the cumin seed, cinnamon stick and onion together in canola oil...

  Next, I added the chopped tomato, along with a blend of tumeric powder and garam masala...I have to say, the fragrance was amazing!

  As the lentils finished, and the tomato mixture did it's thing, I cooked up some brown rice to go with our meal...

  The finishing touch was a bunch of chopped cilantro and lime, as well as a batch of store bought 'naan', an Indian flatbread we bought at the market earlier.

It's all about the fresh ingredients, baby!

I have to say, my first try at Indian food was really damn good!

A dollop of goat's milk yogurt was a perfect cooling element to this spicy dish.

  Truth be told, we are struggling with the reality of missing our springtime months in Umbria. But doing something different, like having a fun new cooking adventure here at home...it helps with the reality of what we are experiencing.
  I think we'll keep trying to find new ways to love our time here, and enjoy our life at home in California.
  I'll keep blogging, as we find our way through this crazy new time we are all going through.

  Stay safe, and keep yourselves as happy as you can. We have been put here on this earth to be happy. It's up to each one of us to make this happen, in whichever way it means to us.
  Dig deep, find what makes you content... and go for it.