Signs of Spring

Believe it or not there are some early signs of spring happening here on the northern California coast! I used my new camera for the first time last week and recorded the new blossoms and blooms amidst the sunny day. I think my mom chose the right name for me. I feel very much at home and alive in these springy like days. Here are some pics from my camera's first "test drive." I think she fared well...

Our flowering plum tree is bursting into beautiful bloom

Ornamental Kale. My camera has a zoom, yes!

Someone wanted pics taken of him too.

Out on a stroll through the Arcata marsh I found these beauties wading.

Early Spring how I love thee!

Father's Day

We had one of the most simple yet wonderful Father's Days ever this year! Ron decided he wanted to just relax and unwind here at home, so that's exactly what we did. Some friends of us have loaned us their grill and Ron cooked up some oh so delicious hamburgers which we all ate quickly. Talk about the best dad ever - what man cooks on Father's Day? Not only that, but he helped out with housework as well since I wasn't feeling well. Now that's what I call a great dad! We are such a blessed family to have a loving and wonderful father and husband. He provides for us, makes a beautiful garden, grows food for us, (check out some of the delish veggies from our garden below), and is an all around giving and great person. Thanks honey, and thanks God for the amazing gift you gave me!

Happy Father's Day Honey!

The kids enjoying their burgers. Check out the coincidental matching striped shirts!
Aren't these carrots the cutest?

We're growing three varieties of potatoes this year. Not pictured are the yellow colored ones, not sure of the name but you get the idea!

On Community

When we moved away from our rental a year ago into our new neighborhood we had no idea what to expect here in regards to a community. We had lived in the previous town for 6 years and so much had happened during that time! We had initially moved there to be close to the university for Ron, and we had also joined a faith community. Our church was right down the street, as was the college, Sarah's school, dance studio, and Ron's later place of employment. Our gas bills were very low back then! We ended up becoming close friends with some of our neighbors which was amazing and such a blessing at the time! We would share food, have barbecues together, hang out and watch movies, take walks together, (I miss those walks Allison!), laugh together and cry together. Two of our neighbors were studying to be nurses so we would get free health checks off and on, and advice when we got injured, (I fractured my tail bone, ouch!) It was a community utopia for a time and I couldn't imagine not having that support and love. In fact, I feared losing it...

Well, all good things must come to an end and when it ended it was over, there was nothing left there for us, and we were more than ready to move on. We moved to the next town over not knowing anyone close by really and wondered how God would knit us into this community. We knew some people a few blocks away, but not well, and at first it felt pretty isolating here. As the months wore on we were amazed to see how we found families and made friends in the area; it was uncanny. We've gotten to know the family we knew who lived a few blocks down. They are awesome people, so full of faith and love. They have a boy and girl just like us and I pass down Justin's clothes to their little guy and we switch off babysitting for date nights. Ron knows a co-worker who lives a few blocks further as well. He and Ron both love to garden and we share our veggies with them and they give us home pressed apple juice and awesome gifts for our garden. We have dinner with them off and on and their cooking is so delicious! I met another family through a friend who lives a few blocks away as well. They are on the same spiritual journey I'm on and "get" where I'm at. I'm so blessed to have found them! So a mere year later, and we have three families we're friends with who live just a few blocks away in our little community!

The other day we had a dinner that was mostly from our garden: Potatoes and herbs, a fresh salad with carrots and peas, and spaghetti flavored with herbs from our herb garden. After dinner we went out and picked some lettuce, spinach, carrots and potatoes, loaded them into bags and went on a walk through our neighborhood dropping off our garden bounty and veggie starts to our friends a few blocks away. It was the most wonderful evening! Our hearts felt full and we were loving our community.

That night has gotten me thinking a lot about the meaning of community. I always thought that community was a place you had to set up - a place that had to be painstakingly planned in every way. The element of fear was always there - what if someone moves away?, what if God takes us away from our support system?, etc. What I'm realizing is that God is fully capable of setting up community anywhere! It's a no brainer for Him. We're the ones who add in the complications and strings to the whole situation making things much more complicated and messy.

I look around us now at the community we're blessed with and I'm in total awe. Community has come to us in such an incredible way and now we get to nurture it and see it grow in beautiful ways. I feel so lucky - SO blessed! I cherish our neighbors more than ever because I feel they're a gift God has given me. I don't feel like I deserve it, but the universe has smiled on us and we're blessed.

The Garden via a Good Lense

I had to share more garden pics with you because we were able to borrow a good camera! I hope to get one like this soon so I can post good resolution pics on my blog finally. What a difference a good camera makes!

Garden In Bloom

The garden is finally starting to come into bloom! We actually had some sun this weekend for the first time in weeks so I took the opportunity to get some pics of the garden. I even managed to get a bit of a sun burn on my face! Goes to show you how not used to the sun we are in these parts. Rain in June has been the norm believe it or not! The rain has caused everything to grow green and lush though - the one very desirable benefit.

The beautiful rhododendron bush behind our pond.

Lamb's Ear and Astilbee color the garden path.

Ron just put in these hanging baskets and planted begonias in them. I love these!

We hosted a going away party this weekend so I dressed up the deck table with oil cloth and a pot of pansies.

Ron put lots of flower pots on the back porch per my request! These are filled with: pansies, lilies, astilbee and lobelia.

Broccoli and poppies

Kale and peas

The rock garden. Not much blooming is happening here yet, but there are wild flowers coming up behind the rock garden that will be in bloom soon!

Our new blue hydrangia planted in the back yard. I love these!

Pink hydrangia in the front yard.

Pretty porch

The lilies are beginning to bloom!

More Yard and Garden Pictures

Yesterday I set out to get pictures of the rest of our yard and garden. We have a fence separating our front yard from what I call the "middle yard", below. This area of the yard is wide and open so the kids can roam and play. Then we have the back yard, (more of the garden area), where the raised beds, compost, kids play set, and bunny are. The green house and chicken coop will be built in this area of the yard soon, so it will be a mini farm. Hope you don't mind all of these yard and garden pics! I just can't help it... I love my garden!

The middle yard. I love the deep green color of the grass in this one.

Justin throwing Monkey in the air. He likes to play kick ball here too.

The cute bird bath the kids gave me for Mother's Day. I love it!

A shot of the over flowing raised beds from the back fence.

Broccoli, onions, and a California poppy. Flowers are good for the soil.

Onions, carrots and potatoes in the back ground. I can't wait until these are ready to be harvested!

Raised Beds

This past weekend Ron built four more amazing raised beds bringing the total to eight! We're just about to run out of room in the back! A green house is in the works as well, so stay tuned for pics. Ron was joking about doing an American Gothic picture with the two of us...I think it needs to happen.

View of the raised beds from the back porch.

The raised bed on the right has sweet peas in it, (thus the little ladders which hold the string for them to climb.) Dill, broccoli, zucchini and lettuce are on the left.

The three raised beds against the fence are full of tomatoes! The branches will be used for them to climb. Compost boxes are in the far right corner against the fence.

Brick Walk Way Made From Recycled Bricks

The finished product!

View from the side walk.

I love the way recycled bricks look.

Dad's big helper.

A few weeks back Ron installed an amazing brick walk way in the front yard. The hospital had removed a fire place after the earthquake and were throwing away a ton of high quality bricks. Ron asked if he could have them and they said yes! Now we have a lovely brick walk way made from recycled bricks from the side walk to our front steps.

Herb Garden Mosaic

I've been wanting to make some mosaics for the garden for a long time now. It's spring finally and Ron is slowly turning the garden into a paradise, so it was time for me to get going with the mosaics. My supplies are a bit low, but I was able to find enough to whip up this mosaic for our newly planted herb garden. It's the first time I've done letters with broken shards, not an easy task, but it worked. I want to do a few stepping stones and the mail box next!

Our new wine barrel herb garden. We've planted basil, sage, oregano, cilantro, chives, tarragon and chives. A rosemary bush is right next to the wine barrel on the right. Cooking with fresh herbs is so amazingly yummy!

My Mother's Day Present

Ron finished the amazing pond and waterfall in the front yard today as part of my Mother's Day present - lucky me! Most of the supplies for the pond, pond border, waterfall, deck and gate were free! He was given the pond liner, pump, etc. from a friend from work. He found the boulders on the side of the road where free green waste is dumped. The reclaimed redwood was from a foundation remodel a few blocks away. Ron made a cute little deck for sitting and feeding the fish and a safety gate out of the reclaimed redwood as well as a border around the pond. He plans to make a bench on the back of the deck for sitting. This all could have cost upwards to $600 or more new, but we were blessed with it for free!! We plan to get coy and gold fish for the pond, put water plants and lilies in it and will need to install an electric fence on the interior of the pond so the raccoons won't eat them.

Thank you to my wonderful husband for this amazing Mother's Day present! I love the fact that it will be here to enjoy for years to come!

View from the top of the porch. We'll plant flowers on the sides of the waterfall rocks. You can't see the waterfall, but the water runs behind the rocks and makes a lovely sound.

Another shot from the porch.

The pond deck where the kids will be able to feed the fish when we get them. Ron is going to make a bench for the back of the deck also so we can sit and enjoy the view.

Hydrangeas in bloom

The new brick walk way and fence/gate.

View of the left side of the front from the pond.