Unexpected pleasures!

Good Monday morning to one and all!  We had a busy weekend but fun.  Friday we took a trip with the nephews to the San Francisco Zoo.  I have photos of all sorts of critters but to my delight there were tons of plants blooming.  I forget sometimes that San Francisco climate is so temperate especially this time of year.  So when I am looking at this desolate garden at home..

San Francisco is a haven of blooms.

Wish I could name all the plants I photographed but I am rather ignorant of many of these plants.  Some I do know but very few. To get to the zoo we drove thru a lovely old neighborhood with interesting homes perched on the hillside facing the ocean and there were an abundance of these bushes trained into trees just covered with these purple blossoms.  A real visual treat.

See how bright and sunny it was Friday, it got into the upper 50’s and lower 60’s with little or no breeze.  Perfect!

The landscaping all throughout the zoo was a feast for my eyes, waterfall and fountains tucked into all sorts of places.

Bursts of color around every corner.

I love Fuchsias..I can barely keep them alive here and this one was flourishing beside the building housing tropical critters.

They had some interesting rockeries filled with succulents.  I have just in the past few years become interested in growing succulents, there is such an interesting variety and the fun planters you can make with them is boundless.

I have always loved Bougainvillea but have never lived where it would stay alive thru the winters.

I thought this little Iris type was eye catching.

  I really wish they would label the plants. 

There were some that were the most interesting shapes, no blooms were necessary for them to stand out.

These bushes were taller than I and covered with these delicate brightly colored blooms.

A bright orange..

The too bright sun blanched out the vibrancy of the orange but you get the idea.

And last the Statice outside the gate as we headed for the parking lot. 

It was such a lovely day and we enjoyed it very much.  Next weekend we are planning a little trip down again to go to the Conservatory of Flowers and the CA Academy of Sciences.  Two places we have wanted to visit in a long time and the weather is supposed to be just as wonderful as this past weekend so it should  be a fabulous trip.  I will bore you with all the photos in coming posts. 

And I will share some animal shots of the zoo next time.  Now I must go paint some signs.

Enjoy your Monday!

A dusting of snow and one tough rose.

We woke to about half an inch of snow.  It was not a surprise as the weatherman had forewarned us but you never know when the weather will decide to do something other than what they predict. 

I decided to take a cruise of my garden with camera in hand to see what may be blooming on this 15th day of December.  The 32 degrees felt nearly balmy compared to the past few days that started around 26 degrees. 

A snowy viola I have growing in a barrel on my back deck. 



This is a Heritage rose from David Austin English roses..it has been a tough one. Roses blooming here in the Northern California Sierra Nevada mountains is unheard of this time of year, usually.  



It resides beside my studio.





Its brother hovers at its feet, but the roses on this one are more desiccated though still rather lovely.



There are more things blooming in my Greenhouse.  Some pelargoniums..





A Cappuccino Rudbeckia



A volunteer white petunia that came up in a pot with some boxwood. 



And here are my ladies at breakfast.



I hope you enjoyed my little morning walk..

I am going to join Bloom Day over at May Dreams Garden

Another week gone by!

Hello my friends.  I have been neglectful of keeping in touch but so life goes.  Instead of writing in the evening I have been indulging in back issues of my English Garden magazine.



In the Spring and Summer I am so busy in my garden that I barely skim the pictures found inside so this time of year I go back and read every article, make lists of new (to me) plants and a wish list of seeds and/or plants to purchase to test in my own cottage garden.

I would love to get myself or build myself a glass house like this.



(sigh) one can dream.

During the days I have been busy painting custom order signs.  I know I said I would not accept any orders for Christmas after Thanksgiving but I caved on some that seemed easy enough. This one was especially enjoyable, it just seemed to flow.



This one was not so easy and I ended up painting over the design, it just was not right, I think when I changed the color of the water it changed the feel, the original color was a more blue green which fit rest of the scene better.



A winter scene painting/sign, it still needs the wording.



This one will get shipped out today.



I have also been working outside, cleaning up areas, adding chicken debris to flower beds and at the base of roses.  Each day has started quite chilly, in the mid 20’s but the afternoons are quite mild for working outside in.  The sun has been bright most days and I am thankful we are not covered in a blanket of snow yet.  That will come soon enough but until then I will make the most of the bare ground and clear skies to get my garden areas ready for next Spring.

My husband and I enjoy cooking together and we have been testing new recipes to add to our repertoire.   We made an awesome chili Verde this past week that was to die for, with it we made a Spanish rice with organic brown rice.  It turned out quite tasty as well. 

Last night we tested a meatless recipe.  Now my husband is a self professed hardened CARNIVORE so going meatless is not something he is fond of, but he was game to try this. 

Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

We had made a batch of homemade burger buns the day before (love the dough setting on my bread machine) and we used home cooked beans instead of canned (1 1/2 cups equals what is in the can). 

The result was quite tasty though I think I would add more salt to the mixture and even my husband thought it satisfying enough.   I look forward to the leftovers for lunch today. 

I had better get off here and get to work.  There is plenty on my plate today and I need to get crackin’.
Ta ta for now…

Life is Good!

Good Wednesday morning to you!  The sun is shining and though a tad chilly out at 26 degrees it is lovely none the less.



I even treated myself to some violas to put in pots on the deck to enjoy.  The sweet scent of Spring they emit was a pleasure to savor on the drive home as they sat in the seat next to me. 



This past week has been fun.  Busy, busy  but fun.  We have enjoyed endless sunshine with cold temps but if you dress for it you can be outside comfortably.  Which I have been outside quite a bit. 

 We have been getting things cleaned up after some windy weather last week that took down large trees around the county.  Smashing houses, taking down power lines and causing havoc.   Big Trees State park was hit hard.  The ticket kiosk as you drive into the park gives a hint of damage done county wide.



I have been painting on signs as usual.  The orders arrive in spurts.  I had a lull in orders last week and used the time to organize in the studio again.  When I am working I seem to toss things hither and thither rather than methodically put them where they belong.

A special order sign I completed.



Last Friday was a day of errand running and getting some shopping done.  I am not a shopper, to me it is a waste of valuable time, it is a necessary evil only.  But I was able to finally get my Kreg Jig kit.  I have been drooling over it for months now and I patiently waited so that alone made my day of shopping seem worthwhile.

Now I can build my work table in the studio.  I have the legs and support members cut, now I am putting the base coat of paint on before I assemble.

Today I will go buy the 2 x 6’s for the aprons.  I am working on it as I paint signs so I must juggle things around in the studio.  I am building it in the studio as it is heated, our garage is not.  I will be sure to share photos of it when it is done. 



I also worked on an easy fleece scarf.  I crocheted some daisies to add to it.  I call it my Crazy Daisy scarf.  My husband says it looks more like something Kermit the Frog would wear.  I like it, despite his humor, it is so toasty warm and the bright green with flowers make it Spring like!



I was going to sew on the flowers but decided to use a fabric glue instead, it worked really well.  I should try to get a photo of it on me.  Maybe I will soon.  Too busy today!  Until next time…