Friday's here!

Foraging for food

Purple beans with green interiors!!!  How unbelievably cool is that?  While they ultimately turned green when heated, the slicing/dicing was so much fun.  And the resulting flavor, superb. 

Fresh mixed greens from the garden.  Red spinach with far more vitamin C than the common green variety, rainbow chard, marigolds, tomatillos, tomatoes, nasturtiums, romaine, pansies and violas.  Freshly transplanted sunflowers and a crow hoping for a handout.  I had our old rocking chairs painted to blend with the bocce balls.  And the other more muted vegetable colors.

Dinners these days could not be easier/something basic (fish, grass-fed beef, chicken) on top of the mix of greens.  Get those gardens growing, friends.  In a box or a bag.  A wagon or wheelbarrow.  You won't be sorry.

   

Hats off

Terrific Job, Kiss! 

And thank you, Joan, for sharing this with us. 

This was filmed in Iraq at a USO tour of a US Marine Base.  Play it and spread it!

Goat farm gala

Harley Farms.  Just a few miles south of Half Moon Bay along our scenic coastal highway. 

Gather with other guests to meet the 200+ alpine goats who graze on nine acres of pasture in Pescadero.  Then taste their award-winning cheeses, sample their goat lotions and soaps in the Farm Shop, open 11-5.

The farm tour is well worth the $20.  Book in advance/tours fill quickly. 

Two thumbs up for this adventure!  Pair your visit, perhaps, with a stop at Duartes for one of their home baked pies.

Amazing hummingbird footage

"This is actually a pretty amazing story about a baby hummingbird found on a sidewalk. He couldn't fly, so I took him under my wing. At night, he would come home to our house for safety. During the day, he was in the backyard of the house near where I found him. About 4 days after I found him, I was holding him in my cupped hands when his mama came by to feed him. She had seen me around, I guess, because she just flew over, perched on my hand and then fed him. This happened a number of times, so I called a friend who is good with a video camera, and he came over to film some of the amazing goings on that I told him about."
 

Enjoy your weekend, dear friends...

Congratulations, Women of the World

Thank you, Gail, for sharing this with us.

Patricia Weaver

Wonderful friend, phenomenal teacher, terrific tutor, magnificent mom.  No better mentor exists.  A woman whose impact far exceeds these words/definitions. 

I know that many of you know and love her.   

Please spread the word.  Forward the following to others whose children have been a part of Patricia’s world.

Best, I think, communicated in her words:

Dearest Lois,

I thank you for asking me to pray again for Kathi.  I have been and I will again.

In the meantime, would you pray the same for me as my cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.  If Kaiser approves, I will begin a three drug trial on July 1 at Stanford, and like Kathi's medicine, mine will go through a port.  Mine will be a day 1, day 8, day 21 cycle, very aggressive.  I have never needed so much prayer as I do now, though I know that because of people's prayers, these last four years and nine months have been very peaceful years for me (even with one PET-CT every three months, about nine different radiation treatments, etc).  And I do mean peace-filled.  In the process of having treatments in various facilities, including Stanford, I have truly been blessed.  This is all because of the tremendous support of friends.  So as I write those words, I know that the spirit of Goodness, the God of the universe, will indeed carry me through the hard treatments ahead.

Love to you, and blessings to Kathi,

Patricia

Gamble Garden

Have I been living under a rock for the past two decades?  Don't answer. 

Beyond the superb spring garden tours that they've so successfully hosted as far back as I can remember, I haven't really spent time on the grounds of Gamble Garden.  I do not like admitting this. 

Gamble’s gardens are sooooo worth a visit, particularly this time of year when summer perennials are beginning to burst into bloom.  Two and a half acres of sheer delight situated in the heart of Palo Alto just off Embarcadero Road en route to Stanford University.  And, of course, Stanford Shopping Center.

One of the many things that I adore about Gamble is that the entire property is open to the public/free of charge/during daylight hours.  I was there very early one morning last week taking pictures and again later that day with good friend and former Gamble Board member, Susan.  Both times many others were visiting, too, photographing flowers/using the site for family photo sessions/soaking in the beauty/taking notes and learning. 

Please visit their website, Gamble Garden, for details about history, location, classes, events and numerous other multi-generational offerings and possibilities.  It's a terrific place to meet friends for coffee, lunch or an early evening walk.  You'll find demonstration, working and cutting gardens, as well as a greenhouse and lath house.

Labels let you know what everything is so that you can easily transplant the ideas back to your own garden.  Or simply enjoy the space that the many, many volunteers have created.

You may discover, as we did, Paul Althouse, retired owner of Redwood City Nursery (one of my all-time favorite shopping ops), tending his cutting garden.  Pretty amazing/very marvelous man who donates his time, plants and talent to Gamble.  And to you, too/those who visit the garden.

Pick up one of the brochures enumerating the many upcoming offerings.  Paul’s class is sure to sell out.  So sign up today. 

Meanwhile, “visit Gamble” via my photos.  I could not capture everything, so schedule a visit soon. 

And support Gamble by joining this wonderful non-profit community foundation available for all of us to enjoy. 

Enjoy the music as you take your tour by clicking below.  Cycle through the photos when they end because the slideshow may have started without you!

Thank you, Friends of Gamble Garden.  Send me the form, OK?/I want to become a Friend, too.

Update on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 8:17AM by Lois

Finally a few moments to go back to Gamble to take pictures of the main house.  Unable to resist walking through the gardens again.  Here is the result of yesterday's visit.  Clearly evidence that I could/should stop by far more often/sure to find something surprising.  And lovely.  And positively beautiful.  Often breathtaking.

Enjoying the Last Summer Corn

Summer's over but most of us can still find fresh corn on the cob! YES!

We grew up in the Midwest. Corn Country. We never knew anything but boiled/buttered/salted and peppered corn on the cob.

I once made an unsuccessful attempt at soaking the cobs in H2O/then grilling. It was not terrific.  

Julia's recipe was simple/straightforward/smoky. And finger-lickingly flavorful.

 Ingredients:

• olive oil
• salt
• pepper 

BBQ and corn prep: 

We used a gas grill preheated to high/then reduced to medium.  

• Strip husks back to expose kernels, being careful to keep husk intact above stem.  
• Remove silk using hands or a silk brush.
• Generously cover kernels with olive oil, salt and pepper.  
• Return husks to original position/tie with string or not. We didn't.  
• Cook on BBQ approximately 15 minutes, turning uniformly so outside blackens but does not burn.

Place on platter and serve.  I loved the charred ears without any other additions. 

Next time: Add herbs to the mix. Or not.  I loved the simplicity of this dish. 

And, as Julia indicated, the recipe allows the corn flavor to come right on through.

Barbecuing today or tomorrow?

Perfect.  Perhaps the following will make your planning and preparation a little easier.

Thanks to Barb from Pennsylvania for this terrific outdoor cooking link:  

101 Fast Recipes for Grilling

Do not attempt at home

Happy Fourth, Everyone!!!

RWB Weekend Wishes

Sensational savings

Thinking about Personalized Postage/Monday's blog/?

Or notecards?/today's posting.  If so, now's a great time to take advantage of Zazzle's Fourth of July Sale: 17.76% OFF ALL ORDERS!!  Use Code: ZAZZLEUSAUSA.  Sale ends Monday.

I love the fact that Zazzle allows you to customize all four sides of the card.  I added photos to the front and back.  Next time/No, THIS TIME/I'll be more creative. 

Something so simple

So easy.  And so touching.

Here's the back-story:

Bad hair day

And apparently a bad head day, too.  Oh boy/nasty nose day for the boys in the back.

 

Like many of you, I have tons of photos.  Albums never really worked for me.  Boxes were better/they provided easy access for school projects/did they ever go back?  Nope.  But really, what could beat digital storage and retrieval?  And creating Shutterfly-style books? 

So how does one deal with the enormous number of pictures printed?  Dumping them on my kids doorstep didn't seem quite fair.  Though that definitely was the easiest solution.

Should I spend the $$$ to have pictures professionally scanned?  What if they got lost in the mail?  Or in India?  Much as I loved that country, it would be tough to track down my treasures.

Greg suggested that I try the automatic paper feed on my HP Officejet to process a stack of same-size photos.  One setting of the parameters (I used 600 dpi) and the copier/scanner could potentially do the rest.  That is, if you have a carriage that will accommodate your pictures.  Luckily, I did.  And you may have, too.

Odd sizes like those on the left would still require individual attention.

Was the process and the end product perfect? Well, it was definitely fast and most pictures were just fine as opposed to the top pict.  Pict below is a better indication of quality one might expect.

Now that I have several stacks saved on my computer, I might feel safer sending a batch to one of the online operations like Scancafe.  WHOA!  Just looked at their price list.  $.25 per picture!!!  Yes, they do have sales but...

I'm sticking with my newfound, relatively trouble-free technique.  The few glitches make viewing much more entertaining, don't you think?  

I mean, how many perfect pictures does one really need?

Secret Source Revealed: Stamps

Trying to be entirely paperless?  Perfect.  Me, too.  Far less impact on the environment/unparalleled speed of delivery. 

But there are times when USPS is essential.  Handwritten notes are just one very much appreciated example.  

In which case, you're going to need a stamp.  

My top pick, either as a gift for someone else or to use yourself:  Zazzle personalized postage.  I've tried others but continue to choose this company.  I like the print quality, color saturation, quick turnaround time and variety of stamp sizes.  And I typically order the largest version that they offer simply because it's a beautiful addition to the envelope.  Not for bills but for someone who would appreciate the extra effort. Great birth/or other event announcement.  And a cinch to do just by uploading your pictures.

ADDITIONAL CONCEPT:  If you live in the SF Bay Area, you're no doubt familiar with FLAX, an extraordinary art supply store.  Their stock of paper products is pretty unparalleled/let me know if you have a better resource.  I was shopping for A-7 (5.25" X 7.25") envelopes and cardstock to mount my own pictures. 

Then I found translucent envelopes.  Very cool to use for mailing something special, like a photograph or your own photo stationery. FLAX's price was substantially higher than other online sources I subsequently found.  So, if interested, Google "translucent envelopes" for a good deal.  I ordered some today from envelopemall.com.  You may find a better source/value. Let me know.

For Kathi

This cannot be an easy day for my dear friend.  With her next series of treatments underway today/Monday, please join me in sending love, prayers and heartfelt wishes for strength, courage and calm.  And, of course, for healing.  And if friends know others who would do the same, please forward this link to them:  For Kathi.

What a wonderfully wild/creative/crazy/beautiful world we live in.  Here's my pic mix to complement that theme.  It stars Kitty's pitcher of dazzling dahlias brought to me from her garden. Talk about intensity, vitality and energy. They simply radiate “Get well fast!”  

Here's to you, Kath, beautiful friend.

Be sure to listen while looking. 

May you, too, nose out an adventure this weekend.

Doesn't this sound like a song this fellow would like to sing? 

Click below to listen to my little friend that I photographed while in Argentina.  Coatis, unlike their racoon relatives, are diurnal omnivores.  Connect to Wikipedia for more info on this sensational little singer.

Update on Friday, June 25, 2010 at 2:57PM by Lois

From college friend, Barb: "EVERY DAY new 'stuff' is learned and tried.  I think I told you that Jenny's research is in immunology....she is studying minute aspects of T cells that I cannot even pretend to sort of understand anymore.......and she is one of hundreds, if not thousands.  UPENN is a big cancer research hub.........SOMEONE SOMEWHERE is going to help all the Kathies out there.  Let some of this help be ready NOW, for HER.  That is my prayer and hope."

And from Kathi:  Thanks Lois, that is my hope and prayer as well  One day at a time is my motto and to enjoy every minute.  I have started to notice there are so many beautiiful minutes every day.  I need to focus on those and keep anxious thoughts at bay as much as I can.  John, my distance healer, says my mantra should be strong, healthy chick!  I love the rainbow connection and as I did in the Muppet movie when it played, I cried.

Stay strong, darling friend!

So many have asked how my friend, Kathi, is doing.  Thank you very much for your inquiries, support, thoughts and prayers.  Today seemed like a perfect time to fill you in on her progress.  Many gather in churches and synagogues this weekend/if you have a chance to add her name to a prayer list, that would obviously be wonderful.  She, her family and friends recognize that prayer has immense impact.   

Here’s the latest: 

This past week Kathi had an additional port installed in her stomach.  This coming Monday she begins the next round of chemotherapy.  More of a time commitment this time.  Treatments are on days 1, 2 and 8 of the 21-day cycle with one of the three treatments directed at her chest port/the others at her stomach.  The cycle is repeated four times followed by 10 months of maintenance. 

Kathi’s hysterectomy was successful and as many of you know, surgery takes a toll on energy levels.  She’s increased her exercise from 5-minute walks to 10-15.  Driving wasn’t a possibility until this week but friends have stopped by and/or taken her to lunch, which she’s loved.

As the intensity of the next round increases, a nausea-free, positive response to the treatment is her main concern/hope/wish/prayer. 

Thanks, all, for taking time to think about/send healing thoughts to my fantastic friend, Kathi, as she moves successfully through this next cycle.  You would love her as much as we all do. 

For background information, click on the following link:  Kathi Olson.

Come on, Kath, keep on going, darling friend.  Know that you are in our thoughts, hearts and prayers.