Precious Pool Time

Behold the finest blue plastic pool this side of Ballona Creek. Right in our own backyard, that's right. Hmmm, I sense a massive wave of envy from my millions of readers. Relax, relax. You're all welcome to sunbathe poolside and partake in a splash session. Only drawback is capacity: Lucy + 2. So get in line. And remember, some guests insist on going solo.

Double Duty

Hard-working hammock offers relaxing support to the gardener and shade to his assistant. Everyone should have a double-duty Yucatecan hammock. That and fresh, sweet tomatoes fresh off the vine, potato salad with yogurt, radish and cress, and the master's beet salad. Mmmm. Say, what is it about red in photos? All buzzy and fuzzy? Can't get a decent pic of a pomegranate flower. I'm noticing a mental flinch when I set my sights on red objects. What's the deal?

Bongo-RedTide-FunFeet-Heron-MIG-Nap-mania

Back By Poppular Demand

My own. It's an obsession thing.

Public Art & A Lone Poppy

Happy Mother's Day

Offering up natural bouquets, happy bees, giant smiley faces, and virtual hugs. We love our moms!

Abloom

Kitchen Time

So this is where it starts: fresh chanterelles, Meyers from the backyard, Eurekas from a neighbor, a variety of other produce, a big glass jar, salt, and a new toy called a dehydrator. Add a few days in and around the kitchen et voila: chanterelle salt, banana chips, chicken soup, cabbage slaw with apple-sauce and radish, and preserved lemons. I'm also experimenting with banana salt... challenging but I can see [and taste] the end result [in my mind]. I promise to share IF the experiment works out and there's any left over.

Sunny-Side Up

Here's the real parade: raindrops, lemons, cranefly. Gently sun-kissed between storms.

Alright Already

I'm finding these on a regular basis. Yesterday we found a huge Black Widow in one of the hives (in the screened-off bottom area -- separated from the bees/honey). She was sitting next to a spiked egg sac -- which strikes me as odd since I think the spiked variety belongs to the Brown Widow (pictured here and populating like crazy). Black trumps Brown? Daaamn! I'm not keen on either.

Residents and Visitors

The top critter has moved in and set up shop (hmmm). The cute little bee (that's my thumbnail) had deformed wings and was only able to scramble along the ground, alas). Don't ask me about the cicada-bee-goliath thing (first time I've seen anything like it). The last one, you tell me. I generically call it a garden spider (kind of like LBJ with birds -- Little Brown Jobs).
Welcoming all insights.