Bird Tweets

Day 260 Summer Deliciousness

This truly is a major accomplishment. Every year we plant tomatoes with the high hopes that come August we will be eating fresh salsa, tomato sandwiches, or those firm red globes chopped and mixed with the other fresh vegetables from our garden. And every year, (or at least until this year!) we either have a bout of disease, mold, mildew or the banal slaughtering of the 5 foot tall vines by the resident deer family before the tomatoes ever get plucked for our summer table. It is a sad scenario and yet each and every spring we start all over with fresh hope and dreams for the fruits of our labor. It makes me smile to see how full of happy expectation we can be in the face of nature's random acts of destruction. Human beings really are amazing creatures.

What garden success have you had this year?

love, robin

Day 254 Farmer's Market; Taste Test Results; Surprise Visit

On Saturday while Elizabeth and i were at the Farmer's Market she reluctantly (not!) agreed  to do the donut taste test i mentioned in my last post. We agreed upon the classic cinnamon and sugar. It was warm, soft on the instead and slightly crunchy on the outside.

One bite and.....

what did she think....?

you tell me....!

We saw and wanted one each of these drinks but we passed. I bet Elizabeth regrets not getting one. If she didn't she surely will when she sees them here. They are beautiful aren't they?!  lemon and lime and strawberry.

We wanted these too. 

Aren't these interesting? Susanna had just asked me about red carrots and i had said i didn't think they existed. Apparently i am no farmer because look at these! they are most certainly red and i don't think they have  #638 red dye added to them either. I don't know if they are a heritage variety or not Susanna.

We saw a lot of flowers and had fun bending our bodies this way and that with our cameras angled every which way. People were standing back, getting out of the way of the expert photographers when they saw us coming :) 

We did find one thing that we both couldn't live without so we each bought one. They are really cool bags. Great color, hand dyed. They have 2 zippers, a little velcro pocket on the back and they were designed using an artist's hand cut bee stamp. I am sorry to say i do not have a card or her name so i cannot tell you who she is. Maybe Elizabeth knows. I'll check. 

Next time we go anywhere together i am going to tell Elizabeth to use her bag.  I love being twins with my girlfriends.

While i was eating my second donut i ran into this friend, Julie, whom i know from Barn House. 

With great enthusiasm she invited us to come see her garden.  Elizabeth had to get home to Altlas but i really wanted to see this treasure trove of plants and art. So i went on ahead and found that although Julie was not home her  husband David was working amongst the blossoms and butterflies, weeding and clipping and staking the most delightful English style garden i have seen in a long time! This is just the front entrance and it only just begins there! Julie lives very near my home and i have an open invitation to return for more photographs so you will have to wait for a full on post. I want to savor each step and stand quietly, watching the light and shadow play on a ground covered with wild violets.  It is an haven of dappled light filled with wonderful plants in every direction. Everywhere you look you find a winding path to little nooks and secret rooms that have beautiful objects of art that are crafted with the greatest care and attention to detail. The entire garden is wrapped in an aura of magic and whimsy. It was a wonder to behold and i am so grateful for Julie's generous offering of hospitality!

Trust that i will return with more of Julie's Hollyhock On The Corner as it is affectionately named by her neighbors!

love, robin

Day 253 The Farmer's Market and Food of the Gods

I get to spend the morning tomorrow with one of these two friends. Can you guess which one?

Last time we were together we went here.....

and did this...

and this....

This time we are going here to do a little of this... and most importantly eat fresh and warm home-made donuts covered in cinnamon and sugar. yum! Photos will be captured of this heavenly food :)

What fun thing are you doing with a friend this lovely summer Saturday?

love, robin

Day 140 Saturdays And Farmer's

This morning i made my regular Saturday pilgrimage to the neighborhood FARMER'S MARKET. I think that title deserves capitalization because around here they are an event of grand celebration. They might even be better referred to as mini carnivals. There is an air of excitement that moves like a wave from booth to booth as the crowd shifts it's attention from luscious red tomatoes, to chard the color of precious gems to the bluest of blueberries.

The best is the people. The children look bewildered by all the hustle and bustle, the purchasing of broccoli over ice cream and spinach over popcorn is incomprehensible to the uninitiated young. The air is filled with the voices of children and adults talking happily. Dogs either shlep along with their owners or are held in protective arms high above the crowd to protect the delicate toes of Chihuahua's and puppies. Couples amble along holding hands or lounging on the verge in the shade. Some talking and laughing, some sleeping, all of them touching in some way as if to say "i wouldn't want to share this glorious day with any other soul than you."

The air is redolent with the mingled smells of summers past, fresh berries, lilies and lavender. It all wafts along the pathways mingling with a rainbow of vibrant colors and happy sounds.

The flowers are magnificent. Colossal bouquets put together right before your eyes in every conceivable color and combination. I love seeing people walk around holding huge bouquets as though a spring bride.

I simply could not select enough of the photos to share :) And i have so many more! They a wonderful story of Saturdays, of summer and friends at the Farmer's Market.

And what did you see this bright and happy Saturday morning that made you want to clap your hands in delight!?

Day 129 Happy Vacuuming The Carpet With The Screen Door Open & Pink Rhubarb Pie

This is a lot more fun than it looks. If it is warm enough to have the house open and for me to be barefoot then it doesn't matter very much what it is i am doing. I can make it fun. Even vacuuming. This is how my day started yesterday. It got a lot busier and a lot better. I will show you later... Right now i have to get ready to go and meet marcia for another of our self imposed photo classes. This time we are going to an estate sale that has a whole lott'a 1950's "stuff" and see if we can capture something interesting... I hope the people running the sale don't mind being subjected to the clicking, clacking, stooping, pointing, laughing and talking that will be part and parcel to the project.

I will be back with the goods to share with you later today. I love having your company and wonderful comments!

oh...but one more photo from yesterday's thrilling events is in order. Marcia stopped by the house with her new granddaughter Amara whom i had yet to meet in person. She is 5 months old and has the most soulful eyes i have ever seen. She looks just like Marcia's son Andy! Isn't she just the most brilliant looking baby ever?!

Day 121 And They Ate Cake!

Sandra made me a chocolate cake with white icing and we ate as much as our bellies could hold! We were celebrating my birthday which is on Tuesday. I will be 55 years old on that day. We are unswerving in performing this delightful ritual of spending a day together and celebrating each of our birthdays. We've been doing this without fail since 1985 which is when i finally followed her out west to Oregon. We may not do it precisely on the day, the right week or even the proper month but we will set aside time to acknowledge another year gone by, our friendship and our love for one another. It is always fun and there are always presents.

I spent an inordinate amount of time today pondering about what it means to mark yet another year's passage. It seems i should have something profound and meaningful to say about what i accomplished, learned or discovered. I am simply at a loss for words.

Though i do know some things with a certainty born of experience with lost time, missed opportunities and regret. I know i want to be awake as long as possible for my life. I want to laugh each day at least once, preferably with another person, though Zippy is a good stand in. I want to be surprised. I want to let kindness and compassion guide my mind and heart. I want to cry when i overflow with love, sympathy or joy. And i want that to happen as often as i laugh.

Maybe these words are my prayers. Maybe all i need do is stop talking, set my wings due north and take flight exalting in my life and being glad for it.

"Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way
down."
Kobi Yamada

Day 118 You Have To Love Blogging

God i love blogging. This weekend i got up very early each day in order to take photos of the garden. As i stood at my window, coffee cup in hand and looked upon the wondrous scene before me i could hardly decide where to start. There was color everywhere. You know that early morning glow that makes every color look as though it had just been born? That magical light was upon every leaf, branch and flower in my glorious garden. The edges of everything seemed to soften with an otherworldly light.

There was rain while i worked and yet i was hardly aware so focused was i upon gathering the vision on film in order to share it with you. The idea that you would look upon this and share in the glory of the morning set my heart pounding with excitement. I'm not even exaggerating! I had to force myself not to post three times in one day.

I worked hard in the garden, toiling away at the mundane but enjoyable tasks of digging, dividing, weeding and finding homes for new plants. I was inspired enough to be able to see things from that elusive artistic viewpoint that i so yearn for.

Blogging is so gratifying. i visited many new blogs when the rain prevented me from being out of doors. There is such a bounty of passionate and like minded spirits out there for me to meet. As i roamed the internet one lovely blog featuring nature photography would lead to another that told funny anthropomorphic stories about birds which somehow led to a blog about cooking. i loved them all!

We are all part of an amazingly diverse community of 'writers and storytellers' and hail from all over the world. Doesn't it just blow your mind some days to think about the possibilities that open up when turning on that little box each morning?

Tell us do please...What delightful or inspiring new blog did you visit this weekend?

Day 115 A Visiting Taste Tester Stands In and Happy Lemon Day

My Official Quality Control Manager for anything Tasty Tweets was having a strenuous training session for an upcoming 250 mile bike ride on the day i made this Four Layer Lemon Cheesecake. So in his stead i requested assistance from my wee taste tester Zippy. She announced it "scrumptious!" and proceeded to lick her plate clean.

And here is the recipe. I used a recipe card from julianna Smith with her permission, who happens to be the oh-most-talented sister of Alicia Paulson of the oh-so-wonderful blog Rosy Little Things i have listed on my blogroll. They have both been so generous with their talent as well as sincere in their friendliness. If you click on the recipe it will come up in a separate window and you can download a 300 dpi version to print for your file. Julianna has two adorable and free versions of recipe cards for your personal use on her site. So enjoy! and let me know if you do make it and what your official taste testers have to say about it :)

Day 114 A Day Of Lemon And Irises

I so enjoyed hearing what you loved about your Saturdays! It extended the joy of my own Saturday well into Sunday. I thank you for that :)

And Sunday continued to be a beautiful day here in Avalon. However... don't let these pretty photos fool you into thinking i was floating about Avalon wearing my gossamer summer frock and silk slippers. No siree. I was altogether filthy and sweating all day long working to bring the garden into a summer haven for human habitation. You all know how your gardens look before they have had their share of relentless pruning, heavy digging, merciless pulling and prodding applied. I was a mess all day long. But enjoying myself :)

By dusk I was ready to have a rest and enjoy the fruits of my labor out near the pond. I set the table for myself and Zippy to sit and nibble my Four Layer Lemon Cheesecake. I do wish you had been here for company.

Aren't these he prettiest irises? I was able to get myself a start of this Iris innominate from the annual garden sale over at Bishop's Close.