Cherry Oh Baby

Life might just be a bowl of cherries today! The colander in my sink is full and the tree, still laden. I'm sharing with the birds. These are wild, sour cherries, found on old trees all over Taos. I am going to make a pie but I also found a wonderful old recipe of my grand mother's for sour cherry soup so I'll try that too. Better get busy,lots of de-seeding to do! I'll take a pic of the finished product and share (virtually) with all of you tomorrow!

Heat Wave

It has been hot here lately! Too hot to be outside until evening and hot enough to keep the blinds down and doors and windows shut during the day. More time inside means more reflection on the importance of the home. I am so grateful for my humble abode these days. I look at the news and it only serves to make me dig in further. We should all be growing now, food and herbs for medicine. Trees for shade and oxygen. Flowers for the soul. You can grow anywhere in anything that will hold soil. Inside and out, plants are not just beautiful, but so important for our collective health and sanity. Only a few remain in my home during the summer, but I love their greenery and occasional blooms. I desperately need to clean - have been so busy - I've been getting by with tidying and a quick sweep, but as I putter about, I see dust settling on my books and bibilots and dulling corners.What I'd rather do is sit in my cool and serene bedroom and flip through a magazine or lose myself in a book... Hope your days are cooler than mine and for those of you, with heatwaves of your own, I empathise!

Twilight

Yesterday evening, I sat outside sipping my tea, watching the birds come and go. I have a nest of magpies in one of my pines and they have become quite tame (and cheeky). I tried to get a shot of a woodpecker who has been making my ad hoc birdbath a regular stop, but he flew off before I got the camera. I did get a pic of mama maggie though, perched below her nest, keeping an eye out for her brood. They stay year round. Then the sun began to sink in the West and the twilight fell. My very favourite hour, perhaps because I was born at that time? Anyway, I got a couple of pics. In the middle you can see how my meadow is maturing. So exiting! And at the top, the view over my back fence as the last rays disappear. Enjoy.

Love In The Air

My daughter Genevieve's boyfriend proposed to her last night. We had just had dinner on the deck - buffalo burgers that he, Oz, had made, mixing blue cheese and red onion in with the meat, before grilling on the barbecue - just delicious! Potato salad made by me using fresh herbs from the garden and red potatoes from the farmer's market. A big green salad, with cherry tomatoes (from my pot) avocado and a crisp, cold pinot to wash it down, made for the perfect Summer evening, and it seemed like a typical evening Chez Moi, with the family. After dinner, with Natalya and Tatyana sorted with plenty watermelon and ice cream, my daughter Angelica inside, reading a book, Oz (as we affectionately call him) asked me to tell Gen to go talk to him in the potting shed. Natalya the spy reported first! "He was on his knee and now they are kissing." She made a face. "Slobbery kisses." Gen arrived next, teary eyed. "Oz asked me to marry him!" She sounded like a woman in love should. A toast was drunk and happiness was shared by all! Now we have a wedding to plan! We have time - they want to do it on 11/11/11. Today my mini roses bloomed and today is also Oz's birthday. They met three years ago, moved in together a year and a half later. He's definitely a member of our family and I couldn't be happier for them!