Each year, right around the last day of October, a great wind comes in and the temperatures drop. This year, the wind showed up much earlier than normal. It included a bit of rain (something we don’t usually get in October) and even snow on the mountains, something I have never seen in October! The…
The world feels like it has been on pause since March 2020 in so many ways. With a few months left in the year, though, there is a lot that I still want to accomplish. We’re starting to cool below 100, and it’s time to get back to work in the garden. The garden has…
Note: All photos in this week’s post are from the garden at my children’s university, which we visited a couple of weeks ago. Last week we were invited to stay on a houseboat on Lake Powell. All we needed to bring for food was enough for us and the houseboat owners for three dinners. They…
I picked peaches and figs from trees in the garden. I cut basil, oregano, sage, and Swiss chard from the garden. I divided an aloe plant and the babies surrounding it and planted it in pots that I got from my mom last year when she was getting rid of several small pots. I may…
My husband and I both got a coupon on our Albertson’s app for $5 off a $5 purchase. We used the coupon on the app to buy 2 pounds of strawberries each for the unbelievably low price of $0.67 a pound (usually they have been $2.50 a pound on sale; the regular price at Albertson’s…
We had a simple at-home birthday celebration for my son this week. He turned five, and he wanted a pinata. He likes the show The Number Blocks, which he watches on the YouTube Kids app. My older son made him a pinata of the Number 5 character, using a cardboard box. He covered it with…
I’ve noticed a lot fewer sales on items that I normally buy, in addition to higher prices since the start of the pandemic last year. In the most recent article I read about rising food costs, I noticed it said that citrus had risen 11.8% in price. Planting more fruit trees in our garden is…
This year, I want to do more for my home and garden. I expect that this is where we’ll be spending most of our time this year, and I want it to be even more beautiful, as this is what we see every day. With that in mind, I’m planning my goals accordingly. The last…
I wrapped Christmas presents using the reusable boxes that I invested in a few years ago. I bought an online gift card for my daughter at college for her birthday. She can find something she wants from a place she loves and I saved the cost of shipping, as the gift card was simply emailed…
I harvested lemons, carrots, and a pomegranate from the garden. We continued our work in the garden, removing the bad dirt, taking it to the dump, and sifting the roots and rocks from the good dirt that I am keeping from our old planter areas. The piles are getting smaller, but I am also aware…
I’m thankful for all of the clients that have entrusted me to photograph them this year. It’s been a delight to capture the love they have for one another. (You can see more of my work on Instagram here and book a session on my website here.) I’m also very thankful for all of you!…
I am making my new garden plans on some old graph paper that my husband had from long before we were married. I know a lot of people want to design things in a program. I find graph paper is faster and cheaper. I’ve drawn and erased and moved things around several times. The more…