Monday, January 30, 2012

A lack of focus

Again, I am thinking, I really should not be so hard on my children for their "lack of focus." Here, I am pottering around in the garden some 45 minutes later when I should be inside the house cleaning!! In all fairness ( sounds familiar?) I was taking out a potted plant that was looking a little under the weather from neglect (again- sound familiar?). I cleaned off dead dried leaves and gave it a good soak. Then, I remembered the Plumeria branch that had broken off and had been thrown out by my landscaper. I happened to pass by the yard waste bin on my curbside before the city pickup and rescued it. I set aside to be planted. I planted  it today!! 


Then, I remembered the Calla Lily bulbs that I was sent .....Pop the 3 bulbs into 3 pots.


BeansThen, I came across some seed pods of indian cluster beans ( I left out to dry)... then... then.... Needless to say, they all needed planting and cleaning was on hold. I bought them at an Indian grocery store. They have a slight bitter edge to them that I like. 
Cluster Beans (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) originated in India and is now cultivated in California. It is used to make Guar gum, a thickening powder, said to have 7 times thickening power of corn starch. The beans are ground up to make the guar gum powder. 


Guess what I am doing now, blogging about lack of focus instead of cleaning. It is okay, I am allowing myself 20 minutes coffee, blogging break and then it is back to cleaning. FOCUS!!!!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Santa Monica Community Garden



























Last weekend while my son A was at Lacrosse camp in LA, my husband and I went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. The Farmer's Market was a disappointment maybe because it was winter and the selection of vegetable was limited. It was also way smaller in size than I expected. But all was not lost, I was so excited to see the Santa Monica Community Garden across the road. I have always read about community gardens in magazines and on blogs but never actually been to one until that day.

Chronological traits, things aliens and constant



























I have been incredibly busy the weeks leading to the close of 2011 and these weeks of the new year of 2012. My mind wanders to topics I want to blog, my fingers itch to hit the keyboards but alas time is not to be found. But more then that, what holds me back more, is a stubborn streak in me. My need to do things in a chronological manner.


A smile is upon my face, even as my fingers hit the keyboard. A few minutes ago, I spoke to my daughter L who is in college and talked about this. I was telling her I realize that we are more alike then we previously thought. Dear daughter had been telling me this past semester how she struggled with her section discussions because they were not working chronologically. I admit I was less sympathetic then......I told her that I felt that my blogging has now come to a standstill because I could not blog more current events before earlier ones!! She burst out laughing and what like,"I know, right?" Looks like I pass on the Chronological trait! We had a good laugh about it. I told her I was making a change.


Which brings about this post. I am going to blog out of "sequence." Christmas will have to come after this 2012 post!! I am going to do something "alien" to me. Enjoy these pictures of an "alien encounters" I took on the road to Palm Desert to my son's lacrosse tournament.