Mosaic Pot Planted and Placed in Flower Bed

My pot is finally in the flower bed and planted.  My dear friend was down for lunch a week ago and she brought me a beautiful Esperanza.  It was filled with beautiful striking bright yellow tubular flowers.  But with all the wind we had from thunderstorms, they were blown off.  But there are already new buds forming.  This plant blooms all summer and bees and butterflies love the nectar.  It will be beautiful in the pot when it blooms again.  I'm so glad to have this finished.  Now on to the next project. 

First batch of basil pesto.  Man, I love this stuff!

Northern Farm by Henry Beston

This is a beautiful story of a year of country life on Henry Beston's farm in Maine.  He paints a beautiful picture of the seasons and life and nature on his beloved farm.  He loved and honored this older world and wanted it preserved but knew that this life and man's relationship to nature was quickly becoming a relic.  This book was written in the forties but as I read the ending of the book it reminded me of today.  I wanted to share his closing words with you.

"What has come over our age is an alienation from Nature unexampled in human history. It has cost us our sense of reality and all but cost us our humanity.  With the passing of a relation to Nature worthy both of Nature and the human spirit, with the slow burning down of the poetic sense together with the noble sense of religious reverence to which it is allied, man has almost ceased to be man.  Torn from earth and unaware, having neither the inheritance and awareness of man nor the other sureness and integrity of the animal, we have become vagrants in space, desperate for the meaninglessness which has closed about us.  True humanity is no inherent and abstract right but an achievement, and only through the fullness of human experience may we be as one with all who have been and all who are yet to be, sharers and brethren and partakers of the mystery of living, reaching to the full of human peace and the full of human joy."

White Bean and Rosemary Stew

This is an easy and healthy stew to make.  It has a good flavor but after eating it, I thought that shards of fresh Parmesan would really be good as a garnish and add a little richness.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can vegetable broth
1 can (19 ounce) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
11/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large red bell pepper
1 large yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and garlic and cook stirring until tender about 5 minutes.  Stir in vegetable broth and bring mixture to a boil over high heat.  Stir in beans, rosemary and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in roasted peppers and vinegar and cook for 3 more minutes.  Ladle stew into shallow bowls and serve.

I roasted the peppers in the oven on broil for about 15 minutes.  I would turn the peppers as they would get roasted making sure all sides got roasted.  Then put the peppers in a plastic bag and let the peppers set for about 15 minutes.  Then remove the skins and julienne the peppers.

I also added two cans of beans one didn't seem enough to me.  I served this with baguette bread with chive butter and a spinach salad.

This recipes serves 4.

The Mosaic Pot is FINISHED!!!!!!!

This has been a long project, only because I made it that way.  But I'm finished and so happy with the finished product.  I put the grout in on Tuesday and today I will finish wiping it done and I am going to put a sealer on the grout.  I decided to use black grout and I'm happy I did.  At one point, I was considering a sand color but I thought the black would make the yellow pop more and it does.

I don't have any experience doing grout but I will have to say it took me about 4 hours to grout this pot.  This is totally different from grouting a shower or counter top.  These little tiles have sharp edges and it is not a smooth and flat surface so it does take some time getting the grout in all the little nooks and crannies.

I'm going to work on a pot now for my vegetable garden area and I'm hoping it won't take me 2 years to finish it.   :)

The Garden is Producing!!!!

I was happily surprised when I went to the garden this morning and saw these tomatoes.  Several of them were ready to pick.  I don't think I have ever had tomatoes to ripen this early.  There is nothing like the taste of a home grown tomato.  I just get so excited about tomatoes! I know, it doesn't take much to excite me.  :)

The basket has sugar snap peas under all that Swiss chard.  I'll be using the Swiss chard for juicing and salads.  I haven't taken any pictures but our spinach has done great also.

I'm so thankful for this fresh food.  I want you to know at the beginning of spring,  I was discouraged and I wanted to quit.  This year with the freeze, no rain, gophers and rabbits have been taking their share and then the wind has been ruthless.  I would stand at the kitchen window and watch the paper I had put around the bottom of all the tomato plants flying across the pasture and then the straw was blown everywhere except around the tomato plant.  It has been work on top of work and I wanted to cry.  There were times when I would go outside to survey the damage and under my breath I was cussing and saying,"this isn't worth it."  But it is!  It is worth all the toil and back breaking labor when you put that first tomato or crisp chard or tender spinach in your mouth for the first time.  

I can't wait to see the watermelons and cantaloupes.  I feel like I'm a real farmer growing watermelon and cantaloupes.  Laughing.

Well, I'm a little burned and somewhat tired this evening after a wonderful day in my garden!

Windows

I love windows!  In the houses that I have lived in for any length of time, they have always had big windows with lots of natural light.  I could never live in a house that doesn't have a lot of natural light and I have always been that way.  As I am typing this, when I just typed natural light I started to put natural life.  I think natural light does bring life (or a good energy) into a home.  Good energy that you feel in someone's home does come from the folks who live there but natural light does play a  role. 

Wow! I said all that to say, I love these windows!  I love the corners that are totally glass.  The pane glass in the middle adds variety and design.  If your home is on the dark side, consider cutting out a window or maybe removing a wall to open up a space that might bring in light from another room.  Also, you don't always have to cover windows with drapes.  Look for architectural design pieces that you can put in your windows in place of curtains or drapes.  This one I have in my window.

I also think glass shelves in a big window with plants looks great.  You can also have a mix of plants with pretty colored glass pieces.  The natural light shining through plants and glass are really attractive.  Also stained glass looks very attractive in windows.  This is a piece in our breakfast room.

Cute Idea for Summer Picnics

I thought this was a cute and easy idea for summer picnics. There is no expense in this.  I have picked up over the years these old aluminum pans painted white with red trim.  But you could use a white or red bowl. 

Just a clever idea for summer that's cute, easy and inexpensive.