fff oct 4

nope, no fall weather for us yet (low 90s this week)

Welcome to October, a month of hopefulness for cooling temperatures and wariness of wildfires (sadly, several ongoing ones are result of arson). It’s also when we enjoy Japanese anemones and figure out when exactly to pick our pomegranates. This year, the tree didn’t look particularly full of fruit, but once we counted them up, we had just under 70, ranging from 300g to 455g (about a pound). This is really about all we can realistically eat, collect arils for juicing, and give.

When long time friends invited roomie and me to their church’s hymn sing, they mentioned it was also their father’s 88th birthday (lots of banter about how nice it was that the church was celebrating with cookies afterwards, “organizing” so many of his friends together, location and chair “rentals” within their budget, and plenty of parking). What they didn’t tell us was that a few other family members would be attending including our Cambria friend. Beginning with the Reformation in the 16th century, the program traced hymnody through 450 years from Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress” to the prolific Isaac Watts, the Wesley brothers, and Fanny Crosby to the gospel songs of Andrae Crouch to modern hymns by the Gettys — we sang 35 hymns that night. Bonus: there was a bit of a technical glitch about 20 minutes into the program, but the director made good use of the pause and had everyone sing happy birthday to our friends’ father, who was absolutely surprised and delighted.

With the day off work to handle some personal matters, but free at the middle of the day, my friend invited me to lunch at her place. She’d made a huge pot of pozole and we caught up on the various goings on at my old company (she used to work for me and is still employed by the company). It was a relaxed couple of hours to catch up on family news. Bonus: Her six year old grandson lives with her and proudly showed me all his favorite Pokémon cards. Afterwards, he ran to his room and presented me with a Hello Kitty ruler as a gift.

While we had a slightly smaller group at our monthly plant share, I had quite a bit more stuff from my mom, aunts, and neighbor to offer up. The organizers used to hand out name tags but we are getting to know each other better and remembering which plants or seeds we got from whom. One gal brought these date coconut treats that were so tasty, I hunted up the recipe and made a batch.

Sometimes, it’s the small things: Sammy’s new habit of climbing into my lap when I’m reading, my favorite sencha tea being available again, viola seeds sprouting now that I got them properly dark enough, neighbor coming to help carry a heavy box of pomegranates to the backyard, Mom’s success duplicating a restaurant’s mapo tofu with a recipe I sent her, a productive start to writing up my assigned name of God (it’s “the last Adam”) for sharing with my Bible study group, discovering that Mom’s zero balances were a result of a bank glitch and Mom’s presence of mind to ask someone at her branch so we didn’t have to wait in a long line to find out, tiny lewisia buds emerging, sprigs of succulent trimmings given at every plant share to spruce up any failing corner of my collection.

Happy weekend, friends.

lewisia ‘Rainbow’ with itsy buds in the lower right

fff sept 27

tan-colored praying mantis may have just molted, trying to look inconspicuous among bright flowers and foliage

We had a good turnout for the Belgium fundraiser and even greater result, exceeding our goal by 50%. Several people who couldn’t attend the luncheon also contributed. I put together the Liège waffle dough on Friday night, made them Saturday, and then reheated them right before the event. My new scale worked beautifully for parsing out each ball of dough (the original recipe made 16, but I wanted 20 slightly smaller servings). Bonus: the scale even remembers my chosen unit. Several who’d been to Belgium recognized the treats and enjoyed them. Bigger bonus: there was another church raising funds; together with our extra donations, the Belgian church will be able to order their windows in addition to completing the kitchen project. To God be the glory!


my calculator from high school pre-calculus – not good memories, but the calculator still works fine

While our wonderful week of 70s is over, we’re still only a bit warmer in the 80s. Maybe we won’t have to revisit 110s this year. Neighbor has commissioned me to keep an eye on her sensitive plants while she’s away on a long business trip. But before she left, we had a lovely time hitting our favorite local nurseries with plans for a little excursion to more far flung nurseries soon.

Above, an eye-catching king protea and a huge stripy tradescantia

Beautiful things we’ll never buy: pond plants and rare monstera from $249 to $429.

glorious bougainvillea and gigantic wavy echeveria that’s about 15″ across

Of course Mom’s bathroom remodel took longer than estimated. However, she really likes the updated flooring, secure handholds, and lower threshold shower. She wasn’t as fond of sorting through mounds of little bottles of whatnots and washing down all the surfaces that got amazingly dusty during the process. I came to help for a few cleaning and sorting sessions, with a bias towards throwing things out. So glad most of that is behind her now!

Sammy has seemed more and more lethargic over the last few weeks. She who would jump and skitter about for treats now sometimes looked down at her favorite morsel with apathy. The vet visit (which she tolerated well — the vet, that is: no scratching or biting from Sam) and results from her blood work showed she was healthy but severely dehydrated. We began a daily routine of giving her syringes of water and she’s perking up. We’re hoping she’ll regain the weight she’d been losing ever since Wimsey’s illness.

Fall seed sowing is looking good: lettuce mix seeds, arugula, chives, and ‘Butterscotch’ nasturtium (despite reported germination issues) are all an inch or taller. Viola seeds have another week to go. Some seven year-old foxglove seeds (‘Apricot Faerie Queen’) I was given are still thinking about it. And a fourth ‘Purple Possum’ passionfruit vine is emerging. It’s such a delight to see things grow.

Hope you have a delightful weekend, friends.

larger view of that fantastic pond at the nursery

fff sept 20

When I saw the forecast trending downward from our highs in the 110s (F), I didn’t think it would last. But we’ve had a whole week that was 40 degrees cooler than the one before, with morning marine layer lasting nearly until noon and intermittent fluffy clouds. It is such a relief! The cats have had more patio time and I had a chance to start some seeds for fall planting. That arugula doesn’t waste any time — those tiny seedlings in the orange pot (bottom left) appeared only two days after sowing.


upper left is the hard-to-germinate passionfruit vine ‘Purple Possum’; to its right is catmint seedlings

Preparation for the big fundraiser event this Sunday has gone well. To show a few photos and a handful of slides to accompany individuals sharing their stories, roomie and I tried using Google Doc’s “Slides” program. It’s very rudimentary and lacks about 80% of PowerPoint’s bells and whistles, but it was adequate for our needs. Plus, it’s easily sharable and facilitates collaboration.

Pearl sugar and a new kitchen scale have arrived. I’m making three batches of this Liège waffles recipe tonight ready for the waffle iron tomorrow. Volunteers to help serve and tidy are at the ready. Those two elderly magician ladies have been peppering us with “do you have/need” texts. About a third of the funds needed have already come in. So pleased things are coming together for this Belgian church.

My dad had some out of town friends coming for a visit and had requested the treats that time twenty years ago that Mom made — four kinds, he insisted. My dear Mom rarely bakes. Her signature (and only) cookie recipe is oatmeal lace cookies (she says she can easily swap flour for cornstarch). She couldn’t recall what the other three treats could have been, so she asked for reinforcements. I made this banana bread using maple syrup, adding walnuts and dried apricots that turned out to be a hit. Also, Mom’s latest favorite that I’ve made recently: browned butter chocolate chip (subbed with gluten-free flour). And to ensure they had a fourth treat, I tried this lemon bar recipe, which turned out to be Dad’s favorite. How many guests did Dad have? Mom said four. They now have rather a lot of treats!
Bonus: while scrolling through recipes, I came across this sheet pan chicken and summer veggies that turned out really tasty (I used balsamic glaze instead of vinegar for the final drizzle – so good). Might try a full pan of veggies next time and do the chicken on the stove top.

Some good news from long time friends who’ve had a lot of medical complications. So thankful that a pair of crucial surgeries had “the best outcomes possible,” said the surgeon. Thankful that my cousin continues to gain weight and mobility as she heads into weeks of chemo treatments. Mom’s arm continues to heal.

And then this! The first rain since…. maybe early March? What appeared to be a light drizzle wetting down streets and driveways turned into collectable rain (about 0.15″). Happy weekend, friends.

fff sept 13

bush cherry shrub (Eugenia myrtifolia) has tiny fireworks that attract lots of bees

In one of our gatherings, someone mentioned highlighting blessings and answers to prayer on a more regular basis. Made me ever more thankful for this collection of the week’s “faves” as a way to track and recall all the big and small things in our lives that have brought delight or joy or thanksgiving. Here are my fives:

We’ve had quite a stretch of 100F+ days with smoky air from several fires, though none that threaten my immediate area. Mom and my aunts and I had been comparing our thermometer readings. I think I “won” with 114F on the west side of the house (only 106.5F under the patio on that same afternoon). Mom had workers in and out with a bathroom remodel underway, so her indoor temp was around 85F with the air conditioning and fans running. What a relief it was to wake up days later to highs in the 70s and low 80s. Praying that the cooling days will be helpful to firefighters.


That reddish light on the wall is early morning sun obscured by smoke. On the right is the “Airport” fire in Trabuco Canyon, about 20,000 acres burning at the time of this photo. This is a good map with current fire details.

Aunt reported that cousin had gained four pounds, her incision from cancer surgery has nearly all healed, and she’s lining up books to read during her chemo infusion in a week or so. We’re thankful her doctors feel she’s strong enough.

Mom’s official birthday landed on our Tuesday together. After her occupational therapy session (during which her therapist said she was doing extremely well), I drove Mom and Dad to a Taiwanese restaurant where we had a lovely lunch with plenty of left overs for their dinner. Mom’s arm is improving day by day, but she can’t yet use it to bear more weight than a cup of coffee. So thankful for my dear mom and her good recovery.

Remember that Belgian fundraiser event where I was definitely not going to attempt Liège waffles with the special order pearl sugar? Well, reader, I ordered it. As the first batch was toasting away in the borrowed waffle maker, roomie walked into the kitchen and exclaimed, “It smells like the vendors in Belgium! This is the right recipe!” That was worth hearing given the hand mixing (I don’t have a stand mixer), failure of my kitchen scale, and the careful cleaning afterwards to remove caramelized sugar from the waffle plates.

My tech partner and I decided we needed to meet a few days before our Wednesday Bible study group began to ensure the computers, sound/light boards, and microphones were working as expected. We had a few hurdles that impeded a full test, so there was a lot left for Wednesday morning. The Lord was gracious and we were able to get all three mics working (new cables weren’t where we expected, batteries needed to be replaced, handheld mic had to be re-synced), found some duct tape and put it to good use, sorted the computer display issues. We had a great start to the new study year as women reconnected and cracked open new notebooks.

Have I mentioned what a delight it is to have open windows and no AC running and not feeling like walking into an oven anytime one steps outside? It’s as if the weather acknowledges that my seed order is on its way (along with a fist full of seeds a local big box store gave away as well as last year’s seeds and the year before…) and conspired to put me in the mood for sowing seeds. This site has been really helpful for seed sowing guidance specifically for my climate.

Happy weekend, friend.

George and Sam, slightly uneasy roomies

ah, september

(actually, this is a rare September morning with any clouds at all)

September is hard on plants around here. Heat intensifies while days are still relatively long. The highest temperature thus far has been 111.4F in the shade of the patio.

Some are at the end of their season, like these euphorbias and their blooms which have lasted for months.

Some, like this lemon branch, have been dealing with leaf miners year-round, though it appears worse by end of summer.

Some from sun damage, some from attrition. Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Elfin’, tea rose ‘Monsieur Tillier’, philadelphus mexicanus ‘Flore Plena’, and pelargonium ‘Citronella’.

But then there’s this! Le Pactole tea rose, introduced into commerce in 1850.

Japanese anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ popping up amidst burnt-edge leaves.

Smaller but more abundant masses of pink gaura. Can you see a little green enemy in the flowers?

Pomegranates putting on weight and turning red even as their leaves begin to decline.

How’s September looking in your neck o’ the woods?

fff sept 6

Whenever my aunt from Chula Vista visits, it’s like having a one-woman plant share event. This time, she had a few weeks to plan and would pepper us (my local aunt, Mom, and me) with pictures of things we might want her to bring. Knowing I had a monthly plant share with people eager for all kind of containers, she brought lots of pots her neighbors were giving away. She also gave me a new ground cherry plant (physalis pruinosa; mine had petered out), a lá lốt plant (Piper sarmentosum, an aromatic leaf used to wrap seasoned ground beef that’s typically grilled), and a healthy rau răm (a Vietnamese herb I love, Persicaria odorata). She also brought some of her produce: cleaned and trimmed kale, chubby carrots grown from seeds she’d gotten from Vietnam, dragonfruit, and super sweet lychee. Seems hardly fair when she only got in return was a container and a couple of grow bags from me.

I made a curry with her kale, carrots, long beans (not pictured), along with potatoes from the plant share

We had a women’s event called “Breakfast and Books” — what’s not to like? Around 23 of us gathered for a delicious meal at one woman’s home that (amazingly) had plenty of space for outdoor and indoor seating. Each woman could bring books she’d like to share and take from what others were sharing. Any remaining would be donated. Five of the women spoke about their 3-5 favorite books, giving a brief summary and what they enjoyed. Such a fantastic range of interests and genres, from historical and theological to quirky short stories and biographies and children’s series.


Our hostess was kind enough to let me take a cutting of beautiful variegated scented geranium. There are wonderfully mature trees on her property which borders on a public trail.

Some friends invited roomie and me to a just-because dinner, which turned out to be for-a-cause dinner. Roomie had been working on a fundraiser for the church in Belgium where she served last summer. Costs projections for their kitchen had increased significantly. Their designer gave a new quote that would only hold until December. These wonderful ladies jumped right in with help in organizing, printing up invitations, connecting with other resources. And then we watched their latest travel video to Mumbai, Agra, and Delhi and heard about their plan to spend an up-coming birthday (with other ladies turning 90) at a bird cafe in Costa Rica. Yes, they are 95 and 90. As we thanked them for all their help, they said, “This is what God put us on earth to do.”

For that fundraiser event, I thought it’d be apt to have Belgian waffles as a dessert. Someone on my Buy Nothing group lent me her double waffle-maker (isn’t that generous?) and I tried out my first batch this week. This recipe had lots of comments from people loving it as-is, but I want to give this one a try for an extra crispy texture (that comes from swapping some of the flour for cornstarch). Roomie says the ones she ate when she lived in Belgium were denser, more cake-like, and sweeter. However, Liège style waffles are a yeasted dough requiring a stand mixer and pearl sugar. Not sure I’m up for all that…. The more I dug, the more I learned. Check out this quote from Deb’s blog: The Belgian waffles we know of in America are an oronym (word of the day alert!) of the “Bel-Gem Waffle,” the Brussels waffle vendor that brought them to American via the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and started something of a national waffles craze. “Bel-Gem” mutated into “Belgium” then “Belgian” and the name stuck.

neighbors got the benefit of these experiments

Roomie’s mom had been having some pain, stiffness, and swelling near her jaw. Preliminary diagnoses were pretty alarming. But after visits with specialists, each symptom was reduced to more manageable solutions. One was activating her salivary glands by sipping water with lemon or sucking on a lemon wedge to reduce inflammation of that gland. Worked like a charm.

When I saw “extreme weather alert” for our area, I thought we’d have flash floods or something. Turns out, it’s for the 100F+ temperatures over several days, par for the course in September. August was relatively cool by comparison (mostly high 80s and 90s). Hope you are keeping cool in your neck o’ the woods, friends.

coleus cuttings gaining some roots in water, scented geranium cuttings, and passion fruit vine ‘Purple Possum’ seeds just beginning their long germination process