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macro fall
My dad has always been the first to give everyone their first pumpkin each fall. It’s a long family tradition. Of course I messed that up, five years ago, when we moved to California. So each year he sends me a gift certificate to Green Acres, our local nursery. This year I took my macro…
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Bumbling My Way Through the Lavender
Since the temperatures are heading up today, I thought it would be smart to harvest lavender in the morning hours. Seems I wasn’t the only one to pre-plan my day. When a new cycle of lavender starts opening, I cut the old stalks to bring inside. (I still have a lot to learn about ways…
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Sutherland’s Sunday Summary (except on a Tuesday)
Spring in Northern California…wow. From February to the end of May is northern California’s show-off time. It’s a gorgeously long season of magnificent blooms and growth. After a few months of rain, everything catapults to life. This was just a walk around the block… Clearly this house has mastered the art of rose bushes. The…
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THE GREEN WITCH by Arin Murphy Hiscock
To be honest, I’ve put off posting about this book wanting to make sure it wasn’t going to be too offensive to anyone – or to myself. I wanted to get far enough into the book to see if it was just too ‘woo-woo’. Thankfully, it is what I hoped it would be – a…
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Cebu Blue
Please don’t tell the others, but this Cebu Blue ((might be my favorite houseplant.)) I try to keep it low key, but I think the others know. The leaves on a Cebu are so magically blueish silveryish. I just love it! I bought this one from a local seller as a little rooted baby and…
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Big Monstera Tip/Advice
Basically, do this before it gets too late and you end up like me. (Sounds ominous, doesn’t it??) A quick backstory… Our monstera deliciosa was large when we lived in Kansas City. When we moved to California, we knew it couldn’t make the trip in our car so I cut a number of stems from…
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THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes
Books celebrating books. Authors paying homage to readers. This enticing concoction of book-celebrating is an intoxicating elixir when it occurs in a storyline and The Giver of Stars is no exception. This book is based on a true story in American history. Historical reference: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Works Progress Administration created librarians – primarily…
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A CHRISTMAS MEMORY by Truman Capote
Illustrator Beth Peck elegantly illuminates the words of Truman Capote as he tells the story of the uniquely loving relationship between seven-year-old, Buddy, and his ‘sixty-something’-year-old distant cousin, living in the same house. ‘We are each other’s best friend.’⠀ They make cakes together every year as the weather turns cold and fly homemade kites when…
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HARRY’S TREES by Jon Cohen
What a fantastic book. It hooked me quickly and kept me on the line the whole way through. What a beautiful celebration of books and nature and great love. ⠀ ⠀”To every story we bring the story of ourselves.”⠀ This book celebrated the freedom of forgiveness. The adventure of reading. The beauty of nature. The cost…
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Just a Whole Lotta Lake Tahoe
Fall in Northern California is something special. I am unapologetic about photographing every leaf around Lake Tahoe… When will I tire of standing on a hill and looking down to the bottom of the lake?? We were a little disappointed the day was so overcast. The white clouds gave a cast to the lake that…
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Yosemite National Park
Our daughter, Hannah, flew into town on Sunday. We started right out on our California adventures on Monday morning. We are tired and car-weary, but it’s been an incredible two days (and more to come!) (interesting water levels on the rocks across the lake) We drove 3.5 hours to Yosemite National Park yesterday. Lots of…