Life Is Good

It’s a good thing we did a lot of walking: we walked to town for coffee (I didn’t get any…that stuff is disgusting), too many candles (okay, okay, I’m the only one that bought those), Fran’s Chocolates (those are so hard to find and so delicious, especially the almond gold bars…where was I? Oh yes, […]

I guess it’s the year for road trips. This is my fourth one for 2023. Ken and I have a timeshare and the points have been building up (because we had to cancel two or three trips to Hawaii during COVID) and if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them. I also think it’s important […]

Looks like that garden planning I did all those years ago is starting to come together nicely.

I have about four or five different varieties of sumac in my yard. The original tree (that introduced me to the sumac family) was over $70 and grew incredibly fast. I loved it. Then it died.  Before it bit it, I had dug up a sucker and given it to my Uncle John. He loved […]

Six years ago, I went to Leavenworth with Uncle John where we shared a raspberry turnover, visited the Kris Kringle store so he could add to his ridiculously huge Christmas village , bought inordinate amounts of chocolate, and talked for eight hours straight. It’s the little things, people. I sure miss that lovely man. 

You know that month-long craving for pizza I’ve had? Well, Ken took me out on a hot date to Coconut Kenny’s tonight. We were supposed to get the Big Kahuna, but we—being Dutch and all —got swayed by the specials sign and got the Waikiki instead. Not really a fan. Then, instead of getting Hot […]

I’m sure y’all are sick of me blathering on and on about my mom’s dahlias , but I can’t help myself. This is Café Au Lait, the variety that I got from my mom several years ago when she was still alive, which is something, because…and I quote, “I’m not going to give you any […]

Here is another one of my mom’s dahlias that by some small miracle, I didn’t kill. This variety is called “Red Balloon.” It finally bloomed today and is now resting comfortably in a small vase on my kitchen counter where I can stare at it while I’m doing my (endless) dishes. It’s the little things, […]

Ken and I dug up my mom’s dahlia tubers last fall after she passed away and stored them in our garage over the winter. Out of the 20 or so varieties she had, I managed to save only five. What can I say? She was the dahlia queen and I am not. At least my […]

It’s been one year since my mom passed away. She looked good in red. She loved dahlias and all things gardening. She was a consummate baker. She had a blast on this rare trip we took to Monterey, California; she especially got a kick out of the jellyfish at the aquarium there. Now, she is […]