growing things
This summer has been amazing. The weather reminded me of summers spent at the family dacha, and working in my garden felt like I was channeling my mother's, grandmother's, and great grandmother's gardening magic. Seriously, I never really dug in the dirt. And had no idea what I was doing. But things grew, and grew tasty, and I even had some awe-inspiring critter visitors.
German striped heirloom tomato.
Hibiscus flower.
Hydrangea, Russian sage, nasturtium, hollyhock leaves, dill flowers.
Emerald dragonfly in the cucumber vine.
Black jack fig.
Nasturtium leaf.
Basil flowers.
Berrie hiding in the hostas. She thinks she’s camouflaged, funny girl.
Cucumbers, oh so many: for cucumber salad, soup, cocktails, pickles, and snacks.
Calendula flowers in the small vase, hollyhock leaves in the tall vase.
Praying mantis on the hibiscus leaf. Had not seen this color combo before.
things are growing in my garden
this is the first summer in my garden. i am completely new to gardening, so everything that comes up and lives is very exciting to me. i hope i keep that novice excitement forever, in all parts of my life, actually...
thai basil flowers, smell and taste incredible and exotic
baby cucumber
full grown cucumber, in less than a week after the baby stage
perfect lettuce
lovely pale pink roses
big thank you to lil bub fans
full disclosure: i am the big sister of lil bub’s dude. if you don't know who lil bub is, i recommend doing an image search on google.
for lil bub’s third b-day, dude wanted to raise $50,000 for lil bub’s big fund for the ASPCA. to help him reach his goal, we came up with a limited edition set of two lil bub wee tea cups, with all proceeds from the sale going to the fund.
to my very big surprise all the sets sold in less than 24 hours, and we raised $6100 for the fund. i want to thank all the lil bub fans who purchased a set. you are amazing.
the wee teas are being hand poured, hand stamped, dipped in glaze, typography and lil bub images applied, kiln fired (3 times). it will just take me a little while to complete.
i have to say, it feels incredible to support such a good cause with just my two hands. thank you for giving me the opportunity.
for lil bub’s third b-day, dude wanted to raise $50,000 for lil bub’s big fund for the ASPCA. to help him reach his goal, we came up with a limited edition set of two lil bub wee tea cups, with all proceeds from the sale going to the fund.
to my very big surprise all the sets sold in less than 24 hours, and we raised $6100 for the fund. i want to thank all the lil bub fans who purchased a set. you are amazing.
the wee teas are being hand poured, hand stamped, dipped in glaze, typography and lil bub images applied, kiln fired (3 times). it will just take me a little while to complete.
i have to say, it feels incredible to support such a good cause with just my two hands. thank you for giving me the opportunity.
almost peony time
having a garden of my own for the very first time, i’m a bit obsessed with what’s coming up around my house. i have not lived here a year yet, so everything is new. a very welcome surprise are the two giant peony plants that are now 4' tall. i clipped off some of the buds, so the stems don’t break under the weight of all the flowers (there are oh so many on the way). the buds are architectural and stunning, full of potential...
still life saturday in blue
rainy blue day today...
photo via decor it darling
photo via breeze giannasio
photo by martyn thompson
photo by mikiko hara
photo via the crafts department at martha stewart
photo by alison gootee for country living
photo via the sun surfer
photo by asya palatova
making my own traditions
Just last week (right after the lunar eclipse), came Spring, and renewal, and a little bit of ease from a tough few months. So I decided to set a table with gleena to celebrate:
My table is loosely based on the Passover Seder tradition, with six bowls ready for the zeroah (shank bone), charoset (apple and nuts), maror (bitter herb), karpas (green veggie), chazeret (leafy bitter green), beitzah (egg).
My family left Russia as Jewish refuges in 1979, so the story of Jews leaving Egypt resonates with me deeply. We weren’t slaves in Soviet Russia, but we were discriminated against. I did not grow up with Jewish traditions, because they were illegal during the Soviet regime, like all religions. So for me, holidays are personal interpretations. Ceremony inspired by the natural cycles of the seasons mixed in with bits of traditional services.
Passover then is a time to reflect upon my own habits, situations, and thoughts that enslave and bring unhappiness. A time to let go of doubt and fear, and to enjoy the beauty of new spring, and rebirth.
The morning after the dinner I woke up to the patch of sun on the dining room table, and this saying came to mind immediately: ”Where there is shadow, there is light.“:
My table is loosely based on the Passover Seder tradition, with six bowls ready for the zeroah (shank bone), charoset (apple and nuts), maror (bitter herb), karpas (green veggie), chazeret (leafy bitter green), beitzah (egg).
My family left Russia as Jewish refuges in 1979, so the story of Jews leaving Egypt resonates with me deeply. We weren’t slaves in Soviet Russia, but we were discriminated against. I did not grow up with Jewish traditions, because they were illegal during the Soviet regime, like all religions. So for me, holidays are personal interpretations. Ceremony inspired by the natural cycles of the seasons mixed in with bits of traditional services.
Passover then is a time to reflect upon my own habits, situations, and thoughts that enslave and bring unhappiness. A time to let go of doubt and fear, and to enjoy the beauty of new spring, and rebirth.
The morning after the dinner I woke up to the patch of sun on the dining room table, and this saying came to mind immediately: ”Where there is shadow, there is light.“:
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