Happy (Belated) Birthday Boo!

Mango Sorbet

I have been eating this up!

I get the mangos at Costco (Champagne Mangos - 6 medium, or 4 large of any kind), peel them with a serrated peeler (messy - or Google how to use a knife), and cut as much mango flesh off the fruit as possible. 

I fill a Cuisinart (about 3/4 full) with the mango fruit as I go. Add 1/4 cup of liquid sweetener (one year I used Coconut Nectar, now I use local honey - both great) and 3 TBSPs of lemon or lime juice.  Blend until smooth.

Here's the valuable information: freeze in *one serving* containers like silicone ones that are muffin size, because it is like ICE if it's frozen in a large container like ice cream - you have to defrost all of it to get some. 

To me it is much more better tasting when it's frozen! A very light dessert.

Frank and Theresa

We've been hoping to put some current pictures of Theresa, Frank's girlfriend of five years on the blog and we finally got some! Theresa comes over a couple times a week, and of course, they go out often. Obviously a lasting and lovely friendship!

She's a good influence on him!

Frank and Theresa flying in the side garden - one of the things they do together.

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Cricket's Toy

Cricket the barn cat owns the entire property and us. She's a feral cat, wicked, sometimes mean, and lives at the barn and harasses everyone. She just wants us all to remember the barn is her toy - oh, and everything in it too.

AJ and Alison's 'Toy'

Remember AJ and Alison's new place - 

well, now they're landscaping and planting. Look at their beautiful results. I know what hard work this is and I'm SO PROUD of them and how it's turning out. Alison's email tells the story:

"We have been gardening!  Well I have been gardening, AJ has been digging a lot of holes and trenches and then being dismissed since baseball started. We learned after we moved in that the sewer line runs parallel to the house and under a couple fruit trees that had been planted in the last few years so we started by digging those out. It took forever but the trees survived and are now happily living in some other person's yard. We replaced one of the trees with a petite Japanese maple that should not be as tempted to destroy our sewer pipes as the old trees would have been. We also had to remove a few feet of soil that had been back filled in to level out the yard but was just being held back by a (quickly rotting) wooden fence. I left that fun chore to AJ :)"

"There is a small, shady front yard that I have yet to tackle and then a strip of dirt that runs the length of the house and is only about 10 feet deep. I foolishly assumed that it would be a snap to transform this long narrow patch into something more desirable but boy was I wrong. I have been at it every weekend for a few months and it is finally starting to look like a yard! That side of the house gets a good amount of sun all day so I chose California natives that were suited for lots of sun and little water. There are many penstemons, monkey flowers, a manzanita bush that should someday reach 8 ft high, some douglas irises and a few others. 

Nothing edible besides my little potted herb garden and the raggedy tomato plants that out tenants put in. I also have some succulents  (Like these maybe... hmmm...)

in pots and in a weird little dirt patch that is closed in by the driveway and some left over cement steps to nowhere. 

By next spring it should really look like something. If I get to the front yard before summer really kicks in I will send along some pictures of that as well. Since the side yard is so long and narrow it does not photograph very well but I made a little collage of the plants and also a before and after. The before picture was taken before we closed escrow while I was waiting for the realtor, home inspector, and AJ to crawl back out from under the house. No way was I going under there. The after picture is from this morning. Hugs and kisses to your whole gang and I love the blog!"

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Charlie's Toys

Charlie's succulents!

I love how he makes something out of 'nothing' like he did with this bench, and I really like the fence he made!

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Alta's New Toy

It must be Spring, it seems like everyone has new toys!
I love the red!

Bruce's New Toy

Could this above -
mean this below?

Hi sherry

Here's my new toy

Electric solar kayak

Or I yak as I call it

It does not have blue tooth

But it will give you blue toe

I have caught 3 fish with it

And plan to will it to the biggist fish

That I released 

I hope I can find his email address

Love boo

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Deck View Last Week

It was beautiful and hot last week! I took these pictures from our deck. Everything's still green and lush, and the hummingbirds are buzzing around. Worth the wait.

Still doing my exercises and weekly decompressions and feel really loose, but the pinched spinal cord and nerves are still holding on. So, not much to report.

Spring!

Speed Queen

Here's a picture of my new Speed Queen Washer and Dryer, complete with laundry to fold in front. USA made, commercial quality, extra large, really good warranty, etc... I love them!

My Garden

Hahahaha...Actually, Bob is growing these weeds in order to weed whack them real soon....Pictures of our garden are in this blog - but, we're in for a couple weeks of colder weather which will slow things down.

Bruce's SECOND CROP!

Pictures of beautiful gardens like this in California make me realize I'm in Idaho! This is part of my brother Bruce's vegetable garden in San Rafael, CA, this week - lucky! Actually, Bruce has been gardening since I can remember - it's obviously in his bones. His garden around his and Sheri's place is really neat with several 'ecosystems' - like a shaded area in front. Challenging! Above this post is our garden - we haven't even gotten one crop yet!

Welcome Elmer!

Our new pound puppy is wonderful! Four years old, wonderfully trained and easy going. Fun, mostly Chocolate Lab/Retriever, submissive to humans and doesn't take off. The name may change though....

Coming Soon!

Pictures of my new Washer and Dryer - hey, these are like new power tools to me! - and an update on my spine treatments.

Got anything to share? Email it to me and I'll put it on this blog. We are all so spread around that it's nice to see what each other's up to. It's like a visit! 

xox

Charlie's Toys and Gardening

My brother Charlie is very creative, and he's always into a fun creative project - or several! When we were in Alameda in 2011 he had several nice succulent wall hangings - live!, and numerous welding projects.  He welded our brand that night for us (will post soon). BUT what are these toys? I'm guessing these have to do with his kite sailing videos - chime in!

He also makes these screen doors and gates special order. The spider and the fly move - see Comments at end of post. Bob loves this:

For a few years, he also made glass jewelry and other items. I wonder where we get it? Please send pix of what's happening in your life for all of us to see!

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Finally - finally I'm in the yard as much as I can handle - about an hour a day (99% of garden work is back work!)

My fledgling herb garden and THE GREEN GARDEN CHAIR...

I picked out a cute poem called Window Boxes, and I liked it and more than that it matched this picture of my volunteer pansies and Mom's old window boxes. Then Bob read the poem out loud. That was the end of the sweet poem for me, now I just laugh when I read it, but you decide.

Window Boxes
Eleanor Farjeon

A window box of pansies
Is such a happy thing.
A window box of wallflowers
Is a garden for a king.
A window box of roses
Makes everyone stand still
Who sees a garden growing
On a window sill.

We had these for dinner the other night - they're bolting early because it's been so hot! Below is Bob's lettuce and his strawberries.

Alpine (or wild or woodland) strawberries - smaller and not marketable, but so sweet!

Every year I grow these Bleeding Hearts - they're the first flowers "up" in the patio and every years it's so refreshing to see them.

xox

RIP Julie

Yesterday morning our Julie passed away peacefully in her sleep. We miss her and her brother, Luke, who passed away last Fall.