Succulents and Seashells

INDOORS OR OUTDOORS

SUCCULENTS AND SEASHELS MAKE THE PERFECT MATCH

CALL IS XERISCAPE, OCEAN THEMED LANDSCAPING, or BEACH THEMED GARDENS

IT'S ALL GOOD

Pinterest July Garden Photos

Black Rose Succulent

Sugar Baby Watermelon starting to grow

Aloe photo with fisheye lens

From the garden to the table dinners

Sunday Bliss

Pinterest Photos

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
-Dalai Lama

Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep
-Romans 12:15

The more we know, the better we forgive. those who feel deeply feel for all living beings.
-Madame de Stael

FABULOUS FIGS and the many ways to enjoy them!

 I grow figs and share them with people every day that have never "tried" a fresh fig. 

Go try one- You may just love them!

Fresh Panache Figs with Goat Cheese

Desert King and Panache Figs with green skin and a pink flesh.

MIXED INTO A MORNING SMOOTHIE

BAKED INTO A PIZZA- even if it is a Trader Joe's frozen type

ADDED TO A SALAD

GROWING ON THE TREE

A FIG TART DESSERT
Fig and Almond Tart- Giada De Laurentiis

MISSION FIG TREE IN A RAISED CONTAINER

Zen Fable and Beautiful Dahlia

I heard this Zen fable years ago and came across it again this Sunday morning.
It's a wise fable about judgement. Photographing this Dahlia in my garden today created a symbolic reminder to judge less and enjoy more, judge less and love more. Gardening quiets the mind and nourishes the soul.
 Zen Fable:
There was once a wise old farmer who owned a prize horse. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came over to offer their condolences. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "Maybe," was all the farmer replied. A few days later the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "Maybe," replied the old man again. The following day, the farmer’s son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. Once again, the neighbors offered their sympathy, saying "How awful." "Maybe," answered the farmer one more time. The day after that, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son of the farmer had a broken leg, they passed him by. The neighbors once again congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “What good fortune,” they said. The farmer replied yet again, “Maybe.”

Summer Solstice 2013

Happy Summer Solstice today, the longest day of the year and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. 

This is beautiful day to celebrate light and meditate on light as a symbol of energy both physical and spiritual.

My first Dahlia bloomed today in the garden. Summer is here!

Sunflower with natural looking heart center

Photo today: Sunflower in my garden with a natural heart center. 

What are the chances of that? I did a double take then ran for my camera!

Monday Inspiration

PHOTO CREDIT: glassfloatjunkie.etsy.com

I purchased a glass fishing float from a vendor on Etsy to add to my "under the sea" succulent garden. The photo and caption above is from her Facebook page and I thought it was a beautiful insight to start the week. Happy Monday!

GLASS FISHING FLOATS IN THE SUCCULENT GARDEN

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BE KIND

The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.

- Author Maya Angelou 

so many ways to be kind...

 A little inspiration today as we mourn the sad events of the Boston Marathon and the Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion.

After a week of trauma in the news I was uplifted to find so many resources for kindness, especially the quote by Mr. Rogers that I heard for the first time:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me,

 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." 

1) The Be Kind People Project
2) Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
3) Wiki How: How to be Kind
4) To Be Kind Facebook Page
5) Quotes about Kindness

* Thank you Chula and Bella *

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Bliss Chalk Drawing

BLISS: complete happiness, supreme happiness, utter joy or contentment, paradise.

Wishing you a blissful day full of kind and purposeful thoughts and actions. Create your own bliss? Absolutely!

This link shows how to create a DIY: wet chalk drawing.  Chalk boards make great canvases for artwork that can be changed up, or place in the kitchen for weekly dinner menus. 

(Thank you Taylor for this amazing chalk drawing- not to be erased!)
Happy Birthday Pam!
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BLoSsOm bLiSs

"What a strange thing! to be alive beneath cherry blossoms."

- Kobayashi Issa, Poems

I pulled my car over on the side of the road to catch this beauty last week on the windy roads in Rancho Santa Fe, CA. An ornamental Cherry 'Sakura' Tree in full bloom.
Link to the National Cherry Blossom Festival ongoing this month in Washington D.C.

'Sakura' Ornamental Cherry Tree
Pinterest Bliss Photos

Torrey Pines State Reserve Day Trip

Torrey Pines State Reserve is located in Del Mar, CA. and is considered one of the best ocean view hiking spots in Southern California. Currently the wildflowers are in bloom and this is the best time of the year to enjoy the color and beauty of these trails. Botanically speaking the reserve contains over 330 plant species including abundant annual and perennial natives such as sage scrub, chaparral and salt-march plants.  Panoramic ocean views, a visitors center with knowledgeable volunteers and a plenitude of hiking trails are what you can expect on a day trip to the reserve. The base of the reserve meets the beach with parking and restrooms available. 

Directions: From Interstate 5, exit on Carmel Valley Road and head west to North Torrey Pines Road (old Highway 101).  Turn South: the entrance is at the base of the bluffs.

Torrey Pine Trees consist of 5 needles: a unique and distinctive characteristic. It is the rarest pine tree in the United States and the seeds are edible.

 Many more photos on following page...........

Sweet Peas

In Southern California coastal region we are in the last month to plant Sweet Peas according to Renee's Seeds advice. I’ve had great luck planting these fragrant beauties in raised planters, along fences and in small containers for the patio. This is an easy to grow flower and purchasing from quality seed companies makes a difference. 

♥  Some helpful hints for planting sweet peas  ♥

♥ Soak the seeds over night to soften the hard seed coat prior to planting.

♥ Plant seeds 3″- 6″ apart and 1″ deep in a sunny location. Morning sun works best.

♥ Sweat Peas need a trellis, string or twine to grow and climb (unless you purchase the bush type).

♥ They make a great cut flower. Cut frequently for a heavier production.

♥ Use a thin top layer of mulch to retain moisture.

♥ Plant Sweet Peas in cool weather months.

♥ Heirloom or Open Pollinated/ Self -pollinated sweet peas will grow from saved seeds. Allow the plants to dry out while still planted in the ground and then collect the seeds from the pods. Store in containers in a cool and dry place.

Scrabble Word of the Day - Pray

I had fun this weekend with my camera and Scrabble tiles and a meditation in my mind about prayer being limitless in its form and expression. Then I found some inspiring quotes from famous people and thought about what prayer meant to them throughout their lives and how they brought strength into their day.

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day."

-Abraham Lincoln

"If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough."

- Meister Eckhart

"Go where your best prayers take you."

-F. Buechner

"By meditation we connect the little joy of the soul with the vast joy of the Spirit."

-P. Yogananda

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Rock Stacking

Rock stacking has carried spiritual meaning across cultures for centuries. The act of balancing stones carries with it a practice of patience and a physical effort of creating balance. I love the idea of tangible prayer and finding new ways to express gratitude in my life. Each rock can signify an intention of grace for thankfulness, or offered up for another in need. Connecting nature in this externalized expression is uplifting and very powerful tool for expanding the spirit. A little silicone glue can help make smaller stone towers last through the seasons if used as a garden decoration or given as a gift.

Aloe in the Garden

Have you considered planting aloe in your garden?

This is one of my favorite plants for the larger area landscape and also as a potted plant. I enjoy the long lasting blooms and the hummingbirds that are attracted to the aloe flowers. 

Benefits of aloe: Helps sooth burns, blisters, rashes, athlete's foot, acne, sunburns, it's a mild anesthetic, relieves itching, reduces inflammation, beautiful flowering and draught tolerant plant, moisturizer, post shaving gel, dermatitis aid. Aloe juice is also available at health food stores as a supplement.

Did you know that Aloes are considered one of the Fire Safe landscaping plants? They provide a defensible space of non inflammatory vegetation in the same way that succulents do.

A great plant to fall in love with!

Daily Gratitude

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Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and appreciative. 
Finding time each day to add more gratitude can help to shift our perspective to a more meaningful day, a more meaningful life. I like to feel more gratitude by embracing the things I love and getting more of that love into my life. Author Marrianne Williamson writes that to have a shift in perspective is a Miracle. Isn't that the truth? Wouldn't you just LOVE it if some people in your life would have a change in perspective? Of course we all would, but it's not so bad for us either! That shift of an expanded gratitude can create more happiness and peace to our lives and others around us.
What brings you joy each day? 
These are my chihuahuas that make me laugh and teach me about unconditional love every day. 
I am thankful for these little life forms!

 My gratitude photos for today...

BELLA

CHULA

Bella and Chula

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LOVE CRAZY

I have been photographing the word LOVE for years.

Finding the word LOVE and photographing it in all sorts of places has become another gratitude booster for me. Always a fusion of joy when I least expect it!
As my "collection"of Love photos grows, so do my DIY crafts and gifts with them. 

Spray painted LOVE in an alley in Santa Fe, New Mexico

This one I wrote in the sand and created Valentine cards.