behind the scene

Remember the day I was

dipping my toes in?

Well...

I glanced at the corner

of my yard across

from me...

the unsightly

neglected

ugly...

(I really hate it)

corner of my lot

when something shifted inside of me.

I saw the beauty that

 I never recognized before.

Functional Beauty.

Real Living kind of stuff.

Fire pit for yard debris...

storage for extension ladders...

lots of weeds...

compost pile...

wheelbarrow hangout...

rakes leaning

against the shed...

and a whole lotta dirt.

With all those strikes against it

I finally understood

why kids gravitate to this

corner of my yard.

It's not organized...

maybe a little dangerous.

A spot where one can

be a little wild and

unpredictable.

There are no cute flower beds

to distract

from the camp-out feel of this locale.

A tree house to explore!

Not painted in a pretty palette

or cleaned in years...

we're talking

about places where

good stories are made.

Probably of the ghost variety.

Rustic...

natural...

gonna get dirty

kind of

real.

Like the milkweed growing

like crazy in my

front garden.

Sure I could pull it out

spray weed killers...

show that pest who's boss...

and control..

CONTROL

my little acre.

And if I did that...

Where would the Monarch

lay its egg?

In its cycle of life it needs

the precious, ugly

milkweed to

survive.

Life can be messy sometimes...

correction...

most times.

If we focus on the chaos

we will miss the beauty

it holds.

Even the potential

 beauty.

Picture perfect.

Blog worthy.

Pretty and breathtaking

are so overdone

that we forget to notice

the

real stuff.

After all...

that ugly caterpillar

must eat and eat and get uglier

and fatter

(come on...you've all read Eric Carle)

before

becoming

the beautiful butterfly.

Today...

celebrate the ugly parts

of

real living.

community

Backing up

Ol' Blue...

loaded with spades, buckets, and

tractor tires?

Welcome to

St. Luke's Community Garden.

As you can see

it is still in its grassroots stage.

Pretty little boxes...

all in a row.

Then along came

the Thompson Girls...

oh, and their volunteer

muscles.

Mom's hollering...

"This didn't end well for Scout!"

But,

You can't put cousins

and a big tire together without

expecting a few

antics.

"I got this...I got this..."

Or not!

"Move it over...

big bro is gonna show you how it's done!"

With the satisfaction

of holding on for

the complete rotation...

we put them

to

work.

Moving dirt.

We set up our camp

in the back corner

of unclaimed property.

The garden has yet to find

its true mission.

Sometimes churches...

aka people...

are reluctant...uneasy...just plain

afraid to share their new toys.

For now...

the members are planting

and giving their

bounty to

organizations that need

fresh produce.

That's cool.

But if you look beyond

the yard in the above

pic...

you will see an

apartment complex.

Hmmm...

Wouldn't it be nice for those

dwellers to have

their very own gardens?

Maybe meet a few new friends

along the way.

Just sayin...

Planted our little

herb garden.

What?

All those pasta dishes we serve

will now be made that

much tastier

and

healthier.

But wait!

The water towers are

not filled...

yet.

"Boys...

could you go to

grandma's

for a water run?"

Pretty please?

We paid them up front...

in food.

"Thanks, guys!"

Water.

Precious water.

Just like that...

the community garden

got some personality...

a little spunk.

Urban funked...

or would that be

rural junked?

Regardless...

it is beautiful.

I am envisioning that portion of

chain link

getting traded for a picket

of many colors...

sunflowers blooming

happily at the borders.

It's true what they say...

It does take a community.

Thanks, boys.

:)

in answer to the question...

What did you do this weekend?

Planted a garden.

Walked my yard.

Snipped some basil.

Looked at the cute.

Cleaned up the yard...

or rather,

watched those that did.

Prepared vegan friendly foods.

Admired my frig.

Stocked up on iced tea.

Monitored pool temp.

Applauded those brave enough

to take a swim.

Laughed along with them.

Drew flowers on the

walkway with my

grand girls.

Took a ride with my guy.

Snapped an artsy-fartsy shot.

Shopped at the Farmer's Market.

Bought some organic lettuce.

Took a picture of it...

to pay my respects...

before eating it.

Puppy sat Buddy's brother, Troy.

Gave some love to tuckered-out Zoey.

Dipped my toes in.

Basically...

things that made me smile...

like that!

What did you do this weekend?

this moment

Joining Soule Mama and her many friends in this Friday ritual.

A single photo...no words.

Capturing a simple, extraordinary moment from my week.

 A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. amen.

Won't you join us?

in my kitch

Welcome.

"No matter where I serve my guests

they seem to like my

kitchen best."

--A plaque that was in

my mom's busy kitchen.

This is my work station.

I spend quite a bit of time on

that 11 x 7 swatch

of floor.

It isn't glamorous...

and after looking at these pictures

I can say with confidence

a little updating wouldn't hurt...

but...

it's mine.

The door leads to the basement

with a handy 2-step down landing.

Just the right spot for

shelving.

Rubber coated shelving

that holds my growing

whole food

pantry...

and other essentials.

My husband installed these

years ago...

and they were the gathering place

for everything from

batteries and light bulbs

to doggie treats.

Now they are an extension to

my kitchen...

when I open that door

the bright yellow light

floods in.

Easy access.

That's been an incentive of mine.

Like many, I have found myself

asking...

Why do I insist on putting

items I use daily in drawers?

The answer to that question

is taking shape

as I "remodel"

my space.

Just wanted to show my viewers

how cute May has been.

Way to go Warren Kimble!

Such an improvement over

ugly fish...

don't you think?

While visiting my kitch

let's see what the bitch has been up to.

Introducing kale to the family...

sneaking it in salads...

it's green so they didn't mention

a thing.

Tossed with other fresh

ingredients...

Blended together for a

good long time...

to create the

Green Breakfast Smoothie.

I find I only enjoy smoothies

during the warmer months...

this one was a surprise.

It tasted fresh and clean...

not adjectives I use to describe food

very often...

but as I travel this month long vegan path

I find they are the perfect choice

with so many

fruits and veggies

on my plate.

A glass for now...

the rest for the 4 pm zone-out time.

My one honest complaint with this recipe...

I was hungry an hour after

eating/drinking it.

Where is the protein that

holds me over until

lunch?

Not to be found in this one...

but I did enjoy it midday.

Make sure you have an audience as

you drink this bright green fluid...

they will ask oh, so many

funny questions

that will have you asking...

Would you like a taste?

Thanks for visiting my

 kitchen today.

You're welcome back anytime.