Cockle Shells

Whelks and sea urchins are welcome plant-box clutter.
There is something extremely complimentary about plants and shells.

William Wallace Denslow's rendition of the poem, 1901 (via Wikipedia)

The sunset reflects the iridescence of this shell.

Flavors of the Month

On a whim I picked up a $2 bag of dried wakame seaweed. It rang a bell but I wasn't super familiar with it. I recently rehydrated some to add to a pot of miso soup. Actually, more of a miso stew since I add tons of vegetables and whisk in a few eggs so it is rich and egg-drop-soup-esque. Turns out, I love wakame! It is the bit of green you often find floating in your restaurant miso. I added it to my packed lunch of brown rice, cucumber slices, and tofu. It added the refreshing salty tanginess of sea vegetables.

I am really appreciating our new glass tuperware. It's BPA free and a lot more elegant to eat out of.

Beet greens are SO delicious. I may have waxed poetic about them before but it is worthy saying again. Even if you aren't one for the sweet earthy flavor of beets, the greens are delightful. Especially after wilted in cast iron with a bit of garlic. I am the person who scavenges the farmer's market for the tops you've asked to be cut off.

An ordinary dinner of impromptu curry was made special by the last minute addition of mango. It made the meal. I used frozen Asian vegetable, frozen peas, frozen mango, and a bottle of red curry sauce all from Trader Joe's. Recommend.

I usually not one for following or recording recipes so I find taking a picture is a fabulous way of recapturing the essence of a successful dish.

I Believe in Compost.

On an evening stroll to the compost heap.

My weekly trips to the Farmer's Market and propensity for arranging flowers lead me to produce my share of green waste. Though I grew up with a compost bucket in the country, I used to think it wasn't the wost thing to throw out plant waste. Won't that banana peel just help the gnarly plastics break down faster in the landfill?  Actually, no.  It produces greenhouse gases since it doesn't have the opportunity to breakdown naturally (with oxygen).   One website claims "Recycling green waste as compost could match the environmental benefits of converting it into renewable energy, in terms of CO₂ savings, according to new German research."

The selfish reason to compost is the incredibly rich soil it creates. It's organic as well, not as risky or expensive as the petroleum-byproduct-conventional kind. Separating food waste also makes your trash way less gross. Coffee grinds, egg shells and veggie scraps are potent compost fodder. Conversely, citrus is a worm repellent and takes forever to break down. At home on Maui we consistently had avocado trees growing out of our compost.  Here I've had volunteer pumpkins erupt from my heap. 

 
School Lunch, 2010.  

I included this pictures because next year the schools in my district will start composting!  But why-oh-why do we still have both non recyclable styrofoam trays and waxy milk cartons?  I am impressed by how generally healthy the school lunches here are: variety of fresh fruits and veggies in a generous salad bar (jicama or jalepenos are surprisingly popular) and a not-always meat-centric entree. Kids eat good food when they are exposed to it.  It is the kids who bring lunches who concern me most.  Packed in a single meal I've seen:  Koolaid, chocolate pudding, Hostess cupcakes, and a few Ritz crackers.  Yikes.

Culturally and lifestyle-wise I'm pretty green. But it's not really due to a golden heart or noble-mindedness. I'm a product of my culture like anyone else. Living simply and on a real budget just leads to a less wasteful lifestyle. I am a actually a lazy do-gooder, relatively casual in my consumption, and don't do my best in this area.  Probably as a result from recent fieldtrips I've gone on intended to educate my 5-year-olds, I'm feeling committed to doing better and more. The Surfrider Foundation and local Art From Scrap are organizations that do an excellent job in promoting reuse and recycling--get involved!  I'll be making an effort to be more conscious about recycling, composting, and buying/producing less waste.

Marble Mini-Headshot Magnets

You know those little sheets of thumbnail size photos you get when printing photos? I recently thought of the perfect thing to do with them!

I have been making these little bubble magnets for years, using round/flat marbles, a pack round magnets, and silicone glue. I usually cut out eye-catching graphics from old magazines.

I made a batch using the mini photo-headshots. It works best with close up portraits. Featured above: Andrew in his earflap winter hat, a portrait of my grandmother Libby as a young woman, a couple-shot of my friendly neighbors, and my cousin's baby.

Detailed instructions of marble-magnet-making can be found at Not Martha.

California Succulents

Pink and Green are especially lovely when found in nature together.  I love how water beads up on these water-retaining leaves. The fleshy appearance of these cactus-like plants is very refreshing in a not-overly-green landscape.

I found a use for a funky-Andrew-made vase with a cracked bottom: a ready-made planter! You can easily create new succulent plants by breaking off any new growth and sticking it in some moist soil.  They require minimal watering. Over-watering will cause the stems to rot and the leaves to wrinkle up and fall off. They are pretty effortless in the arid climate of California.

This made me laugh. Proof of how easy succulents propagate. To anyone who believes in black thumbs here is proof that plants WANT to live. A single succulent leaf (is that term right?) got caught in the cracks of the rooftop adjacent to my porch area. Now we have a lovely little jade plant growing itself next to a faded old tennis ball.

Classroom Colors

Original Artpiece: crayons+watercolor set=
Wax-resist turtle with watercolor wash.

 

A cheap bag of dried beans= 

Luscious Legume Wall Garden

Book Report in Paper Bag: Can you
identify this great work of literature?

Sun-warmed strawberries earned by dedicated gardeners.

Patio Tomatoes

Fuzzy canary-colored tomato blossoms preview
delicious sandwiches to come.

Patio tomatoes are great for apartment dwellers. Find a sunny spot on your porch or doorstep because this compact variety was bred for containers. Though I have 12 huge tomato plants growing happily in my outside plot I can't help also having one waiting to greet me when I come and go.

The first tomato!
Pink geraniums, pictured in the shadows,
also love this time of year.

Silk Factory

We've been studying the magic of metamorphosis. 

With silkworm caterpillars.
They ONLY eat mulberry leaves. 
Not cabbage, not the milkweed of monarchs,
not the ice cream of Eric Carle's lore.
Fortunately, we have one of these pretty trees at school.

Like Very Hungry they do have a voracious appetite.
When the children aren't around you can hear them munching.
I find it meditative and soothing, like hearing snowflakes land.
They no longer exist in the wild and depend on the
human love of their lustrous cocoons for survival.
Using a paintbrush, they're delicately transferred
leaf-to-leaf so they can find fresh sustenance.

And this, my grown-up-friends, is where silk comes from.

With the cultivation required it is a wonder that it's so accessible.

This experience made me quite conscious of the
raw-silk wedding dresses I tried on.

Mugs We Didn't Make

Andrew has been ceramicing/potterizing/whipping-up-a-frenzy-of-clay. I love it. Most of the kitchenware I use is beautifully handmade. He is so talented and I am so proud. His skill is growing. I've been telling him that though he'll be the Doctor Of he might just have to be my Trophy Husband Potter Man when I am a rich teacher. ;-) It is making me miss dabbling in cool clay. But with a Monday through Friday job, a dedicated yoga practice, and a healthy social life my hobbies haven't gotten the attention they used to. Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to be planning a wedding.

School's out in 10 days. Life will be different with part-time summer take-it-or-leave it work.

But this post is supposed to be about the two mugs featured at the top. Just because I have a handmade collection: I am a non-discriminate mug lover. We found the blue-and-white handpainted one at the Swap Shop, our free-community thrift store. And I bought the light green one from the sale table at Starbucks. Pretty things cheer my heart. And I realize this love of comfy cups likely stems from a hardcore tea habit.

Sunday Morning in May

On my way to one of my favorite beaches...

I let out a shriek when Andrew almost stepped on this! 

More wildlife: This baby was posing on the rocks til a rescue team came for him.

A fun impromptu morning of surfing, sand, and sunning.

Teacher Days

"Line Leader" 

 Less than a month of school left. Most days I love my job. The kids are hilarious, my days are soulful, and I'm awfully attached.  I did a selfish casual survey of which last name do you like better Miss H___ or Mrs D______  and they all said Miss H____!    Maybe biased?  But it's a bigger deal when your last name is all you are called most hours of most days. 

May Play

Artichoke season is upon us. I am growing them as a substitute/replacement/barrier to the awful thistle weeds in the garden. I am hoping for a harvest before long.

Now the stone version: A hummingbird was having a blast playing in a fountain at the mall. A happy moment for us both.

Sweet pea season again. They are prolific in our school garden and I make a point to distribute them to each classroom and the office. I have my own bounty at home. I never tire of them. Can they grow in Hawaii? Could I get them to bloom this August?

My 23rd Birthday. The date is now set for marriage: 8-9-10. I am partial to this man. I am partial to the number 9. August 9th is also my grandmother's birthday. I am having a lot of fun arranging and dreaming about the fun and happy details.