September Mood Board

Well, hello October! You have come in with a bang haven't you?
It's hit 90 degrees..
What?!?!

It was pretty warm in September, but the nights were cool. The leaves were turning, but now they are confused.

It will be interesting to see what October brings. Bye September!

August Mood Board

Another month gone! It's kind of scary how quickly time passes. It's always good to slow down a bit and enjoy the flowers...

There is a random assortment of flowers blooming in my garden.

This colorful passionflower transports me to a tropical place, with a beach and sand and a fruity cocktail. I always think of Skittles when I look at the stamen. 

These guys always pop out of nowhere. No leaves, just bursts of pinks coming up through the dry dirt.

Fading fuchsia but still so colorful and bright.

I planted these when I first moved in and they are now crazy big. I've always loved the look of bougainvillea against a stark white wall with a blue blue sea in the background. Greece, one of these days I will met you.

An August mood board filled with pinks!

For you. 

And now it's on to September. While A is my favorite letter, September is my favorite month. I see some greens coming in!

Exploring Golden Gate Park

Last weekend, I decided to get away from the computer and work and take a much needed exploration of the city.

My destination: Golden Gate Park. I've lived in the Bay Area for so many years, and I have been to bits and pieces of the park, but I don't really know it very well. So my goal: to walk from one end to the other, taking photos along the way.

Ha! It was not to be, especially in flip flops. I guess I figured I used to always do it in Central Park when I lived in NY, but GGP was a whole lot more vast than I expected.

Just made it a little over half way through

I started along the ocean side, walking along JFK Drive under foggy skies. Since I had gone for a run earlier in the day, my legs were already sore, so about 1/4 mile in, I had to take a break at Spreckles Lake. Made some friends with the seagulls.

Continued on, past the Bison Patch (had no idea there were bison in the park), taking another break at Lloyd Lake.

An abundance of seagulls, a few of which took a liking to me, despite the fact that I had no treats. Plus a pair of turkey ducks, which I don't think I've ever seen before.

Along with the bits of wildlife, I was enjoying the bounties of nature.

Then I came across the boat house and Stow Lake. Super cute area, with walking trails that took you up to the top with views of the city. 

A few more random creatures along the way. 

What a crayfish was doing in the grass, I haven't a clue. I picked him up to the glee of some kids, and they passed it around before placing him back in the lake down the road.

I was trying desperately to catch some hummingbirds in action. But alas, this is the only shot that I managed to get.

It was a wonderful little adventure, and I'm looking forward to more visits and more discoveries!

July Mood Board

I don't know, but the last three July's have been awful for me. I thought maybe this one might break the curse, but it ended with such disappointment personally, that I've decided July is just not my month. I've also decided that the letter "J" is my bad luck letter. Must stay away from the J.

Even my July Mood Board is a bit paltry. The tomatoes that I thought were going to come are still green. Just one little guy for July. Not many roses at all. A few dahlias. I had to scrounge around just to get some lavender cuttings. But I did put some work into the garden this past weekend, so hopefully August will bring better results.

So it's goodbye to July and looking forward to better days in August. It helps that August starts with my favorite letter. I have a feeling August will be good.

Yay for A!

(See my inspiration for these mood boards over at Karin A's blog!)

June Mood Board

Wha???? It's July 8, and I am again behind in posting my mood board. Life is so busy that I'm wondering how long I can keep up blogging. Not even blogging a year and I may have to end it. I can barely keep up with my 366 days of food, much less a whole blog. But it is a nice departure from everyday life, so I may just keep it for that reason.

Alas, June brought to bloom many roses...

The dahlias and hydrangea are starting to bloom. Unfortunately, my hydrangea has never fully bloomed in the past 3 years, I'm not sure why.

The fruits and vegetables are popping up everywhere, or rather dropping everywhere. I have so many plums, and it's been a challenge trying to use them.

I made a plum tart, tastes great with ice cream!

And a plum cake. Thanks Martha Stewart!

One tomato has ripened, I was so excited! July will surely bring much more, I can't wait!

I gave myself a Top Chef challenge, trying to use up just the ingredients from my garden. I think I did a pretty good job!

March Mood Board

Despite the craziness of life right now, I still try to take time and smell the roses. Or in this case, the ranunculus, poppies, and blue bells. Which don't have much smell. But they sure are pretty!

The rain came down last week, giving life to these guys in my garden.

A rainbow of color, now tucked into a little glass.

I'm linking up with Karin A. I've been doing this for a few months now (February, January, November, October). It's so neat to see the progression of colors in my own backyard. 

Simplicity

It's what I'm looking for now. But life is just not so simple. Making decisions that could alter the course of your life, trying to decide which path to take, it's all such a challenge. Especially when you don't really like any of the paths. And trying to create a new more desirable path isn't easy either, especially when you're not sure how.



Yes, this is how the path is looking right now.

There is beauty along that path. I'm just having trouble finding time to enjoy it.



And when I do find the time, my mind is preoccupied with... everything.



I'd love to have a few moments to just gaze at my surroundings in awe, like a child without a care in the world.



Enjoy the sun as it peeks through the clouds and shines on my face...



I'm looking to keep the thoughts in my mind to a minimum. To just have some peace and quiet in there, even if just for a day.



(I'm linking up with Focus52. The prompt this week is Minimal, which Janice ties in with keeping things simple. It's definitely what I'm looking for in my life right now.)