Monday Meditation

“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
– Hermann Hesse

Southern California Gardening – January

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”
– Alfred Austin

I recently planted a small vegetable garden in our yard, and one of my goals for 2015 is to learn more about gardening in my region (Southern California).  Each month I plan to post gardening advice that I’ve gathered, and it would be GREAT if readers would post tips, comments, corrections and any other thoughts in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you, so please help me learn!  Cheers!

Things to plant in January
Lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, chard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, peas, fava beans, carrots, parsnip, radish, beets, garlic, onion, potatoes, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, artichoke, bramble berries, blueberries, strawberries and deciduous fruit trees.

January To-Do List
Feed your established cool-season vegetables.
Prune your deciduous fruit trees.
Remove and compost leaf litter from around deciduous fruit trees.
Remove persistent leaves from apple trees to avoid apple scab.
Feed your citrus trees.

Native Plants and Habitat
January is a great month to plant California natives and create wildlife habitat in your own backyard!

Tips
Don’t walk on garden soil when it is wet (this will compact your soil).
Don’t dig is soil when it is wet enough to make dirt balls in your fist.
Have fun!

Happy Tuesday!

Up early.  Watching dolphins and pelicans before school.  It's a neat world out there!  Enjoy!

Monday Meditation

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants…  That, more or less, is the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy.”
– Michael Pollan

Happy New Year!

As we greet another year—full of possibilities and fresh adventures—I am taking a little time to reflect on some highlights from 2014.

Winter

Laguna Mountains

Spring

Zion National Park

Summer

John Muir Wilderness

Fall

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

Here’s wishing you a 2015 full of love, laughter and outdoor adventure!  Get mud on your feet!

Monday Meditation (from the garden)

“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of personal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him somewhat independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself, the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.”
– Wendell Berry

Merry Christmas!

"Ho ho ho!  Go outside and have fun!"

– Santa Claus