Food on my brain

I'm obsessed with this weight loss program I'm on. I've been spending an exorbitant amount of time thinking about food and planning the next meal. Sounds like an addict, doesn't it?

I am so determined to be successful and have a list of ten tools I use every day, one of which is drawing every morsel I consume.

So far, it's working. I've lost a few pounds, I'm out there walking (2.2 miles today) and my dogs are grateful. But I have a ways to go and this will take a while.

I need to get back to other kinds of drawing in addition to maintaining a visual food journal.

I've also been getting my vegetable garden set up for the season. I use the Square Foot Gardening method so each square is planted separately.

So far I've planted 16 square feet of pole and bush beans and I set out the eight bell pepper plants I started indoors by seed. I have three tomato plants in Topsy-Turvy planters (hanging upside down) and one has several yellow flowers on it so I think it's going to work.

Last year, I was so excited about Square Foot Gardening, which was new to me then, that I planted for too many different veggies but not enough of any one thing. This year I'm going to have a much more limited menu, but hopefully what I plant will actually be sufficiently abundant to actually feed this family. To be continued...

Back to normal

I was a bit jet-lagged today since 7:00 this morning was only 4:00 Honolulu time. I thought I'd never get myself up. But I needed to unpack, get Youngest Daughter off to work, briefly work myself.

But it was also a particularly beautiful day. I planted 16 square feet of pole and bush beans using the Square Foot Gardening method I tried last year.

This evening was Farmers' Market, which we attend often, and always bump into friends. One of the concessions was selling baklava, one of my all time favorite treats. Oh, it was very good!

I'm still drawing food as a way to keep myself on track with the goal of losing weight. Even in Hawaii I drew every bite so didn't stray too far from my intentions....

Happy Easter, Happy Passover

If you celebrated anything today, I hope it was a good day. Our grandchildren came over for Easter dinner. With their parents, of course. Even though the kids are now nine and twelve the Easter bunny still leaves a basket at our house to distribute to them when they arrive. So fun!. Their mom brought in the best ever coconut cake, as traditional as the chocolate bunnies in the baskets. Oh, yum!

I proudly showed my daughter my Square Foot Garden and she seemed impressed that I had put together the frames myself and gotten everything gridded and planted. I still have two containers to complete - the containers are ready but nothing has been planted - and I need to start weeding the footpaths and setting down bark chips. By the middle of summer I want this garden to be absolutely exquisite.

Steve and I attended church at St. Mary's, Napa, this morning. We got there early but still had trouble finding seats. It was a gorgeous day here in northern California and the air was festive and upbeat. Demi was fresh from her Saturday evening bath and behaved perfectly, as always. She is such a fixture to the parish now.

Tomorrow will be an easy day - a couple hours work and our stint at the library. I'm hoping to take time to do some drawing and catching up for class Tuesday. The weather is expected to continue to be sunny all week and that always adds some energy right there. But I am getting behind in my drawing.....

Beet's up!

In class yesterday we were introduced to Conté crayons and toned paper. 

I immediately went for a botanical again and had brought in this gray dogwood from our front yard. It has wonderful clusters of white buds now, just ready to pop open, but I got bogged down in the leaves and left the little white balls for last. Leaves are so fun to draw! The paper,   by the way, is light green, but the other colors are pretty close to true.

I inspect my first two 4x4s a couple times a day. Yesterday I noticed that a few tiny beets had popped up - the winners, the first plants of the season - and today they were all present. There are supposed to be 16 plants because I painstakingly poked in one seed at a time. A couple had wandered to be closer to friends - maybe from the rain, maybe because of the way I watered - but everyone is accounted for. If you click on the photo you'll get a close-up. The grid bars are narrow dowels. Aren't these the cutest little beeties you've every seen?

Demi, the library dog

Last fall, when school started, I asked the local children's librarian if Demi could come to the library regularly so kids could practice reading to her. Then I went ahead and had her recertified as a Social/Therapy dog so she'd be official.

I don't know why it took so long - I pestered the librarian regularly. But finally, we're on the schedule. Every Monday afternoon now Demi and I are there and kids take turns reading to her.

It didn't go exactly as I had envisioned but it was totally successful all the same. The first customer was too young to read and didn't speak English -- so I did the reading to her and Demi, in Spanish! (Thank heavens for all those classes, right?)

The second and third kids really needed to practice. Their reading skills were quite poor and they were exactly the kids I had in mind. I helped them when they stumbled and Demi patiently watched.

I gave each of the kids a MOO card with a Thank You message on the back.


Child #4 was also too young to read. She brought me another Spanish book. It was a cute book, a toddler's book on how to use the potty! There was a button on the book that made a big flushing sound!

The last two kids were preschool age but at least I could practice English with them. The idea that books are wonderful was being reinforced so I was okay with adapting the program to their needs.


After I got home I screwed two more 4x4 garden frames together. So now I have 64 square feet, 32 of which are actually planted. I can now assemble one 4x4 in about 12 minutes (I was timing myself).

And, to finish off my new spring things, I checked out three library books on how to raise chickens. I think I have someone who will build a little coop for me. Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait.

My drawing is slowing down. Last night I did manage to sketch this new acquisition, a one gallon size flowering quince that will live on our back deck.


I also started my new art job at Juvenile Hall. It looks like helping the teacher will mostly be mingling with the kids -- sitting down with them and starting a doodle to get them going too! Imagine, being paid to doodle!!!!!!

Grow, baby, grow

My whole head is focused on the garden I'm about to start. I want every possible vegetable and flower all mingled together, one square foot at a time. 

I ordered the basic textbook, Square Foot Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew and can't wait for it to arrive. In the meantime, I want to get going in the preparation work -- which, this year, does not include straight row tilling!

Demi and I went to chemotherapy today. I was tired before, during and after and took an ultra long nap this afternoon. Now that it's bedtime I'm about ready to get my day started!

There's no school this week for me - spring break - so I had planned to return to my watercolor drop-in class here in town but slept instead. I really miss it, but I guess it comes under the category of you-can't-do-everything.

Weekend: Day Two

I felt wonky all day and slept away the afternoon but good things continue to happen.

We met up with the family who now have Beulie - some of you know her as the yellow lab we raised for Canine Companions for Independence. Beulie is now living in St. Petersburg, Florida with their daughter in college. When school ends in June Beulie will be back in Napa County. In the meantime, any of you in the St. Petersburg area, if you see a gorgeous yellow lab with a big smile - tell her Mom said hi.

While surfing the 'Net this afternoon I came across a new find for me - www.squarefootgardening.com. Speak of an answer to prayer! There's a YouTube video on Square Foot Gardening too and also a book of the same title. 

Square Foot Gardening involves small area gardening using grids of 12 inches. (They've also expanded to Square Meter Gardening if you prefer.) There is no digging! Our back yard, which I mowed yesterday, is clay and cement, just atrocious for growing. But the Square Foot method skips all that, works with a tiny area at a time, and can be reused in those small increments too. Our weather is such that we can grow some flowers and veggies even in the winter so I think I can keep this project going all year. That's my newest latest thing and I'll be posting on it every step of the way, you can be sure of that!