Our day in pictures

planted in July...we have sweet potatoes!


these turnip starts should be thinned soon


sun tea...will be kombucha in about ten days


for the first time in three years (maybe more) the paperwhites bloomed


"tree collards"


batch of rootbeer fermenting in the sun

How was your day?

Good energy is rising

I've been meaning to do some research on the meaning of that gorgeous full blue moon that arrived on New Year's Eve. We stepped outside to share a fresh tangerine from the tree, and to marvel over how lit-up the whole world was that night! Some great photos have been posted here.

In my little corner of the world, the Sophia Circle is gathering this week to generate some beautiful feminine energy, and interesting new projects are arriving on my doorstep. I'm have to really meditate to stay grounded, it's all so energizing!

Regenerative and peaceful, new world order

Today we participated in the repair of a very special poetry bench where people gather in Balboa Park on the first Sunday of each month at noon to read poetry aloud in community. Architect Candy Vanderhoff is the inspiration behind the clay plaster bench installation, and she has committed to teaching workshops on natural building, and planning rainwater and greywater collection systems until we all have the skills we need to live in rhythm with our precious planet.

I shared the Rumi poem that is guiding me through 2010:


Birdsong brings relief
to my longing.

I am just as ecstatic as they are,
but with nothing to say!

Please, universal soul, practice
some song, or something, through me!


If you live in San Diego, Candy of RainThanks is teaching a greywater workshop on January 30 or 31, and you can help build a schoolyard pizza oven on February 6 and 7. The oven will be used by school age students to bake vegetables from their garden and bread made from their wheat field.

Quite a transformative year

2009 was quite a transformative year, as I moved the business home and my commute became a short walk out the back door to the garden studio. I really loved all the creative vegan lunchboxes my husband packed for me back in the day, and I enjoyed the people at the San Diego office, but I have to say that the organic flow of working from home is very peaceful indeed.


We had the good fortune to travel to Long Beach with a dear friend in September to be with the Dalai Lama for a weekend of teachings and encouragement along the path. Although there were around 8000 people in attendance, it felt very intimate and special for me.

There's way too much to fully share in one post, so I thought I'd touch on the highlights in a 12 Days of Christmas kind of countdown. Here goes...

12) we were on the move with at least 12 trips up and down the West Coast by train, plane and automobile, topped by my first trip to Mexico for Thanksgiving to soak in most beautiful natural hot springs I’ve ever seen…and to hike the biggest boulders I’ve ever scrambled over!

11) learned to play the violin with a super-talented teacher, and walked away with great appreciation for the instrument after 11 lessons or so

10) tried 10 paint samples on the house, before deciding that Rye and Tansy with Charcoal trim [correction: the trim color is Berlin] are the right colors

9) the garden house became our recording studio 9 months ago, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Smith who moved his music and massage into the second bedroom

8) harvested at least 8 gallons of fava beans…note to self: plant more beans this Winter

7) enjoyed the company of 7 beloved visitors from Portland

6) traveled to Northern California 6 times, including a side trip to Reno, a family reunion for Easter, and sadly, two funerals

5) gratefully participated in mindfulness gatherings with these 5 teachers: Thich Nhat Hanh my root teacher, Dandapani, Roshi Joan Halifax, Sister Helen Prejean, and we were blessed by the incomparable Dalai Lama with all of his lightness and grace

4) built 4 new raised beds in the garden to grow even more food for our table, and visited a couple of noteworthy California public gardens with my oldest friend

3) worked with 3 new voice actors on Australian, Spanish and Korean projects

2) made 2 moves toward meaningful volunteering by completing hospice training and beginning to lead hospice families in mindfulness practice

1) left my 1 corporate job, to jump feet first into life as a creative freelancer

Just in time for the New Year...

All three colors are up on the garage! It's a milestone, and positive confirmation that we like the look. Our house will blend right into the canyon.

Now we carry on into the New Year, planning to invest our care into every inch of our dwelling.

May the coming New Year bring you joy, love and peace.

House Blessing

Don't you love the idea of blessing a place? I try to hold that intention for every room I enter, and sometimes for retail stores too, if my head is in the right place. I breathe deeply and send my wish for the space and the people in it to be filled with the energy of love, lightness, and creativity.

I picked up a mosaic "house charm" at the Seattle Flower and Garden Show about 10 years ago. The artist painted and fired the tiles herself, then strategically broke them to be reset into this richly colored design. I'm moved by the power of her intention. She knew just what colors and images (lively asparagus and a beautiful tulip) would be perfect for blessing a gardener's home. The handwritten tag says: Hang in an entryway, kitchen, bathroom... anywhere you want to bless or greet.

And now the house charm is blessing this space in the blogosphere. I'm glad you dropped by. Please visit often in the coming year and I'll try to share fresh ideas every few days.

Holiday Cheer

My husband whipped up the most delicious vegan eggnog for Christmas. It was roughly 2 cups coconut milk (the kind in the carton, which is lighter than canned), blended with 2/3 of a package of silken tofu, maple syrup and agave to taste, and topped with a sprinkle of nutmeg. Frothy and satisfying, and so pretty in my rose champagne/dessert glasses...a gift from my mom.


And this is the lone remaining gingerbread heart, made from a simple oil-free recipe:

Gingerbread Cookies

1/2 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
pinch sea salt
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
1/3 cup almond milk
2 1/4 cups whole spelt flour

In large bowl, combine sugar, spices and soda. Add molasses and almond milk and mix well. Add one cup of flour and mix well, then work in the remaining flour a little at a time to make a stiff dough. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper, using some flour above and below because the molasses is very sticky. Cut out with cookie cutter and bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the edges are dry.