Botany and Bookends

February 18, 2019

Calla Lily Ledbetter

I am probably crazy in the head, but I picked up a calla lily yesterday that called out to me from the plant aisle. I’ve never grown one before. “Try meeeee”, it said. So I gathered it up – along with a bunch of clearance plants that I couldn’t let just sit there, unadopted and […]

February 1, 2019

Can I tell you about something kind of cool that happened to me?…

Let me first say that I’m not posting any of this for sympathy or trumped-up praise. Please know that from my heart. There are areas in all of our lives where we feel confident and strong – and other areas in which we lack inner strength. I’m not sure if it’s my personality or the […]

January 18, 2019

grateful for a week of vacation…

A week of vacation crammed with home projects, an out-of-town guest, travel, antiques and slothfulness. The perfect combination…

January 5, 2019

Rosemary and Time

When we first moved into our California house, there was a VERY overgrown bush tucked in between the oleander and a yet-to-be-determined hedge. It was overgrown and dead in places and clearly hadn’t been manicured or tended to for quite some time. It was on the backlist of things to get around to. Any yet, […]

November 22, 2018

San-Fran-Giving

Since Scott has to work on Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated a few days earlier by taking a day trip to San Francisco. It’s what I like to call a Scouting Trip – checking out all the sites we want to visit when friends and family come to town. It’s about a two-hour drive so an […]

November 21, 2018

Rain, rain, go…away?

We are preparing for rain, here in Northern California, not unlike our preparations for snow in Missouri. Bringing in the delicate items, the lamps and tchotchkes that shouldn’t get soaked. We conjured up a lean-to to cover my succulent garden, as @inspirelovely would suggest. ⠀ ⠀ My friends know how much I do not like […]

November 18, 2018

California or bust. (Spoiler alert: it was kind of a bust)

I had big plans to split up and blog our trip to southern California into segments based on all the places we visited. Then the fires happened. It has been so sad here in California. And the thick smoke in the air is a constant reminder. That said, it was very interesting to be here […]

November 18, 2018

Clean(er)

I would venture to bet that the majority of people can’t rid their homes of all toxins immediately and right.this.very.instant. Man, would I love to. Had I only won that last lottery drawing…⠀ It’s hard to make choices for a clean, ethically-centered, toxin-free home. Clean cleaning supplies. Clean beauty products. Slow fashion. Slow living. ⠀ […]

November 7, 2018

Work Trip to LA

I have heard it said before that to transplant a Joshua Tree (which can live up to 100 years), you must face it the exact same way that it has been growing originally. As a recent transplant myself, I can understand this concept. I am experiencing so many new and disorienting views. Which way does […]

October 30, 2018

Faster and faster!

She climbed the stairs two at a time, racing against the clock. Her breath was labored and her heart was beating far too fast. She paused for only a second on the landing but knew she must keep going. Red-faced and exhausted, muscles screaming and pulse racing, she pushed herself further. There was a goal […]

August 26, 2018

Yugen

Weeping willow trees have mesmerized me since childhood. They are gentle giants, tickling the surface of land and water. Their austere presence offset by their affable, swaying limbs. We spent the weekend at Scott’s parents’ house in Lone Jack. The calm(ish) before the storm of the upcoming weeks. My mind was still busy making plans […]

August 24, 2018

“Are you sure about this??”

We prayed for the Lord’s direction. Over and over and over again I prayed: “This needs to be your decision. We want to be where YOU want us to be.” I felt like I was prepared for either answer. But when the answer finally came, my first reaction was: “Are you surrrrre about this one, […]