and then there was rain...

Colorado needed rain, we were dried out, cracked out and burned out. But be careful what you wish for. We needed the rain, but maybe not all in a few hours...

The creek that runs behind our  house turned into a ragging river sweeping away anything that happened to be in its path, roads, bridges, trees...  and the whole time I had Johnny Cash going through my head.

We happen to live at a part of the river where there are steep sand cliffs and before Thursday it was about a 35 foot drop to the water, by Friday morning at 1am there was only about eight inches between the ragging water and the top of the cliffs. Thankfully the water didn't get any higher.

Thursday afternoon

Thursday

Thursday

Thursday

By Friday morning we were sleep deprived, and thankful. Not everyone was a lucky as we were. The old tree is hanging on, and the water is going down. The landscape will be different, the creek will keep flowing and someday we will all get back to day to day life.

old tree

Saturday

harvest

The harvest is starting to come in and it is all I can do to keep up.

It has been hot and sticky and makes driving to the mountains for fresh spring water all the more welcome.

So for now, all I can do is drink tea and fill up all my jars...

and grill a peach or two.

Happy September!

home

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Whenever I’m away for a long stretch of time coming home is slightly unsettling. The garden turned into a jungle, the horse shed came down, the weeping willow branches are touching the ground, and the kitten is a little bigger. It’s the same, yet different. 

Now comes the sorting, cleaning, laundry, cleaning, organizing, laundry, and cleaning that always hits the first day back. After that, lesson planning and getting ready for the new school year. 

I am content to be home, yet I will miss my walks with the professor, brunch at the hilltop, and my afternoon spent by the lake.

inspiration

Some days inspiration seems just out of reach. Dinner never gets cooked, the mess in the house gets bigger, and it feels like it is 100°F outside. Enter Sprouted Kitchen blog. The next week will be spent cooking arugula caprese salad with kale pesto, veggie naan'wich with feta chickpea mash, southwest goat cheese pizza and dreaming of salmon skewers with cucumber yogurt sauce.

There is only a week left before my east coast adventures and the bags from California are not yet fully unpacked. Here are some pictures from our trip if your interested.

The tree at my favorite little cafe 976. Many hours have been spent in their garden.

 Balboa park

 The view on a foggy June day.