Dreamy

The white King Proteas keep appearing in my dreams.  Perhaps spiky purity is in my future?

In Rockridge, a Rarefied Crime: Flower Poaching

I’m slowly emerging from the sick bed and thrilled that this article just came out in the East Bay Express:

and ARL got a photo credit.  Fun!

photo by Lara Ferroni

Down with the flu.  Can this Chicken Soup with Asparagus and Shiitakes, Served with Roasted Fennel Matzoh Balls be magically delivered to me?  Looks simple enough to heal, but refined enough that eating it doesn’t make me forget the good things in life.  

Friday Polls!

Le Creuset grill pan

Hendricks G&T…mmm…unusual

Lilac, snowball viburnum, violet and green tulips

Things that Soothe: Apartment Therapy (I know)

Honestly, I’ve never really gotten into Apartment Therapy.  Like many sites that I want to LOVE, it’s just a little too Real Simple-y for me sometimes.  But I decided to check out the SF site today and it’s soothing the hell out of me.  Especially these posts:

• Urban Indigo-a seriously soothing Oakland boutique in the Grand Lake neighborhood
• Black Flowers-who doesn’t love them?  Apparently “gotard”
• Garden Inspired Interiors-not great examples all of them, but that lead image is enough to make it one of my faves:

Here is an arrangement featuring my favorite “black” flower: chocolate cosmos (and two of my other favorite flowers muscari and hellebore).

Discovered at Southern Accents, arrangement by Greg Campbell of Memphis

I’m thinking about:

• building student confidence to improve academic achievement; see NY Times and The Situationist
• how did I forget today was Earth Day?  Jewels of New York in Fort Greene (details on their Twitter) My students are super excited about the film Earth.  “It looks hecka tight!”  Opening today, Earth Day.
• why aren’t there more floral design blogs?  And where did I put all those Parisian florist business cards I collected last spring?
• Summer!
• (in this case still thinking about) how many of my students were stoned on 4/20, how I’m supposed to feel about that, and what I’m supposed to do…NY Times on legalization
• so much trouble in the world; breath in suffering breath out loving kindness
• my latest “ethical dilemma.”  Would you like to read it? 
• Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri—YES! recipe at Epicurious

photo by Romulo Yanes

Color, more Sweet Peas, Scent

These tulips are HUGE!  And very open.  All of these flowers were a gift from my former employer at Bloomie’s up the street at Market Hall.  She said she bought the sweet peas just for their scent, because these bunches were especially fragrant.  They are so amazing!  So often you can barely smell the sweet peas that come out of florists, but not these; I feel like I’m smelling sweet peas for the first time!  

When I got them home I left each flower grouped in the bunch it came in because I love the strong color blocks–and I showed off the deep green of the smooth leaves and stems of the tulip with a tall clear mason jar.  

The scent revelation that these sweet peas sent me on led me to realize that the Soy Face Cream by Fresh that I sampled from Sephora (and couldn’t stomach the $42 for 1 oz.) and have been scraping from the bottom of my sample actually smells literally of sweet peas.  Sorry Fresh I don’t know where you got that soy scent, smells like sweet peas to me, but either way I’ll take it!  I might actually have to throw down the $42.  It’s just that good.

Actual size of sample container.  Note emptiness.

 

Roses, ranunculus, flowering sage, unknown branches (wegnia?)

Warmest Day of 2009 in Rockridge so far!

Strong midday sun upper left, dappled sun and wisteria blossoms on the deck, a new terra cotta pot and seeds

Seeds: (clockwise from upper left) Black Watchman Old Fashioned Hollyhocks, Love in a Mist Mulberry Rose Nigella, Heirloom Pepperbox Poppy, Scented Nicotiana Jasmine Alata, and Parisian Pink French Larkspur

And a song for all of you:

Oh Happy Day sung by the Oh Happy Day Spirituals from their album the Oh Happy Day Spirituals!