And in June, unexpectedly . . .

the plant that renewed my euphoria was our corn. We planted this against our fence, and to be honest, I didn't expect it to produce anything. I mean, corn? I'd never considered growing corn, but S showed up with four plants, so along the fence they went.

One went bye-bye within the first week, but the other three began to grow and grow, until they were the same height as our oldest boy.


And then they were taller than our oldest boy, and taller than me, which is not saying much since I am all of 5 feet tall, but still, it was pretty exciting.

I love hearing the water hit those lustrous, luscious leaves.

Suddenly, I noticed tight little bunches beginning to form. Could sweet corn be in our dining future??

Our fruit trees

We are very lucky in that, when we moved in to this house, there were several fruit trees that have provided us with gorgeous, fresh fruit, for the past few years.

Our plums are plump and juicy - twice we have hosted some of my relatives from Peru and both times we have enjoyed several bowl-fuls of plums. Over there they are called ciruelas, and they are a favorite of adults and kids alike.

Next summer I am planning on some yummy plum jam.


I love lavender - the relaxing scent is one of my favorites, and the pretty color is striking against all the green.

I'm making lavender sachet for Christmas, and want to tie up some lavender in pretty ribbons and place them oh-so-perfectly on a white dish in my bathroom counter.

They would look pretty in little bud vases, too.

Le sigh.


Pearlicious!!! These babies are so sweet and juicy, my youngest eats them by the bowl-ful. It helps that my mother, the Goddess of Nurturing, makes pear dessert for him, but he can eat them raw, too.

They are Asian pears, small, crisp and crunchy, and incredibly sweet.

I can't wait to eat them raw and make a bunch of crisps in the fall! My mother in law wants to can some with me. It will be the first time either of us tries canning, so that will be an adventure, too.


We don't get much out of our citrus tree, but the oranges that we do get are very sweet.

I am sure there are things we could do to make it produce more, but so far, we've been pretty lazy about it.

Next year I plan on learning more about this tree and hope to have it produce some more fruit.

And last, but definitely NOT least . . .


The one everyone is waiting for. We have a list of people waiting for our avocados. No kidding.

When my oldest was about 6 months old, we had our first wave of avvies. He was barely beginning to eat solids, and he loved avocados right away, he would eat a whole one for breakfast every morning.

Two years later we had our second wave and my youngest got in on the action. Our avocados are small, but perfect, creamy and buttery and with a wonderful mild flavor. We make guacamole, avocado sandwiches, and eat them on their own.

This year we can't wait to have them!