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One thing I've noticed in my part of LA is that there are a lot of bars . . . bars to keep people out, and bars to protect what you own.  I have to admit that constantly looking at heavy bars everywhere can bum me out.

I took these two photos by my church today.  What I love is that the flowers and plant-life are spilling out over the bars, and the bright colors speak of welcome and invitation.  Yay, not everything is concrete and metal and ugly around here.

Summer 2012

Art show

Photo by Stephanie Yu

I'm taking a few minutes to post an update from the weekend as I eat lunch at my desk.  I made a bean, kale, and sweet potato soup and brought it to work in a Thermos.  It's definitely a nice way to slow down mid-day.

But back to the weekend, I was in another art show with DR96 Gallery.  This time I created a linoleum print and printed out more cards, and styled them using a hand-woven mail holder from Turkey (a gift), a thrift store stool, Ikea rug, and Bells of Ireland and eucalyptus.  It was a very relaxed and laid back show.  

Old pictures from the beach . . . time for a beach trip

Still in an autumn mood

Home

I just wanted to share some pictures of my new home in L.A. 

A very nice surprise: My plants have been growing twice their size here in L.A.

I've also been enjoying our version of fall here in So Cal.
I found some magnolia leaves and created a small fall arrangement to complement the pumpkins.

My friend, L, an inspiring home chef who is both intuitive and practical in her approach to cooking posted a recipe on cooking with pumpkins here so I took the opportunity to experiment with my pumpkins before they went bad.

My pumpkin seeds are a honeyed curry version.

I also made this salad with roasted pumpkin, broccoli, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds with a light curry mayo dressing (gotta love my current hippie bent towards cooking) but if I were to do it again, I would roast the broccoli and maybe add bacon and shallots (and take out the walnuts and pomegranate seeds).  It was a pretty good salad though.

On another note, for my Korean readers--do your parents forage?  My parents seem to find things in the forest or at local parks that most Americans don't eat or use but are more common in Korea.  Their latest find was mistletoe (I think) for tea.  I think it's supposed to lower your blood pressure.  Hehe, it's nice to know where MY foraging tendencies come from.
 

A post about my plants

So I was tending to my plants the other day (I admit that I have been neglecting them for some time but good thing that most are hearty succulents) and just tending to them helped me understand some important lessons.  Here are some of my observations:

1) I don't have a green thumb and I've always marveled at those who did have them . . . like my friend L.  She can touch a dead plant and bring it back to life.  Her home is filled with beautiful plants that all seem to say "we get well taken care of".  But anyway, my point is that even though I am not your classic gardener, there is something nourishing about interacting with plants, and nature in general.  I just felt so happy and full after tending to my plants -- pulling out the dead leaves, re-potting with fresh soil, trimming dead branches.  It was nice to see young green shoots coming out of my plants.  It meant that there was life and regeneration happening in my little pots.

2) Things grow when you nurture them.
I've thought long and hard about what makes things grow but I think it's simple really.  Take care of something, nurture it, love it, and you'll see it grow.

3) I bought most of my plants at the grocery store.  They were pretty, decorative items I bought on a whim but they've since moved from the store shelves, been transplanted into bigger pots, and have weathered their fair share of wind, heat, and cold.  I can't really call them pretty but they are beautiful -- some have grown wild, rustic, and changed colors to adapt to a non-climate controlled space.  Yes, you can't call them pretty any longer but they are still beautiful.   

Did you know that British writer, G.K. Chesterton, abandoned atheism and came to believe in God after examining a dandelion?  How amazing . . .

The community garden in Irvine I get to walk past everyday!

Peace in the park.

Design meets lawn.

The grocery store succulents no more.

My minimalist garden in our front entrance.  Noguchi inspired?

My air plant is growing a flower!

Cody, my nature buddy.  I swear, this dog could spend half of his life sniffing the ground.

Things I like about fall

Cuddling with my little buddy, pomegranates, and roasted chicken on a lazy weekend.