wild tomatoes can't be broken

I consider myself lucky to be one of the few not-even-remotely-close-to-being-wealthy individuals in Los Angeles to be living in a house with a yard.  Not just a yard, but a downright huge yard by L.A. standards.  As to not squander my good fortune, I decided that I needed to do something good with this yard.  I needed to plant a garden.  


Let me first give you a rundown of the edible goodies already growing in our wild and verdant backyard.  There are:  potatoes, flax, peaches, plums, tangerines, oranges, lemons, almonds, pumpkins, some other kind of nut tree, and cherry tomatoes.  These were all here when we moved in, mostly thanks to the previous tenants (and our dear friends) the Embry family.


I turned over a small plot of land and planted some seedlings that I had sprouted on our windowsill.  I planted zucchini, spinach, arugula, mesclun, wax beans, jalapenos, red peppers, and more tomatoes.


Unfortunately... they aren't doing so well.  But on a happier note, the pre-existing yard tomatoes have migrated and are THRIVING.  


Here is an example of my sprouted, planted, and nurtured tomatoes:

Kinda sad, huh?  Now, here is the colony of rogue tomato plants taking over our yard:

Very happy and healthy.  Thriving amongst the weeds.  And here is one of the many monster artichokes:

So, maybe I don't have a green thumb.  Luckily for me, Mother Nature is my gardener.

xo,

Andrea

day at the museum

Today Fran, Steven, and I went to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum!  Of course I couldn't help but marvel at the giant skeletal remains of T-Rex fighting a Triceratops, or squeal with delight in the diorama halls. Surprisingly enough, however, one of my favorite rooms in the museum was the Hall of Gems and Minerals.  Actually, I suppose it isn't too surprising being as I am a jewelry designer who works daily with the smaller, polished and cut, certainly less impressive versions of these magnificent rocks.  Enjoy these snapshots of the world's largest flawless crystal ball, some kind of mineral which appears to be covered in small, fuzzy cotton ball creatures, and another type of stone in my favorite color- pukey green!

Hooray for Natural History!

xo,

Andrea