“Some pursue happiness; others create it.” (-anonymous)

Friday was pretty much a perfect day:

I awoke to warm breezes through the open doors and the birds singing. Joe and I ventured out to a local market and picked up some glowing local tomatoes and vegies.

Afterwords, I met up with two of my flickr watercolor friends Laura and Lin, and we took in two current exhibits at the UNC Ackland Museum of Art: one was “Flowing Like Water” with artists’ varied depictions of water, and the other was “In and around the garden.”

From there, we wandered off to a wonderful little art supplies store, and being like-minded, we ogled the wonderful art papers, journals, sketchbooks, inks, paints and palettes to our hearts’ delight.

But the piece de resistance was our trip to a nearby gelato shop where we made a lunch of the delectable gelato. We sampled tiny spoonfuls of cappuccino, orange-chocolate, peanut butter, watermelon, strawberry, pistachio and lemon, and then once we made our selections, we each savoured a bowl of the heavenly treat. We’d originally planned to do some sketching there, but with all the gelato we consumed, our tongues were numb, and we decided it was just too chilly to stay and sketch! (I proposed that we should definitely come back, but bring sweaters next time.) I took some pictures to try to sketch later.

Good friends, good art, good food…what more could I want…

“What a wonderful life I’ve had. I only wish I’d realized it sooner!” (-Colette)

“If you hear an onion ring, answer it.” (-anonymous)

It occurred to me the other day as I was gathering ingredients for cooking dinner, that for almost any meal I whip up in the kitchen, I begin by slicing and sautéing onions of some sort. What would I do without that simple vegetable? Just the pungent smell of onions slowly turning to that wonderful caramelized translucence makes my mouth water. They’re the start of casseroles, quiches, pies, sauces, meats, chicken and fish simmering and they certainly figure in many soups I love. (Now, Joe, with his penchant for anything fried, would say that French-fried onion rings are the only real onions, but I would disagree. )

Omelettes slowly coming together and oozing with cheese and red peppers owe much of their flavor to a good onion, and what would French onion soup be without delicious onions, gooey Gruyere cheeses melded together with baguette slices and a broth flavored with Cognac?

As a child, I would take my fork and pick out all the onion bits and line them up on the side of my plate, never to let them pass my lips. Now, I love the richness they impart to the layers of flavors in any dish.

I’m not much for raw onions, unless maybe they’re green scallions, with their mild flavor chopped into salads, or maybe red onions sliced in the thinnest slivers on a sandwich. Even on a burger, if I choose to use onions, I'd prefer sauteed onions that have caramelized flavor.

Saturday, as we wandered through the Farmer’s Market looking for things we had to have, because I wasn't going to make them myself this week, (like an orange glazed pound cake and a lemon yogurt pound cake, to be exact) I looked at the vegetables and thought for a moment about just how grateful I am for all the plenty that was there. We are fortunate.

“Life is like an onion.
You peel it off one layer at a time;
And sometimes you weep.” (-Carl Sandburg)

"Gardens are a form of autobiography." (-Sydney Eddison)

When Joe and I met, we each had different pasts, different families, different stories. Our “things” are different, but we have blended them, eclectically, in a way that makes us both happy.

I used to envision a garden with soft, pastel lavenders, whites and blues, with maybe some hints of pink here and there--all the cool shades against the vivid greens of foliage and grasses. Joe, on the other hand, loves his oranges, reds, and vibrant yellows.

We both thrive on garden centers, farmer’s markets and flea markets, where plants are plentiful. Like most people who enjoy gardening, we can’t say no to a flower. In my mind, I’ll think “Lavender: we are here to seek out a lavender-colored flower to plant next to that white, lace-capped hydrangea.” But invariably, there will be an interesting yellow bud that catches our eye, or an orange petal that’s transparent in the sunlight and we just can’t resist it. So, we find a way to squeeze it into the overall design. Our garden has evolved into a story that mimics our own: it’s really a conglomerate of gardens, all comingling together, and somehow, it’s become harmonious and lovely in its own right.

"Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination." (-Mrs. C.W. Earle)