Local Farm Girl: June 2012

While we were dallying about the West Coast, our salsa garden was growing away and filling out. Not being a prolific gardener myself (I liken myself to the shoemaker's daughter who had no shoes), I forget how quickly it happens. So we have:

April:

May:

June:

Next up:

We decided that in lieu of trying to put together our own Salsa Party, when we weren't at all sure about our crop, we would join in this celebration with our friends at Elote and Sustainable Tulsa.

So this week, the beautiful crop you see pictured on the Market House counter will become Southwood Grown Salsa, an official entry in SalsaFest 2012. Emmie Sherry and Anna Morgan will be helping us create our masterpiece. And unless plans change, we will also be donating some of our Habañero and Jalapeño peppers to the Pepper Eating contest.

We tried out some of the tomatoes this weekend at the lake, over hamburgers, in salads and in guacamole (we are very thorough researchers). They were phenomenal. I'm not normally a tomato eater but after this weekend I'm going to rephrase - I'm not a grocery store tomato eater. These are nothing like those - meaty and flavorful. I can't wait to taste the salsa.

Speaking of which ... we would love to have you come by and visit us on Friday at SalsaFest 2012! It's Friday evening (June 29) downtown on the Centennial Green at 6th and Boston near Elote. It will be hot - we're expecting 105 and downtown Tulsa is not known for its cool breezes anyway. But I think (hope) someone said there were misters happening, and there will be great food and drinks. Participants get a bag of tortilla chips and 2 oz. of each salsa.

Plus, who doesn't love a good chihuahua costume contest? See you there!

Lush vegetation makes everything prettier.
Dining at the Proud Bird restaurant by Los Angeles airport.

We had a great time in California! Beautiful state, friendly people, insane drivers. We touristed, chatted with locals, enjoyed the scenery and stared longingly at the sea.

We took our kids to the Santa Monica Pier, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, to Anaheim and down to Orange County. We gave them a true Disneyland experience (thanks Mom for joining us for that portion - you made it just that much better!) and introduced them to cousins they'd never met.

Joe and I decided before we had children that one of our priorities in parenting was to show them the world.

We don't have a huge showy house or expensive cars, and we watch our expenses so that every year we can pull together a family vacation. We do sometimes rely on our friends to host us if possible, and our families help us or even join us some years. The rewards for us as a family are unparalleled.

We learn a lot about each other on our vacations. Getting out of our own daily routine and seeing how other people live gives us a lot of perspective on the choices we make. It often makes us appreciate what we have, including the ability to travel. It sometimes makes us wonder how people get to where they are - from the mansions of Beverly Hills, to the barrios in East LA (which we avoided, but glimpsed from the highway). We experience a little envy of those who lead lives beside beaches and in stunning homes overlooking the Pacific. We appreciate the sheer number and variety of bizarre people and behaviors we came across. We even reflect on what we love about our own home, and what parts of Oklahoma are missing in other states.

Mostly, though, we just enjoy being together, seeing new things and having fun. The four of us really have a good time together. Sometimes daily life gets so hectic and structured, it's easy to forget what charming, intelligent and unique daughters we are raising.

Audrey, with her artist's soul and caring spirit, is fascinated by everything from zoo animals to breaking surf. Everywhere she goes, she creates: sand castles, sketches on menus, song lyrics about Disney characters. And when she goes to a playground, she seeks out small children to nurture and entertain, invariably striking up charming conversations with their parents as well.

Audrey turned 9 on our second day at Disneyland. They give you a badge if its your birthday, and everybody who sees you mentions it. Not being an attention seeker, Audrey said it made her uncomfortable having all of those strangers wish her a happy birthday, so she took it off. Catherine, on the other hand, was more than happy to receive the attention. She got herself a badge by telling them that even though it wasn't her actual birthday, she was celebrating it there at Disneyland. She graciously accepted "happy birthdays" long after her sister had stopped.

And that's my Wild Cat. Brave, athletic, outgoing and always entertaining. She tells great jokes, dances like a beast, and is up for pretty much any adventure, unless its culinary.

Catherine has always loved beaches, but this was her first experience with the Pacific surf. She would run like crazy towards that freezing water and then hurry back to the shore as the surf came towards her, getting soaked and knocked down, and cracking up laughing the entire time.

But all good things come to an end, and we are glad to be home. We could have done without the fridge going out while we were gone, causing an extreme stench that had us looking for a dead animal until we realized what it was. But oh well.

Amidst the sightseeing and family fun, Joe and I managed to find some personal inspiration in California. It bears repeating that it is really a beautiful state. There's vegetation everywhere - palm trees, tropical flowers, fruit trees. Flowers that die out in our Oklahoma winters are perennials out there, and they're huge. I grew up in a nursery, but my husband is the walking plant encyclopedia in our family. Everywhere we went he snapped pictures of plants and landscapes, against the backdrop of the rolling ocean.

We also got a lot of ideas for the farm & market, particularly at a visit to a Edendale Urban Farm in LA's Silverlake neighborhood. We're excited about the "Idea Books" we're putting together this summer in preparation for the design process this fall. We are rested, rejuvenated, and reminded of how lucky we are. Enjoy more photos of our trip below.