Jill Doughtie

These mushrooms were growing in the mulch.

The mulch was spread thin over a part of the driveway we don’t usually pull into.

When it rained, they collected water like little cups.

These mushrooms were growing in the compost.

They have serrated edges, like they were cut with pinking shears.

The oldest ones have loose, ragged, stringy dark edges. It makes them look especially poisonous to me.

Look at this giant clover. It’s growing by our hot water heater. I put my foot in the picture for scale.

It’s as wide across as the palm on my hand. At first I thought it might be Psoralea orbicularis, a California native clover, but its leaves look different. The stems for each of the three leaf segments of Psoralea orbicularis are longer. Does anyone know what this could be?

These mushrooms are growing on a log near the north side of the house. They popped up in the rainy weather.

A week or so ago, I moved two golden currants (Ribes aureum var. gracillimum).

Originally, they were in the middle of the shady part of my vegetable garden where I grow kale and other greens. Their leaves were turning yellow and they looked unhappy. They are native plants, and they don’t like to be watered regularly the way that vegetables do. So I moved them to the little strip of earth between the house and the driveway, where I don’t water. I gave them a good drenching to help get their roots established, and then I left them alone. At first, I though the move killed them. But…

…they started growing new leaves.

I dug up the Self-Heal I had planted in the back yard under the orange tree, and moved it to the front yard where it should get more sun.

Its tag said it could grow up to ten inches tall, but in the orange tree shade, it never grew above an inch.

I’m posting a picture of its tag here so that I can remember what it is: Prunella Laciniata / Cutleaf Self-Heal.

In the space under the orange tree (where I also pulled up a straggling kale plant and lots of clover), I planted creasy greens seeds. Those are creasy greens still standing over in the right side of the bed. They taste spicy, like watercress, and they do well in the shade.

Yesterday, we made a fire in our backyard.

The smoke drifted up into the avocado leaves.

I ate a tangerine from our tree.

Ants were walking across two of my three clotheslines like they were highways.

I am thinking about taking the clothes pins off and giving them those clotheslines. Since I’ve started composting in the back yard, they mostly stay out of the kitchen. Why not make them a little happier?

This morning I ate an orange from the back yard.

A few days ago I found this strawberry growing in the front yard. Someone else had already started to eat it, but I didn’t let that stop me.

I finished it off.

Gavin and I have been walking all over town. A few days ago we walked to Euro Pane for breakfast and reading.

I finished reading this book about growing food — The One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka. My sister sent me a green hat and scarf for Christmas. The hat is in the picture, too.

(View larger)

This is my second Cinderella pumpkin. It’s smaller and less pancake shaped than its predecessor.

(View larger)

I am drying the seeds from the first pumpkin and saving them for next year.

(View larger)