Another day at the ballpark

I know this is California but it's chilly today. We are all wearing jackets. It's 54 degrees.

The kids don't care. For them its all about baseball.

We know it's much colder everywhere else and our thoughts are with you.

My seed catalogs are here!

There was a time when gardening was my favorite thing to do but in the last several years, it has not been a priority. I used to grow a lot of my own vegetables but I've gotten lazy. The last time I started seeds, Cinnamon ate 100 heirloom seedlings. I was discouraged and just quit.

This is the picture we used on the "Wanted" poster for Cinnamon. 

I miss gardening so I found a new place to start seedlings where she can't get them. My dining room has great lighting. I have a baker's rack that I didn't have when she found the last batch. Now I have a new location that's cat proof with great exposure.

Off to the Internet to get some seed catalogs. I prefer heirloom seeds that are not GMO modified. I don't need or use chemicals on my plants and don't want ones that have been altered.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has "1500 rare, Non-GMO Seeds" to choose from. I could spend hours just reading the descriptions. I quickly ordered that catalog. I find I am also interested in seed saving and the Seed Savers Exchange has a catalog I ordered too. Both of them arrived this week and I have set aside a day to review and place my orders. I need to set aside some time because I am also homeschooling my 7th grader and it consumes time. He also plays baseball year round so we are gone a lot.

The next thing on my list was to discover what zone we live in. I used to know but the USDA updated their interactive zone map. The USDA requires you enter a Captcha to view the map but it isn't a big deal. The map is nationwide. California shows up as mostly browns but the map zooms in for detailed areas. I am in zone 9a. That means avocados won't grow here, it's too cold. However, just 15 miles from here, the avocado trees cover the hills. It's too cold for hybiscus but downtown Riverside is covered with the colorful blooms. All is not lost, apples love it here.

One of the best things about California is the growing season and the weather to grow almost anything. So armed with my new zone and catalogs, I am off to discover what tasty vegetables will be growing in my garden this spring. And, since it almost March, I need to get the seedlings started.

It's been a long time since I've been here

Last summer wasn't about travel in California. Last summer was about family history and making new family history.

I traveled to Tennessee to find my grandfather's roots. What an amazing journey that was and where the Home Place was and the surrounding area is now ingrained in my memory. Coming from the browns of California, the greens of Tennessee were incredible. From there I went to Missouri to visit my son and brother but I also got some time to see where my grandmother was from.

We also made new family history when we met two more of my husband's siblings. We stopped for a day in Amarillo, Tx to meet Darla and then in Diamond, Mo to meet David. We spend several day visiting his new brother, Rick and sister, Frances in Albuquerque and saw where his grandparents lived. This is all new to him because up until 2 years ago, he had no idea where his biological family was.

But it appears that I am back to California. I took on the role as "California Dreamin' Contributor" for Squidoo. I'm not quite sure what that means yet but I know California.