Under the Solano Sun

Tyler and I were doing some yard work at his house the other day, and all of a sudden I hear "Gramma, HURRY!!! Come look -- HURRY!" So I go over to the olive tree he was supposed to be trimming the suckers off of and there sat a very pretty insect, clearly, not a grasshopper, but bigger.

This fall I signed up at Be Love Farms[1] (which is an organic winery and regenerative farm) to assist with harvesting of Olives and making Olive Oil. It was a fascinating day. the fruits of my labor netted me a few bottles of their Olive Oil and a wonderful lunch.

We are lucky enough to live at the end of a court with an empty lot next to us. My son was mowing the weeds on the lot today, so I was able to walk around the back half and take a look around at what other cleanup needs to be done.

A couple of years ago I had a bad time with the cucumber beetle eating away at my beloved Dahlias. They were flying around eating up my flowers every day. Arrrrg. So, I decided to come up with a solution for the following year.

Dear Calendula, I did not know anything about you but you caught my attention at the Vallejo People's Garden on Mare Island a couple of years ago - blooming side by side with organic vegetables and herbs on raised beds; spilling in between raised bed walkways; anywhere and everywhere inside and outs...