Wink needs to take lessons because this pug is breaking my heart with sweetness

Are you ready to shop?

Feel like shopping? from LeloNopo on Vimeo.

Breathe it in

Since turning my life upside down 2 and a half years ago when I quit my fancy agency job and ventured out on my own, I've just put one foot in front of the other. Step by step.

I made my own work and went into business for myself. And then I learned how to cook from scratch. And how to can. How to sew. How to enjoy the little things in daily life and to be open to seeing them. I learned what it was like to be able to go and get pedicures in the suburbs in the middle of the day. How to walk my dog in my neighborhood every day at 2pm. I've learned how to garden for real, and to write about gardening (ssshhhh: I have a piece coming out in a national gardening publication this fall). I'm becoming a master gardener.

And through it all, I've kept working. While I don't blog about it here, I'm a professional communications consultant and graphic designer. And I just have to say, I have the best clients ever. And they keep coming back to me. And they refer me to their colleagues. And word gets out. Today my little agency has a client list that includes a major national health institution, a city, a county, a state, a national foundation and a national non-profit. And now? A waiting list. I'm at capacity. Or what feels like capacity in order to deliver excellence.

I can't complain about the workload: I'm incredibly grateful and excited about every single bit of work I'm doing. It's the best work of my career so far, the most meaningful, and the most challenging. But I'm telling you this, my dear blog readers, so that you know why there's not a lot of original content going up on this blog right now other than little daily life stuff, and my continued exploration in photography, the bounty of Oregon, and gardening. We'll see how much time I have to preserve this summer, or to cook. Well, I cook, but how many blogposts would you want to read about making salads or heating up beans?

I had a few quiet hours yesterday to myself. It took everything in me to not work. And then I put together a plan for pickling cherries. Then I looked at the work that would take. My mind wandered for a moment and I thought about the book I never finished while on vacation in Mexico last March. I hadn't even picked it up since the trip. I set up the fan, and kicked back on the couch, and with the summer breezes blowing through, carrying with it the jasmine blooms' scent, I finished the book. I didn't work, I didn't can, I didn't do laundry, I didn't answer e-mails. And you know what? It was wonderful. And just what I needed.

So while in previous summers I've had summer lists, I think I'll forego the summer list this season and just go for what feels right. It's concerts in the park, nights watching movies projected in the garden, BBQing with neighbors, and a few baseball games. Because it's going to be a busy summer with work, and I'm just breathing in deeply, taking it all in, and saying "thank you" to the universe. Sage advice, I'd say. Breathe it in.

Gnomes: got issues?

When I mention garden gnomes, AdRi rolls her eyes. In fact, this morning I shared with her my latest column over at Just Out, In Defense of Gnomes. While she rolled her eyes and said "You are becoming that crazy gnome lady with tacky garden art" I had to explain to her the title of the piece, In Defense of Gnomes, is a play on the Defense of Marriage Act. Gay innuendo + garden writing is my forté. Own it. Love it. Live it.

So I asked friends on Facebook and Twitter, what they thought of gnomes. Love them? Hate them? Here's a sampling of responses:

Love Love Love. Magic Happens

Gnomes are right up there next to clowns: Scary!

Gnever have I thought so deeply. It's gnot that they are evil per se, it's just that when you turn your back, you gknow they're up to gno good.

Better than Santa, because you don't have to work so hard to impress them.

See? It's definitely a mixed bag.

We have 2.5 gnomes. Or I should say we did. Now we have 4.5 gnomes. The gnomes are multiplying, but not just on their own. Oh no. Evidently, we are becoming a gnome sanctuary. A gnome haven. A gnome retreat. Because an anonymous package was left in our mailbox this week:


Intriguing, isn't it? No stamp, so it was left in person by someone who wished to remain anonymous. Inside?


Ah ha! I took the envelope outside and look who skipped right on out and found a place in the garden?


And hanging from the garden gate...


Ah yes. The haven for gnomes. AdRi is worried. I can't help but laugh. It's all good. The others? I checked in with Seymour of the Woods, and we was too busy bowling to comment.


Stormin' Norman was too busy guarding his unusual plant in the Gnome Grotto to have much to say about the new gnomes.


Oh don't get too lovey dubbey with Norman. He may look nice, but at night? He gets his freak on.


And one bonus photo. This was shared with me by @RichardMiller on Twitter. It's certainly proof that Portlanders may love their gnomes. And thank god, they're environmentalists. Proof? Gnomes tending their green roof:

They also love playing on my garden gate. See? The abandoned gnomes now have a home. So whoever left them in our mailbox, thank you.

No grubby hands in the cherries!

It's getting to be cherry time. I've never done much with cherries. Eh. You have to pit them. And stuff. But fresh cherries are delish. And guess who was given a cherry pitter for Christmas? Oh yeah baby. I'm thinking of some cherry sauce of some sort. I'll get back to you on what I shake down on the topic. In the meantime, no grubby hands in the cherries!

In case you think we take gardening too seriously

Summer jewelry from LeloNopo on Vimeo.

The perfect local, market fresh cocktail

This winter we invested in a VitaMix. It's been great for morning time smoothies, afternoon pick me ups, and even for soup making. It's a crazy fun machine. And has made increasing veggie and fruit intake easier. But now that it's summer? It's perfect for berry smoothies, and I have to admit, summertime cocktails.

Stop scoffing. I know.

But whip up a bunch of ice and fresh berries, throw in some fresh herbs, like mint or thyme or basil and you have the perfect puree to combine with alcohol of your choice. It's the ultimate local fresh farmer's market cocktail. Dare I say it blurs the line of cocktail and health food drink? No, I didn't say it, but perhaps I thought it.

The photo above is a strawberry and mint puree with vodka and ice. Super refreshing and frothy, it's perfect on a hot day, to sip and linger awhile with. Next time I just may try it with basil.

Happy, happy summer.

Mmmm Pie: Portland Pie Off is ON

You may remember the pie event from last summer. In case you don't, here are some choice photos:


Premise? Make pie, bring to the park. Share pie, chat with friends, eat pie. Ribbons, applause, fun. Good times. In the end? We had 50+ pies and 100+ people. Of course we're doing it again.

Make sure you're following the Pie Off blog, where I'm a contributor and fellow Pie Commissioner. Mark your calendar and plan to come. It's fun. It's quintessential. It's summer. It's pie. And this year? It's the Summer of Pie.

The best things about summer are simple

A simple summer evening walk from LeloNopo on Vimeo.

Keeping up: the season is marching along

Strawberry season is coming to a close and the next phase of berries are marching along in. We made strawberry freezer jam, froze whole berries, and pureed them into ice cube trays for easy freezer bag storage for use throughout the winter.

I love the taste of strawberries. I don't think any other berry is quite the same. The first berry of the season, the strawberry, is just winding down here in Oregon for its main flush of production. Next up? Raspberries.