Bon Bon

Bon Bon

Bainbridge Island is home to Bon Bon, the sweetest candy store.  It's the sort of place young children dream about.  And the heady scent of chocolate and sugar brings back fond memories of my own candy-infused childhood.

Lisa, the equally sweet owner and head fudge baker, makes several varieties of homemade fudge daily.  I've sampled more than I'll admit to, and still don't really have a favorite.  (Though I would encourage anyone to try her dark chocolate fudge with sea salt and caramel--truly a slice of heaven.)  

For our three daughters, an afternoon in Winslow is not complete without a stop at BonBon for salted caramels, sour patch and a piece of fudge.  And when I want something special for Easter or Valentine's Day, like homemade fudge and caramels, locally crafted truffles, or chocolate covered espresso beans, this is where I go too.  

So this past Spring, when Lisa asked me if I could help her brighten up the outside of her shop with some colorful planters, I was thrilled.  Designing and planting pots is one of my favorite garden jobs, and I knew that working with Lisa would be a joy.

She knew that she wanted lots of bright red geraniums, black planters and a "french" theme.  So, with candy as my guide, and visions of french gardens in my head, I designed these containers.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable project. The planters filled in nicely over the summer, though the boxwoods will continue to look better as they grow.

Here are a few pics, and be sure to check out her website:  Bon Bon Candies

Lavender Harvest

I have one very scraggly looking lavender plant.  It is in the corner of the herb garden, tucked between a very healthy and rather aggressive lemon balm, and rampant, self-seeding parsley.  I'm not sure how this lavender has survived its years between such over-bearing neighbors, but somehow it persists.

Our climate is barely suitable to lavender but I try because I love this plant dearly.  And even though mine doesn't look anything like the lovely plants up in Sequim, WA, this one plant manages to give me enough lavender every year to make fragrant, long-lasting bouquets.

How lavender is supposed to look, Courtesy of the Sequim, WA Lavender Festival

I won't post a picture of my plant--truly the poor thing is nothing to look at.  But I do have fun with the lavender I harvest.  Like so many people, I am drawn to its soft fragrance.  My initial $3 investment (of many years ago) and 15 minutes of annual trimming is enough to make pretty vases of lavender.  By far this is the easiest and most rewarding of harvests.

A single flower...

"If we could see the miracle in a single flower, our whole life would change" ~The Buddha

I think the Buddha was looking at a peony when he spoke those famous words.  Of all the gorgeous flowers our Earth has to offer, rarely does one present so many luscious, ruffled petals.  Each peony bloom seems to have a hundred delicate layers of tissue-thin petals.  And tucked in between the layers of petals are bright yellow stamens, just waiting to be discovered by pollen seeking creatures.

Peonies combined with lady's mantle make a lovely bouquet

The peony is a master of garden distraction...but in a good way.  It's so easy to walk by all kinds of beauty as we are engaged with our thoughts, our worries, our busy lives.  But the peony begs closer inspection.

The peony's soft fragrance quite literally entices you to 'stop and smell the flowers'.  And as you do, your eye notices the movements of bees and ants, who hover close to each huge bloom.  Soon you see the nuances of individual petals, and begin to wonder what lays at the heart of the blossom.  Before you know it, all of your senses are engaged with the peony.

An entire delightful world; a small miracle.

Goats at Play

Who doesn't love bright, playful art for the garden?  I'm a huge fan of our locally made farm and garden signs from Bainbridge Farm Goods.  These signs are made by a local artist and crafted here on Bainbridge Island.  They make great gifts and help brighten up barns, chicken coops and vegetable gardens.

I recently won this sweet "Goats at Play" sign through a contest at Inside Bainbridge.  Click here to see my winning entry, and also to check out our local online newspaper.

We installed the "goats at play" sign very appropriately on the goat barn.  And the goats watched this art installation with their usual curiosity.  Lily immediately stretched as high as she could on her hind legs, and nibbled at the bottom corner.  Of course...

Thankfully she quickly discovered that this artwork is out of her reach and not very tasty, so I think the sign will avoid future goat abuse.

Lily "at play" in front of our much more colorful goat barn.

Other signs from Bainbridge Farm Goods that I love:

 

A Few of My Favorite Things...

As I work in the garden, I am almost always inspired by something.  Sometimes its the tiny droplets of water lit up in an unexpected ray of sunshine, or suddenly seeing a tree frog right next to where I am working.  And for a moment, I pause what I am doing.

But this past winter was a very long, cold one, and seeing how little I posted to this blog shows me how little I was inspired.  Or at least how little time I had to write about what inspired me :).  But Spring--at least our soggy Northwest variety of Spring--has finally come and everything seems to be blooming all at once.

With such beautiful blooms all around me, I am finally compelled to pause...

I'd like to say that I am always present to the nature around me, but that isn't the case.  I have three busy adolescent daughters....need I say more?  Throw in a husband who works shift work, a calendar filled with volunteer commitments, family commitments and work, and a hefty does of female hormones and my brain hums along at full speed.  So like every other working mom I know, I race through my daily tasks--not really a recipe for a healthy, balanced life!  But this small act of stopping what I'm doing, and truly seeing something, gives my brain a chance to cease its incessant worrying and planning.

I am grateful for the respite the garden offers.  

A few snapshots of my daily breaks....

Earth Day 2012

In honor of Earth day....

The beach at Port Townsend, WA

Camellia flower petals covering the ground

The Enchantments outside of Leavenworth, WA

We live on such a beautiful planet.  And I love that we have a day to celebrate the beauty and wonder of our Earth, and pledge to clean it up and care for it better.

Last Friday, Sophie's Jr. High school sponsored an Earth Day clean-up of our island.  Scores of students descended upon the roads and parks to pick up garbage.  As a whole, the kids managed to clean up most of the island.

Sophia, Sophie, Larissa and Ashley

Ashley finding a bottle beside the road

Sophie and Larissa finding trash along the road

The girls I chaperoned actually had a fun afternoon. Who knew that trash collecting could be fun? But walking outside in the sunshine probably beats sitting in class. I'm sure they'll never look at garbage in quite the same way again, and as we traverse the roads around our island, things do look spruced up. Job well done!!

Hope Springs Eternal

Sunshine.....finally!

Last week we were treated to a few days of sunshine and warmer temperatures.  My soul literally sighed with relief.  The garden looked so lovely with a bit of sunshine on it too.  And it made me wonder if we sun-deprived people react a bit stronger to the sun than those who see it on a regular basis.  Everyone was outside.  Driving down our narrow road involved constant swerving around joggers, walkers and bikers.  Our goats were lounging on their favorite perches too--just soaking it up.  Eyes half-closed and fur warm from sunshine, they especially enjoyed the rain break.

But it doesn't take long for the craziness to set in.  So happy are we to feel warm again, that our energy levels rise too quickly.  We might decide to redo an entire section of the garden...in one day.  Or order far more plants than we possibly have the space for.  Such is the nature of our sun-joy.

I am always amused by the spring antics of the birds, as they perfectly act out the spring fever we all feel.  One little bird was so entranced with his beautiful reflection, that he made circles around our truck every time it was parked.

This little guy began his sun ritual by peering at himself in the front corner of the truck windshield.

He then hopped the length of the windshield, making sure to check himself out from all angles.

And finally, after spending some time fluttering in front of each side mirror, he would fly up to the cherry tree and start ripping off the pink blossoms!   Then he would begin the whole flight circle all over again...

The craziness has ended....for now.  The rain has returned and the multiple, much anticipated projects sit half-complete.  But it is nice to remember that we indeed have a beautiful blue sky above the clouds.  And even though we may hunker down for months sipping cups of caffeine, we unite with collective joy when the sun comes out.