Welcome to Mockingbird Studio

When we first began searching for a home in town, I naturally gravitated toward old houses with charm, but it seemed like all the houses I loved were in noisy, crowded neighborhoods. When we drove up to a little Spanish Revival home on one of the busiest corners in San Luis Obispo, I said, "NO WAY!" I didn't even want to get out of the car.

We finally stepped inside the door to the house and I loved it, but still I said, "NO WAY!" Well, I lived to eat my words. I could see the possibilities with it all IF we built a high wall around the garden, and if we could find space for a tiny studio for me. 

We stepped out a little French door and into the back yard. There stood a small cottage, and I said, "I can't live this close to a neighbor," and turned to go back inside. The co-operating realtor (Jeff is a broker) said, "that's not a neighbor, that's your studio." I nearly collapsed. "Uh oh," I said,  "This might be it." and it was.

Follow the sign, stay on the pathway, and walk to Mockingbird Studio with me. This little "commute" video takes a few seconds to load, so please be patient.

Please come inside for a visit and pardon the mess. I am in full production for my new children's bird book for Workman Publishing. Click the arrow to start the video.

Here are a few close-up views.

Thanks so much for the visit. Sorry I've been out of touch, but there aren't enough hours in the day, not enough days in the week! I do so love hearing from you.

Oh, and the WINNER of our gorgeous house numbers give-away is Sara of Whimsical Wonders Nursery. We don't have your e-mail or snail mail address, so please send us an e-mail. CONGRATULATIONS! These handmade Danish porcelain enamel numbers from Ramsign are lovely. I hope you enjoy them!

I wish you a pocketful of joys,

Sharon

P.S. Please visit my new Lowe's blog posting to see a before-and-after video of the transformation of our backyard in my posting "Mud, Sweat and Tears." I value your comments.

Patchwork Quilt of Life

Early spring leaves of the redbud are red, peach, gold, and purple.

Dear Friends,

Life is a fireworks show of color and and experiences right now, and I am so amazed and grateful for everything. This is a patchwork quilt posting because I've been mostly working on my book...here goes and forgive me if it jumps around too much, but that seems to be my life lately.

My grandson's strawberry patch is bursting with berries (they're happy with their thick mulch of Cambria pine needles). He loves going out with his little colander and picking the fresh from the garden.

My friend Ronelle (My French Kitchen) had a recipe for fried berries with balsamic vinegar in one of her last postings. I tried the recipe, and the berries are great on a salad or on a goat cheese appetizer. The tastes of the sweet berries and the tart, rich balsamic are an amazing contrasting combo.

I've planted native columbine (Aquilegia formosa) throughout the garden for the hummingbirds, and they're shouting out their irresistible red. Yesterday my friend Stephanie Roth Sisson told me that as a child she always squeezed the spurs and sucked the nectar. We tried it, and it was wonderful. In all the years I've researched history of children's interactions with plants, I've never run across anything on kids sipping columbine. Some parts of columbine are toxic, but after sucking the nectar and dipping back into ethnobotany, I've found that this part of the plant is edible. Caution: always teach your kids to never eat anything in the garden without adult supervision...and that adult better know what is safe and edible!

Many years ago, when I owned Heart's Ease Herb Shop and Gardens in Cambria, California, I featured the works of artist Julie Whitmore. This was one of the garden signs she painted for me, and I love the message, "Nothing Without Labour." So true. Each day looms large, and we all face the obstacles and challenges of making a life, whether it is working for ourselves or someone else. We can't gain any ground if we don't stick to our goals and labour, labour, labour.

I am so lucky. My commute is short. Early mornings, after working in the garden, I walk the pathway to Mockingbird Studio and think of all the things that make me so happy and grateful.

I'm grateful for a short commute 

for my best friend who is never daunted by my long lists of ideas (translates to projects for him)

for grandkids who know that I love sunflowers and are happy to bring them to me...

for a granddaughter who loves the kitchen rocker better than any other chair...and who loves reading the family scrapbook put together by my cousin Patti Lovejoy McKee (and who loves socks as much as I do!)

for fruit trees laden with oranges, lemons, and limes (not my apples)

for being greeted by the unexpected beauty of "The Queen" epiphyllum

for the miracle that overnight the roses and the bougainvillea both burst into bloom

for the perfect symmetry of the Chalk Rose, Agavoides, and Imbricata echeverias

for the explosion of perennial flowers in the new backyard garden

for the skippers

for the blanket flowers (red and yellow) that are turning into one of the best feeders for not only butterflies and syrphid flies, but also goldfinches. The goldfinches land on the pincushion heads and pluck seeds from them.

for the simple pleasure of picking blueberries on my commute

for the visits of voracious ladybird beetles. We have some great conversations.

and thankful for the aphid wolves (offspring of the ladybird beetle) who eat hundreds of aphids each day. When I was a kid, I thought these larvae were "Halloween Bugs" because of the orange and black. I used to watch them working their clean-up in my Grandmother Lovejoy's garden. Now they're doing the same job in mine.

I'm grateful for family, friends, nature, beauty, and the simple joy of making things with my own hands in my own way and somehow earning a living doing it. Remember, "Nothing Without Labour."

All joys,

Sharon

P.S. Please drop by my newest Lowe's posting "Confessions of a Compulsive Weeder,"about how to beat tenacious, unreachable weeds that pop up in cracks and crevices. I think you'll like this simple tip.

P.S.S. Thanks to all of my wonderful followers for tipping the 400 mark. In celebration, I'd like to do a give-away of this introspective and elegant book, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (Algonquin Books), which has won many awards, including the John Burroughs and the National Outdoor Book Award.  I am thinking of my readers who are really examining life, meaning, health, and other issues. Members of The Grimy Hands Girls' Club will also receive a special bonus gift. If you're not already a member, be sure to join us. To enter, leave a comment on this blog posting no later than May 27. Winner will be drawn May 28.

P.P.S. For those of you near Oklahoma City on June 1, come join the Oklahoma County Master Gardeners for my talk and potluck luncheon. Check here for details.

Sweet Surrender

I stepped outside early this morning to greet my gardens, and these beautiful cactus flowers smiled at me.

Dear Friends,

I surrender. From now on, my hours in the garden will be all about peace–not battles. It seems as though I spend too much time fighting with interlopers that are trying to take over. Centranthus (Jupiter's Beard) is galloping through every empty space. Why do I tug it out and try to reign over the spot it wants to fill with green and blossoms, butterflies, and bees? Isn't it better to have life over empty spaces?

Bloom you strong-willed vagabond.

Nigella (Love-in-a-mist), have your way with the sundial garden (and after my work outside this morning, I know you're springing up in four of my raised beds too).

Columbine, I'm happy that you overtook the pathways and fled the confines of your bed.

Rose Campion, claim your territory in every crack and crevice...

...and bloom.

Spanish lavender, you're so headstrong. You've overrun the narrow pathway along the wall. You've gone from two plants and multiplied. Now there are ten of you, and you're enticing all the bees in the neighborhood into this tiny garden.

Thalictrum, you've pushed your way into pots throughout the garden. You started living with me over 30 years ago. You were a mere one gallon splurge. Year after year, you've let me know that your life-force exceeds anything I could ever imagine. Have your way.

Blanket flower, you're strident. You're thriving. How in the world do you fit in with all the pinks and purples in the back yard? The butterflies and skippers, bees, and syrphid flies worship you. Maybe I should too. 

Oh, you hollyhock ladies. I started with eight of you along the back garden wall. Now there are dozens, a troupe of dancing pink, red, and rose hummingbird pleasing blooms.

You're crowding the Matilija poppies, nudging aside the grape vines, poking through the broad hands of fig leaves, and providing my grandkids with perfect, frilly dresses for their flower dolls.

I won't even go into the beds that are thickets of spearmint, nasturtium, catmint, Eryngium, Lunaria, and more. How did this all happen? Am I the keeper of the garden or is the garden my keeper?

Meanwhile out in the garden, the hummer babies are thriving, although I may not be. I'm enjoying every minute with them, but I also worry about them constantly.

April 15th

April 16th-two sleeping babies.

It's getting crowded in this nest. Eyes are open now and bill is longer.

April 17th-This little one saw me and opened her bill in hopes of a feeding.

I'll end this now. It has been a long, long day, and it is late. I have spent most of my time writing and drawing, and trying to answer letters and e-mails, but I am way behind (on everything). At least now, since I'm letting the garden (or is it letting me) have more free will,  I'll  have an easier job taking care of it!

Jeff and I are trying to work on some sort of letter with lots of answers for the questions you ask about publishing, agents, etc. Please be patient with us and we'll try to sort through everything.

Come visit me in Oklahoma City on June 1st for the Oklahoma County Master Gardeners meeting. Mark the date, and I'll give you the details in an upcoming blog entry. In late July, we'll also be traveling to Austin, Texas (one of my favorite cities-watch out Linda, here we come), Dallas, Texas, July 29th Agriculture in the Classroom in Oklahoma City (again), and some stops in Wichita, and Kansas City.

Sending love and hopes for a joyous spring,

Sharon

P.S. Be sure to leave a comment on this posting to be entered in the next give-away of Ivette Soler's great new Timber Press book (need I say more?), The Edible Front Yard. 

This book will give you so many useful and whimsical ideas for creating paradise in an area that is normally not planted with edibles. Ivette is opinionated and spunky. You'll love this book. If a Grimy Hands Girls' Club member is drawn, a bonus surprise will be included with the book. Good luck!

P.P.S. Please visit Love Sown blog for a chance to win a copy of my book Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots.