Lettuce

Ok, not the most artful photograph.  But this is my latest gardening adventure.  The lettuce patch.  Now according to the mounds of research I have done, lettuce is supposed to be the easiest thing to grow.  Well, this is my third attempt in as many years. All past attempts have been epic failures.  So, I'm not quite sure how easy it really is to grow lettuce.  I'm trying out a different spot in the garden this year and also some wildlife and domestic dog deterrent, as you can see below.   

My two youngest garden gnomes helped dig and plant the rows.  It really was a fun project so I hope we are able to harvest a little salad.  We planted Monet's Garden Mesclun mix.  Chosen only for it's name and pretty package.  As you can tell we run a purely scientific garden here.  Hopefully we will see some sprouts within the next couple of weeks.

More Goodies!

Another package arrived from my Aunt today.  Look what was inside:

Ok, not everything, but I'll get to that in a minute.  The beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers and beans along with the Practical Produce book were inside my care package.  And, boy, the beans and tomatoes are very yummy. After a light saute and steaming they went right onto the dinner plates.  I can't wait to try the cucumbers next.  Vielen Dank, Tante!

A few weeks back my husband, a very good friend and I went to hear a lecture given by Thomas Keller of  The French Laundry.  It was a fascinating evening and I was able to purchase his latest cookbook: Ad Hoc at Home and have him sign it.  Our family has only visited his bakery, Bouchon,  in Yountville.  It is one of our favorite stops when we drive up to the Napa Valley.

The last jewel on my list today is the lovely peacock illustration by Rebekka Seale.  I just love her whimsical prints and was so excited when it arrived. If you click on the photo it will enlarge so you can see the detail a bit better.  A side note:  my 4 year old son picked out the moss green mat when I went to get the print framed.  I was looking at white and black mats and wasn't thrilled with the look.  While I was debating, my son had gone a little way down the aisle, and came back with the green mat.  "Mom, how about this one?"  Perfect.