UBM Post 14 - From the backyard....

When we were looking for a house to buy, many people suggested we should buy a property according to all the Vastu Shastra rules....but I had my own simple rules to go by:

- The house needed to be well lit (from sunlight) and airy, with lots of windows

- The kitchen should have a window

- The kitchen, master bed, and dining/living areas should get the morning sun.

- The house should have a small garden. 

And a few others. When we saw this house, it met all the above criteria, and then some. 

We get the morning sun in the kitchen, dining and master bedroom and what a blessing it is! Here is a panoramic view of this area, at 7 am today morning!

That also means that we do not get the strong evening sun (remember, 5 pm is peak temperature of the day for us) in these areas....including the backyard. So every summer evening, all of us spend most of our time in the backyard.....it's always shaded, pleasant and so green.....

And more often than not, the sky lights up like it did a couple of days ago....and the daughter was constantly observing the clouds changing colors from yellow to orange to red.....

What a terrific mood changer this scene is, isn't it? 

The high's these days are close to 100F everyday, so the roses have all wilted.....

But the daffodils are still around....

And so are these beautiful purple/blue flowers....I don't know their name, do you? They can found all over in our area...need to ask around, some gardener should know....

Also pleasing to the eye is this colorful foliage....

Everyday, the daughter would go near the lemon tree and check the size of the lemons....

We finally harvested a few of them....can't wait to use them on grilled corn, along with butter and pepper :)

Next year, we plan to build a small vegetable/fruit bed for the daughter with all of her favorite fruits and vegetables planted, and will let her take the lead in doing most of the work. She will be old enough to be patient in understanding the process and will be able to somewhat help too! Looking forward to it :)!

Until then, we'll enjoy the awesome vegetable produce from the local Indian store....this is what my dad and hubby brought yesterday - looking at it makes me think of all the yummy possibilities in the kitchen :)!