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 :)!

UBM Post 6 - Peaches Galore

Our second year of the peach tree bearing fruit, and it's delighting us with abundant produce!

The tree is not so big yet...its seems kinda small to me....

But every branch has so many peaches....

Hiding between the leaves....

 Staying away from the birds....

 And soaking in the sun to ripen.....

We harvested some of them last weekend - they are so juicy and sweet! YUM!

I still have some in the fridge - so come on over if you want to share some :)!

{this moment} Garden 2012 - 1 (a photo post)

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember" - SouleMama

I read this quote recently, on Healing Morning, and even though it is quoted in a different context, if I take it literally....it is perfect for me this week.

"Tending to your own backyard will keep you plenty busy.  Don't worry about what others are planting, or if they're letting weeds grow.  Focus on your yard and let them do the same" - Alpha Celestia Nelson Reagan

I've been on a buying spree of clay pots, soil, spring flower bulbs, vegetable and herb plants, etc the last couple weeks. And I had been itching to get everything planted. We finally got to it this week....and I just feel so happy and content.

{Just a note:We took one of our neighbors' help as I have some constraints working with soil/fertilizer/etc}.

Here are bell peppers (green).....

Tomatoes (Roma).....

We have Mint and Cilantro....I also have last year's pots for these two and have observed them starting to grow now.....

Our lemon tree is bearing wonderful fruit....

Our oranges were harvested around Christmas time....but here is a picture.....

We also have a cherry tree (yet to blossom), which gave us TWO cherries last year...I'm hoping for more this year :). And we have a peach tree (both these trees were planted as bare root), and this is the first year we are seeing peach blossoms:

And I also spotted these wild berries....not sure what they are called....

Couple of the shrubs are exhibiting colorful foliage....

And all the spring flower bulbs that I bought in a variety of colors....went into two of these burgundy pots and around the tree in the front yard.....

The only flowers blooming currently are Camellia.....we have a variety of roses and other spring flowers, but there's still time for them to bloom.....

Around town, the trees are looking simply gorgeous....I shot these pictures at a local park where we take the kiddo to play....

And last but not the least, my very special flower, who is also blossoming quite well :)!

It's all so bright, colorful, and wonderful - I'm loving it!

Our Backyard - a photo post

We have a cute little backyard and a lovely garden in our home, and over the last 2 years have done quite a bit of work on it. Well, to be honest, hubby has done most of the work but I support him with motivation, kind words, and good food ;).

Here is a photo post from our backyard:

We have ROSES.....

And DAFFODILS....

And LAVENDER....

We also have ORANGES.....

And LEMONS.....

And BELL PEPPERS and TOMATOES.....

We grew mint and cilantro and parsley as well - I don't have pictures of it though.

We also have a cherry and peach tree, but we planted bare roots, so it will be another year or more before they bear fruit.

Our home is located on top of a hill, and we get to see pretty remarkable views from our backyard.

There are RAINBOWS....

And LIGHTNING STORMS.....

We see an occasional SNOWFALL.....{this picture is from the front of the house}

And breathtaking SUNRISES....

Gardening is very therapeutic. I haven't been able to do much because of pregnancy and caring for an infant. But I'm ready for it now that Spring is here :)!

Collage from Spring2009: