Nov 14, 2012
Oct 18, 2012
September 2012
Hi All.
I am very sad today. There are changes on Main Street that I don't like.
TonyMatthews has closed. As of July 31, they have closed their doors. I know, I know they are on to other things and moving forward in new directions, but at the same time, Tony won't be on the street talking or smiling at people walking by. Matt won't be behind the counter laughing or being the friendly guy he is.
It just won't be the same.
Placerville just got a bit more quiet....
We will miss these guys, not to mention Suzanne, Tony's certified crazy mother. We love her wit, her smile and her caring for people here. She is one of those people who, if you walk in in a bad mood, she can lift you out of it.
She did this for Gary and I for many, many years....
Like I said, Main Street, Placerville just got a bit more quiet.
But (now this is the grownup me speaking) we wish them the best of luck and hope we will continue to see them on the streets....
We have watched these guys for the last 16 years become a staple in the community, a place to go for great gifts and essentials, foods, and kitchen supplies. They jumped right in the community with both feet believe me.
We will miss the fact they are not there on a daily basis..
Here's to all of you.....I'm drinking wine just for you.....
__________________________________________________________
Cafe Luna has finally got a new email address after all these years....AT&T finally ticked me off enough to make me leave them for ever (as if they could care less....). Our new email address is:
cafeluna@comcast.net
Truth be told, I needed faster internet, and AT&T could not provide it. So there....
__________________________________________________________
Gary and I are gearing up for our proposed trip to Merida, Mexico in November....this is an incredible place that friends, and you, our customers have been raving about for several years now. We have contacted a guy over there who is going to take us around the Centro district for a tour of what kinds of houses we can maybe consider if we were to have a second home there. We love the fact it is a city that is the second oldest Colonial city in Mexico, full of historical buildings, and considered by many a very European city in the Yucatan Peninsula. We have always had a major love of Mexico and its culture, and hope to someday immerse ourselves in an long extended stay there. Merida is also known for its seven parks in the Centro district, and we have found out that every night in one of the parks there is some kind of cultural party, dance, fiesta, or planned gathering that is part of their cultural education for the area. Centro district is full of restaurants,shopping, and museums and we are looking for this type of experience to rev up our tired bones.....and the fact that we can walk anywhere we want to go is a huge plus. Mexico here we come.....
will keep you posted on these events.....
So our garden at the house has been extremely happy this year. It is now three years old now and everything is getting huge. We have been growing about 15 different hydrangeas and this year they just got nuts with huge flowers. We have been cutting them, giving them away, and starting new plants because I love to propagate plants. The challenge is taking these little stems and made exact plants from them. Because you see, I have a lot of time on my hands because I do not grow my own tomatoes anymore. Every year I try growing tomatoes but forget it.....the tomato worms win, the birds win, and I always lose. Soooo.....the Farmers Markets in Placerville and El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park are great resources for buying great and unusual tomatoes. We are lucky here because we have many of the local farmers come in and bring boxes of their vegetables and fruits and we get to hand pick these babies.....Kelen (Helen with a 'K' she tells me...) brought in the most beautiful and sweet tasting orange grape tomatoes that we are using for saute, etc.
This is just like real life right? They come to your door and you get to pick the best of the best? I can't wait to retire someday and just answer the door when these guys bring us their wares. I am ready.....
_______________________________________________________
Boy oh boy, I love my job. In the last couple of months, we have had so much incredible wines brought in to us to taste and examine and try with foods. It is amazing how much difference wines can taste varietal to varietal and region to region. The Barbera's in the county from one side to the other have a huge taste structure change that sometimes I cannot identify. Some of the Syrah's, and the Zinfandel's are changing in their flavor components. I have found a lot of the red wines go for the 'fruit bomb' experience rather than the characteristics of the varietals, but I guess this is the California public demanding big fruit forward wines.
We have one of our wine reps, Bill Gilbert who works with Wine Warehouse out of Sacramento. He has taught me so much about French wines, South American wines, and Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines. Tasting these wines which I admit are very different than what we are used to. Dry wines, lower in alcohol (generally in the 12-13% range), but mostly how excellent they are with foods.
I am very sad today. There are changes on Main Street that I don't like.
TonyMatthews has closed. As of July 31, they have closed their doors. I know, I know they are on to other things and moving forward in new directions, but at the same time, Tony won't be on the street talking or smiling at people walking by. Matt won't be behind the counter laughing or being the friendly guy he is.
It just won't be the same.
Placerville just got a bit more quiet....
We will miss these guys, not to mention Suzanne, Tony's certified crazy mother. We love her wit, her smile and her caring for people here. She is one of those people who, if you walk in in a bad mood, she can lift you out of it.
She did this for Gary and I for many, many years....
Like I said, Main Street, Placerville just got a bit more quiet.
But (now this is the grownup me speaking) we wish them the best of luck and hope we will continue to see them on the streets....
We have watched these guys for the last 16 years become a staple in the community, a place to go for great gifts and essentials, foods, and kitchen supplies. They jumped right in the community with both feet believe me.
We will miss the fact they are not there on a daily basis..
Here's to all of you.....I'm drinking wine just for you.....
__________________________________________________________
Cafe Luna has finally got a new email address after all these years....AT&T finally ticked me off enough to make me leave them for ever (as if they could care less....). Our new email address is:
cafeluna@comcast.net
Truth be told, I needed faster internet, and AT&T could not provide it. So there....
__________________________________________________________
Gary and I are gearing up for our proposed trip to Merida, Mexico in November....this is an incredible place that friends, and you, our customers have been raving about for several years now. We have contacted a guy over there who is going to take us around the Centro district for a tour of what kinds of houses we can maybe consider if we were to have a second home there. We love the fact it is a city that is the second oldest Colonial city in Mexico, full of historical buildings, and considered by many a very European city in the Yucatan Peninsula. We have always had a major love of Mexico and its culture, and hope to someday immerse ourselves in an long extended stay there. Merida is also known for its seven parks in the Centro district, and we have found out that every night in one of the parks there is some kind of cultural party, dance, fiesta, or planned gathering that is part of their cultural education for the area. Centro district is full of restaurants,shopping, and museums and we are looking for this type of experience to rev up our tired bones.....and the fact that we can walk anywhere we want to go is a huge plus. Mexico here we come.....
will keep you posted on these events.....
So our garden at the house has been extremely happy this year. It is now three years old now and everything is getting huge. We have been growing about 15 different hydrangeas and this year they just got nuts with huge flowers. We have been cutting them, giving them away, and starting new plants because I love to propagate plants. The challenge is taking these little stems and made exact plants from them. Because you see, I have a lot of time on my hands because I do not grow my own tomatoes anymore. Every year I try growing tomatoes but forget it.....the tomato worms win, the birds win, and I always lose. Soooo.....the Farmers Markets in Placerville and El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park are great resources for buying great and unusual tomatoes. We are lucky here because we have many of the local farmers come in and bring boxes of their vegetables and fruits and we get to hand pick these babies.....Kelen (Helen with a 'K' she tells me...) brought in the most beautiful and sweet tasting orange grape tomatoes that we are using for saute, etc.
This is just like real life right? They come to your door and you get to pick the best of the best? I can't wait to retire someday and just answer the door when these guys bring us their wares. I am ready.....
_______________________________________________________
Boy oh boy, I love my job. In the last couple of months, we have had so much incredible wines brought in to us to taste and examine and try with foods. It is amazing how much difference wines can taste varietal to varietal and region to region. The Barbera's in the county from one side to the other have a huge taste structure change that sometimes I cannot identify. Some of the Syrah's, and the Zinfandel's are changing in their flavor components. I have found a lot of the red wines go for the 'fruit bomb' experience rather than the characteristics of the varietals, but I guess this is the California public demanding big fruit forward wines.
We have one of our wine reps, Bill Gilbert who works with Wine Warehouse out of Sacramento. He has taught me so much about French wines, South American wines, and Spanish, Portuguese and Italian wines. Tasting these wines which I admit are very different than what we are used to. Dry wines, lower in alcohol (generally in the 12-13% range), but mostly how excellent they are with foods.
Apr 4, 2012
April 2012
Hello all of you Luna/tic Happy Campers...
Here we go again, into my favorite time of the year...everything is happening in our yard, in the grocery stores, the Farmers Markets are starting to get serious, and the chores keep looming....
Had a very serious birthday last month. Six-oh. I can finally get into the movies with a discount! Was surprised with a whole lot of wonderful people that I love secretly showing up for a REAL SURPRISE PARTY that I had no idea what-so-ever about. It was fun. The hardest part was trying to talk when you are kind of over-whelmed with emotions.
60. The new 40? Hell no. 60 is 60. And this is where I am at. Deal with it David.....
This month is our anniversary month at Cafe Luna. On April 8, 1995, we opened for business. We are now a 17 year old restaurant. Gawd....how time and things have changed.
When we first opened up, we used to display some of the 'exotic' fruits and vegetables we were using: Key Limes, Portabella Mushrooms, Crimini Mushrooms, Pasilla Chiles.....
Now? These are part of the items you can find any day of the week in our local grocery stores.
We started out way back then serving only French Roast Coffee. At the time, some customers thought the coffee way to strong and dark. We couldn't get it strong enough for our tastes. Java City was our coffee supplier. Still love their French Roast coffee beans.
And we only used (still to this day) Kosher Salt on the tables. Why people asked? We would have a bit of iodized salt for people to taste next to the Kosher. There is such a distinct 'chemical' taste to the iodized salt that the difference was huge, and we converted many people on this one item alone.
And now, we have Maldon Salt flakes, sea salts, Himalayan salts, finishing salts, grey salt, pink salts....the list goes on and on.....
Why? We have grown up on changing things and taking the time to do something that might just make a difference with our foods. This is something that we are experiencing in our homes with seasonings, recipes, etc. Its a good thing to evolve like this.
But.
Still playing around with our favorite things to eat, just throwing a new curve in every so often.
Thus: a new recipe is born every minute....
*********************************************************************
Here is a link to our new menu:
Cafe Luna Spring Menu
Don't forget all of you Gluten-Free people: our menu is naturally low on gluten except for our pasta dishes.
Who'da thunk? Gluten-Free in Placerville???
Enjoy our weather and our wines.... we live in a wonderful area...
Take care.
David at Cafe Luna
Mar 7, 2012
March 2012
March 2012
Hello All of you Luna/tics....
Sometimes I wish I wore a hat. You know - one of those Indiana Jones hats or the kind you see the Vietnamese farmers wearing.....I want this. For protection from the sun, and to make me feel 'cool' , and all this because I have this great HAT on.
But....
I have a fat head.
Hats look like someone put a chair cushion on my head and told me to balance it on top until it falls off. And the funny part is they always ride above my ears and so - on top of it not fitting - I don't look 'cool' at all. ...more like that dorky guy who pretends to be an adventurer in the land of suburbia with a chair cushion on his head asking for directions....probably with a fried egg stuck somewhere in my hair...
But this is what I envision myself looking like when I work outside.
And it all starts this time of the year.
Getting into such a great groove of anticipating what is going to be happening with our weather, our soil and planning on whatever changes we are going to make is one of the items I get most excited about, especially now that we have decided not to ever grow tomatoes again. I am free of worrying about those damn tomato worms eating my plants bare in a days time. Ha! I will instead spend my time growing herbs and weirdo vegetables that I use a lot at home, and that I can't find better from the store or the Farmers Markets.
But me? I am free of the tomato bug!!!! I want to instead, plant Ghost Chiles'
just to see if I can get them to grow. And maybe a new crop of Genovese Basil, 
chives and some of the new radishes we have eaten lately. Tomato-free!!! No head-aches. No anxiety. No having to kill those bugs that seem as big as my hand eating those damn plants. Not me.
Now.....as long as we are not overwhelmed with the attack of the Moles/Voles/Gophers, life will be good. If they tasted better we could eat them....but they don't.....so we can't.....damn.
We have had a great couple of last months thinking about what matters in life. We (Gary and I) realize that we should be taking more time to just bop around and do the kind of things that make us goofy/happy. And that list is a long list.....
We find that the older we get: we love our friends. Every time we are with them, we wonder why we can't spend more time with them. Then we remember: we work. We spend many hours at our business and thus not enough time 'playing'.
I want to play more.
Gary is definitely ready also.
Every time a commercial comes on the TV about a cruise, he says 'that could be us (salt on my open wound...). And then he always adds: "but you wouldn't like to do that would you??? You would rather work....."
I don't know if he tells me that to make me crazy or tells me that to think about what and where we should be doing next.
It's Spring and we talk this way every year.
I keep telling him that going to Camino sounds like a great adventure to me.....He on the other hand has his sites on Mexico.....
Damn man....
It's spring and everything I think about has its basis in the clouds. The clouds of Camino, my garden and Mexico.
It's Spring.
Things turn green this month. Things start to grow where we least expect them to grow. We let things sprout hoping - even though we did not plant them there - that they might just turn out to be a rare and exotic plant or vegetable or herb.....
And not the noxious weed that will ultimately take over my garden.
And so you understand that the basis of Spring to me is a dithering in my mind that doesn't get any easier or better as I age....it is the time of the year when my mind goes all out ass-crazy with the things I want to get done. Quickly, with effort, and then relax from our efforts....this is fair.
Maybe they have a nice Mexican restaurant in Camino we could explore that serves really strong Margarita's for Gary.....
Ahhhh.....spring.......I need some wine.....
**********************************************************
A Note to many of you from Cafe Luna: a couple of weeks ago, I sent out an email explaining about our friend Juan Correa who is doing a 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is doing this to benefit the the "Aids/LifeCycle" Project out of San Francisco. Juan is a great customer of ours and a personal friend who is committed to doing something with his talents.
A word of thanks to you who donated to his project. Gary and I are both humbled and over-whelmed with the outpouring of generosity that you provided for this event.
Thank you all. You have helped make this benefit happening for real...
If you are intersted in looking at this event, or how to help him achieve his goal, just double click the link below.
Hello All of you Luna/tics....
Sometimes I wish I wore a hat. You know - one of those Indiana Jones hats or the kind you see the Vietnamese farmers wearing.....I want this. For protection from the sun, and to make me feel 'cool' , and all this because I have this great HAT on.
But....
I have a fat head.
Hats look like someone put a chair cushion on my head and told me to balance it on top until it falls off. And the funny part is they always ride above my ears and so - on top of it not fitting - I don't look 'cool' at all. ...more like that dorky guy who pretends to be an adventurer in the land of suburbia with a chair cushion on his head asking for directions....probably with a fried egg stuck somewhere in my hair...
But this is what I envision myself looking like when I work outside.
And it all starts this time of the year.
What is it about March that gets my Mojo working? My testosterone boiling, and my ability to see a weed in my garden a mile away? SPRING!!!
Getting into such a great groove of anticipating what is going to be happening with our weather, our soil and planning on whatever changes we are going to make is one of the items I get most excited about, especially now that we have decided not to ever grow tomatoes again. I am free of worrying about those damn tomato worms eating my plants bare in a days time. Ha! I will instead spend my time growing herbs and weirdo vegetables that I use a lot at home, and that I can't find better from the store or the Farmers Markets.
Free I tell you!!!
I remember my friend Michelle from Sleepy Hollow nursery (we miss that place) telling us how they would always sell twice as many tomatoes because of the fickle weather we experience: you know - those extremely Spring-like days in February and March that make a gardener just go out and plant their tomato plants, only to have a massive frost mid-March or April that would wipe out their baby plants. So she told us people would come back and buy the same tomatoes sometimes three times in one season, because WE MUST PLANT!!! But me? I am free of the tomato bug!!!! I want to instead, plant Ghost Chiles'
just to see if I can get them to grow. And maybe a new crop of Genovese Basil, chives and some of the new radishes we have eaten lately. Tomato-free!!! No head-aches. No anxiety. No having to kill those bugs that seem as big as my hand eating those damn plants. Not me. Now.....as long as we are not overwhelmed with the attack of the Moles/Voles/Gophers, life will be good. If they tasted better we could eat them....but they don't.....so we can't.....damn.
We have had a great couple of last months thinking about what matters in life. We (Gary and I) realize that we should be taking more time to just bop around and do the kind of things that make us goofy/happy. And that list is a long list.....
We find that the older we get: we love our friends. Every time we are with them, we wonder why we can't spend more time with them. Then we remember: we work. We spend many hours at our business and thus not enough time 'playing'.
I want to play more.
Gary is definitely ready also.
Every time a commercial comes on the TV about a cruise, he says 'that could be us (salt on my open wound...). And then he always adds: "but you wouldn't like to do that would you??? You would rather work....."
I don't know if he tells me that to make me crazy or tells me that to think about what and where we should be doing next.
It's Spring and we talk this way every year.
I keep telling him that going to Camino sounds like a great adventure to me.....He on the other hand has his sites on Mexico.....
Damn man....
It's spring and everything I think about has its basis in the clouds. The clouds of Camino, my garden and Mexico.
It's Spring.
Things turn green this month. Things start to grow where we least expect them to grow. We let things sprout hoping - even though we did not plant them there - that they might just turn out to be a rare and exotic plant or vegetable or herb.....
And not the noxious weed that will ultimately take over my garden.
(NOTE: Have you ever noticed that every season, we have a 'new' weed that we have to endure? I wish they were the polite weeds that once I pulled one out they would be gone forever.....)
But no: I get the kind of weeds that seem to be clinging to the very foundation of my house and when I pull and pull them up, of course the main part of the root breaks off and I will have to wait until it re-spouts to find it again, usually after it has set a million seeds all over the yard....The Weed.....And so you understand that the basis of Spring to me is a dithering in my mind that doesn't get any easier or better as I age....it is the time of the year when my mind goes all out ass-crazy with the things I want to get done. Quickly, with effort, and then relax from our efforts....this is fair.
Maybe they have a nice Mexican restaurant in Camino we could explore that serves really strong Margarita's for Gary.....
Ahhhh.....spring.......I need some wine.....
**********************************************************
A Note to many of you from Cafe Luna: a couple of weeks ago, I sent out an email explaining about our friend Juan Correa who is doing a 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is doing this to benefit the the "Aids/LifeCycle" Project out of San Francisco. Juan is a great customer of ours and a personal friend who is committed to doing something with his talents.
A word of thanks to you who donated to his project. Gary and I are both humbled and over-whelmed with the outpouring of generosity that you provided for this event.
Thank you all. You have helped make this benefit happening for real...
If you are intersted in looking at this event, or how to help him achieve his goal, just double click the link below.
This Months Recipe:
I love soups as you may know. I take the most time making soups, doing the "mise en place" (which is the secret to restaurant cooking you know...having everything cut up and ready before you start to do your actual cooking.....doesn't everyone have a prep cook at home???), the laying out of all utensils needed, planning my garnishes, and all the while watching it transform from sauteed vegetables, meats, etc. to this wonderful creamy heaven in a bowl.
This is one of my favorite recipes for soup, something that Garys mom taught me many years ago: building on your flavors. Layering your flavors and making sure each level is properly seasoned. Soup making is a study in patience.
This soup is wonderful just made, but like so many soups, really develops its flavors the next day. It also freezes well. I like this soup as a main meal with some nice rustic thick crusted bread. Go wild on your toppings....and enjoy...Portuguese Black Bean Soup
I love soups as you may know. I take the most time making soups, doing the "mise en place" (which is the secret to restaurant cooking you know...having everything cut up and ready before you start to do your actual cooking.....doesn't everyone have a prep cook at home???), the laying out of all utensils needed, planning my garnishes, and all the while watching it transform from sauteed vegetables, meats, etc. to this wonderful creamy heaven in a bowl.
This is one of my favorite recipes for soup, something that Garys mom taught me many years ago: building on your flavors. Layering your flavors and making sure each level is properly seasoned. Soup making is a study in patience.
This soup is wonderful just made, but like so many soups, really develops its flavors the next day. It also freezes well. I like this soup as a main meal with some nice rustic thick crusted bread. Go wild on your toppings....and enjoy...Portuguese Black Bean Soup
Mar 1, 2012
March 2012
March 2012
Hello All of you Luna/tics....
Sometimes I wish I wore a hat. You know - one of those Indiana Jones hats or the kind you see the Vietnamese farmers wearing.....I want this. For protection from the sun, and to make me feel 'cool' , and all this because I have this great HAT on.
But....
I have a fat head.
Hats look like someone put a chair cushion on my head and told me to balance it on top until it falls off. And the funny part is they always ride above my ears and so - on top of it not fitting - I don't look 'cool' at all. ...more like that dorky guy who pretends to be an adventurer in the land of suburbia with a chair cushion on his head asking for directions....probably with a fried egg stuck somewhere in my hair...
But this is what I envision myself looking like when I work outside.
And it all starts this time of the year.
Getting into such a great groove of anticipating what is going to be happening with our weather, our soil and planning on whatever changes we are going to make is one of the items I get most excited about, especially now that we have decided not to ever grow tomatoes again. I am free of worrying about those damn tomato worms eating my plants bare in a days time. Ha! I will instead spend my time growing herbs and weirdo vegetables that I use a lot at home, and that I can't find better from the store or the Farmers Markets.
But me? I am free of the tomato bug!!!! I want to instead, plant Ghost Chiles'just to see if I can get them to grow. And maybe a new crop of Genovese Basil, chives and some of the new radishes we have eaten lately. Tomato-free!!! No head-aches. No anxiety. No having to kill those bugs that seem as big as my hand eating those damn plants. Not me.
Now.....as long as we are not overwhelmed with the attack of the Moles/Voles/Gophers, life will be good. If they tasted better we could eat them....but they don't.....so we can't.....damn.
We have had a great couple of last months thinking about what matters in life. We (Gary and I) realize that we should be taking more time to just bop around and do the kind of things that make us goofy/happy. And that list is a long list.....
We find that the older we get: we love our friends. Every time we are with them, we wonder why we can't spend more time with them. Then we remember: we work. We spend many hours at our business and thus not enough time 'playing'.
I want to play more.
Gary is definitely ready also.
Every time a commercial comes on the TV about a cruise, he says 'that could be us (salt on my open wound...). And then he always adds: "but you wouldn't like to do that would you??? You would rather work....."
I don't know if he tells me that to make me crazy or tells me that to think about what and where we should be doing next.
It's Spring and we talk this way every year.
I keep telling him that going to Camino sounds like a great adventure to me.....He on the other hand has his sites on Mexico.....
Damn man....
It's spring and everything I think about has its basis in the clouds. The clouds of Camino, my garden and Mexico.
It's Spring.
Things turn green this month. Things start to grow where we least expect them to grow. We let things sprout hoping - even though we did not plant them there - that they might just turn out to be a rare and exotic plant or vegetable or herb.....
And not the noxious weed that will ultimately take over my garden.
And so you understand that the basis of Spring to me is a dithering in my mind that doesn't get any easier or better as I age....it is the time of the year when my mind goes all out ass-crazy with the things I want to get done. Quickly, with effort, and then relax from our efforts....this is fair.
Maybe they have a nice Mexican restaurant in Camino we could explore that serves really strong Margarita's for Gary.....
Ahhhh.....spring.......I need some wine.....
**********************************************************
A Note to many of you from Cafe Luna: a couple of weeks ago, I sent out an email explaining about our friend Juan Correa who is doing a 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is doing this to benefit the the "Aids/LifeCycle" Project out of San Francisco. Juan is a great customer of ours and a personal friend who is committed to doing something with his talents.
A word of thanks to you who donated to his project. Gary and I are both humbled and over-whelmed with the outpouring of generosity that you provided for this event.
Thank you all. You have helped make this benefit happening for real...
If you are intersted in looking at this event, or how to help him achieve his goal, just double click the link below.
Hello All of you Luna/tics....
Sometimes I wish I wore a hat. You know - one of those Indiana Jones hats or the kind you see the Vietnamese farmers wearing.....I want this. For protection from the sun, and to make me feel 'cool' , and all this because I have this great HAT on.
But....
I have a fat head.
Hats look like someone put a chair cushion on my head and told me to balance it on top until it falls off. And the funny part is they always ride above my ears and so - on top of it not fitting - I don't look 'cool' at all. ...more like that dorky guy who pretends to be an adventurer in the land of suburbia with a chair cushion on his head asking for directions....probably with a fried egg stuck somewhere in my hair...
But this is what I envision myself looking like when I work outside.
And it all starts this time of the year.
What is it about March that gets my Mojo working? My testosterone boiling, and my ability to see a weed in my garden a mile away? SPRING!!!
Getting into such a great groove of anticipating what is going to be happening with our weather, our soil and planning on whatever changes we are going to make is one of the items I get most excited about, especially now that we have decided not to ever grow tomatoes again. I am free of worrying about those damn tomato worms eating my plants bare in a days time. Ha! I will instead spend my time growing herbs and weirdo vegetables that I use a lot at home, and that I can't find better from the store or the Farmers Markets.
Free I tell you!!!
I remember my friend Michelle from Sleepy Hollow nursery (we miss that place) telling us how they would always sell twice as many tomatoes because of the fickle weather we experience: you know - those extremely Spring-like days in February and March that make a gardener just go out and plant their tomato plants, only to have a massive frost mid-March or April that would wipe out their baby plants. So she told us people would come back and buy the same tomatoes sometimes three times in one season, because WE MUST PLANT!!! But me? I am free of the tomato bug!!!! I want to instead, plant Ghost Chiles'
just to see if I can get them to grow. And maybe a new crop of Genovese Basil, chives and some of the new radishes we have eaten lately. Tomato-free!!! No head-aches. No anxiety. No having to kill those bugs that seem as big as my hand eating those damn plants. Not me. Now.....as long as we are not overwhelmed with the attack of the Moles/Voles/Gophers, life will be good. If they tasted better we could eat them....but they don't.....so we can't.....damn.
We have had a great couple of last months thinking about what matters in life. We (Gary and I) realize that we should be taking more time to just bop around and do the kind of things that make us goofy/happy. And that list is a long list.....
We find that the older we get: we love our friends. Every time we are with them, we wonder why we can't spend more time with them. Then we remember: we work. We spend many hours at our business and thus not enough time 'playing'.
I want to play more.
Gary is definitely ready also.
Every time a commercial comes on the TV about a cruise, he says 'that could be us (salt on my open wound...). And then he always adds: "but you wouldn't like to do that would you??? You would rather work....."
I don't know if he tells me that to make me crazy or tells me that to think about what and where we should be doing next.
It's Spring and we talk this way every year.
I keep telling him that going to Camino sounds like a great adventure to me.....He on the other hand has his sites on Mexico.....
Damn man....
It's spring and everything I think about has its basis in the clouds. The clouds of Camino, my garden and Mexico.
It's Spring.
Things turn green this month. Things start to grow where we least expect them to grow. We let things sprout hoping - even though we did not plant them there - that they might just turn out to be a rare and exotic plant or vegetable or herb.....
And not the noxious weed that will ultimately take over my garden.
(NOTE: Have you ever noticed that every season, we have a 'new' weed that we have to endure? I wish they were the polite weeds that once I pulled one out they would be gone forever.....)
But no: I get the kind of weeds that seem to be clinging to the very foundation of my house and when I pull and pull them up, of course the main part of the root breaks off and I will have to wait until it re-spouts to find it again, usually after it has set a million seeds all over the yard....The Weed.....And so you understand that the basis of Spring to me is a dithering in my mind that doesn't get any easier or better as I age....it is the time of the year when my mind goes all out ass-crazy with the things I want to get done. Quickly, with effort, and then relax from our efforts....this is fair.
Maybe they have a nice Mexican restaurant in Camino we could explore that serves really strong Margarita's for Gary.....
Ahhhh.....spring.......I need some wine.....
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A Note to many of you from Cafe Luna: a couple of weeks ago, I sent out an email explaining about our friend Juan Correa who is doing a 545 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. He is doing this to benefit the the "Aids/LifeCycle" Project out of San Francisco. Juan is a great customer of ours and a personal friend who is committed to doing something with his talents.
A word of thanks to you who donated to his project. Gary and I are both humbled and over-whelmed with the outpouring of generosity that you provided for this event.
Thank you all. You have helped make this benefit happening for real...
If you are intersted in looking at this event, or how to help him achieve his goal, just double click the link below.
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