Camellia Day

Did you know that Sacramento is the "Camellia Capital of the World?" No? Well, it is. And, today is Camellia Day.  

I began my little 'love affair' with camellias when I was a young girl growing up in South Carolina. Our home had once been on a camellia nursery and we had well over 200 hundred different camellia bushes on our property. I always thought they were the most beautiful bushes in the world when they were in bloom. So, it seems rather ironic that I should end up living over 3,000 miles away on the other side of the United States in a city that is the Camellia Capital of the World.

Each February in Sacramento, the camellias burst forth in all their gorgeousness to bring a bit of joy and beauty to the winter landscape.

I enjoy just walking around the city and taking in all the varieties and colors of this beautiful flower.

 

If you are in the downtown Sacramento area today, stop in at The California State Capitol Museum where the Volunteer Association hands out camellias to visitors.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you have a sweet and very lovely day.

Get Ready. Set. Count!

I'm ready. Are you?

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Guilty Pleasure

I figured since it's Valentine's week, it seems only fitting to start the week off by baking something chocolatey and gooey. Ina's Garten's, Brownie Pudding, fits the bill. It is a simple recipe to put together and when you put the batter in the pan and bake it - it forms a crust like a brownie, but inside it is part molten chocolate and part cake-like brownie. Mmmmmm...Top it off with some vanilla ice cream and I am in heaven.

The recipe is from her new cookbook, Back to Basics, but I found it online over at MSNBC if you would like to download it. Scroll down the page past two other delicious recipes of hers.

Now, this just makes me Happy

I haven't had a song set me to wiggling and send my body into all out DANCE mode in a long time. Jason Mraz's, I'm Yours, does just that. It just makes me feel GOOD all over.

Spring Fever

The temperature the last few days has been hovering right around 70 degrees, so I am starting to get a bad case of spring fever. I think everyone is. As I was driving around town today with my car window down and the radio up loud, I noticed all around me people were doing the same. I think all of us are enjoying the sunshine and it is helping us to forget - just for awhile at least - all the recession talk, layoffs, and overall bad news that we are being bombarded with on a daily basis. Sure is hard to keep your spirits upbeat and positive. But then, we have a day like today and you are just thankful to be alive. Never mind that it could mean that there will be a drought this summer. Enough bad news. I'll worry about that later!