All the Queens

This week we’ve been privileged with words of power and faith and most remarkably joy coming straight from the DNC in Chicago. It’s not that I haven’t loved our endearing Biden these last four years taking us out of the grips of Trump’s chaos and a world-wide pandemic, but it’s been at times disheartening to see many of his efforts fall flat when Trump’s puppets in Congress or within the Supreme Court pulled us backwards at his command. Everything about the Republican ticket is about going back, trying to return to a life that didn’t work for many, unless you are male and white and surrounded by all the privilege of generational wealth. But during this triumphant week all the Queens came to speak about moving our United States of America forward with a blue surge sweeping the rest of the nation into the sunlight. Their brilliant words are worth repeating, not mine.

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Paradise Garden

In the most auspicious of circumstances, we have found ourselves living in a paradise garden for the last five weeks. “Gardens of Paradise take their name from the old Persian pairi dez , meaning “surrounded by a wall”. Transliterated into the Greek as paradeisos and henceforth known to us as Gardens of Paradise , they are in essence self-contained refuges for flora and fauna, with humans as their keepers and end users” (AKDN). Walled in by bamboo we are indeed separated from the bustling complexity of this Los Angeles world yet are connected to earth, water, fire and air in this sacred place, filled with morning light, afternoon sunshine, and a whole changing sky above. Here, in this garden, one finds paradise.

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Flowers of Santa Monica

Sending love to all my Vermont friends who are restoring home and hearth after the flood, with the belief that united you are the strongest community I know. xxoo 

From backyards to front gardens, park landscapes and sky scapes, all over Santa Monica one can find an array of beautiful blooms. For me, and perhaps you, summer is synonymous with flowers. What a treat to see everything blooming, from drought resistant cactus to delicate lilies, brightening up one’s view in every direction.

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