Adventures with LA's Urban Farm Girl: “You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by..."

"...but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by."

It's August. I woke up this morning and it was already August.

Summers, they have gone by too fast for as long as I can remember. Those few dreamy months when the dry heat, long days and June bugs buzzing well into August awaken the most ingenuous spirit inside me. Immediately my soul is barefoot, cartwheeling on the front lawn and I am drinking water from the hose. What I want, what I wish I could create is an endless summer because summer in LA is this Urban Farm Girl's Neverland. I learned to fly here and I still believe summer is magical when I'm here. Without fail, always and forever time forces me back through that window where I invariably and reluctantly say "hello" to fall and put on a sweater.

I can't help but suffer from severe nostalgia whenever the beach leaves salt in my hair, sand in my car, a stomach begging for a barbecue and my heart is left perennially humbled by the people around the table. My favorite part...possibility offered in generous servings.

This summer has been like each one before it...beautiful, generous and fleeting. This time I have something to show for it and some things to share. The garden has also enjoyed these summer months and I've branched out beyond tomatoes and peppers this time around. The green beans and zucchinis have gained unexpected popularity in our house. We've eaten dozens of zucchini pancakes and made three zucchini lasagnas! Zucchini bread, you're next. We've given Urban Farm Mom (yes, that's what I'm calling my mom) some of our garden vegetables but even more than that we gave her some plants of her own. This summer the Hero Boyfriend set her up with three tomato plants, three grape plants and a pot of basil. Hopefully I'll be able to convince a little bit of this summer to join me into the fall.