LA DOLFINA

Thank you for your heartfelt and POWERFUL Prayers today for my brother Stephen! They worked!!!   I am so happy, humbled and grateful to be able to tell you that the surgery was a success, thanks to your prayers, the donor and the amazing surgical team at UCSF. After 28 years, he is no longer a diabetic. To be cured of a disease is nothing short of a miracle.  Those of us that held vigil during the 4 hour surgery witnessed that miracle and are awestruck. You were all a great part of this miracle and my family and I will forever be eternally grateful. I cannot tell you how much your comments and personal emails sustained us today. God Bless You All I love you 

Today around 3pm my brother Stephen got the call he's been waiting for since his name was put at the top of the donor list several weeks ago. (The ADA's Napa Valley Tour de Cure last month)   When I saw his name come across my cell phone I knew he was calling to tell me it was time... It was surreal, I didn't know how to feel. Our family was ready, we had just attended an anointing of the sick mass a week earlier where we laid our hands upon his head and prayed in gratitude for the yet unknown donor's organs and the successful outcome of his impending surgery. He was told to be at UCSF within 4 hours. The young donor is on life support. It's hard to deal with the mixed emotions I'm feeling of both extreme happiness and gratitude coupled with intense sadness and loss. It's times like this that I cling to my faith and it strengthens me... Please join me in praying for bo...

  This garden/art installation blew me away... It's a grove of trees made out of chicken wire dripping with crystals.    Isn't it magical? Hmmmm, I wonder where I can plant/place a few of these in my yard? *Photos taken by La Dolfina at Cornerstone in Sonoma

There is nothing quite like homegrown vegetables. Earlier in the season, a friend surprised us by building a raised bed and planting a few veggies in our side yard.     We love taking care of it and watching it flourish. Our side yard is a decent size considering the standard 50' x 100'  lot sizes that make up our neighborhood. We've never figured out the best use for this untapped space except of course to store our garbage cans.   That was until we stopped by the gardens at Cornerstone in Sonoma last week...  Now this is a garden to remember! There is so much inspiration here! I think with a little planning we could conjure up a mini version of this next year! I love the wire and wood structures that are incorporated throughout the garden. I'm also loving the dark, almost black tan bark on the pathways too.   We planted artichokes! The posts provide structure as well ...

 Tillandsia is a genus of around 540 species in the Bromeliad family. Tillandsia are epiphytes, also called aerophytes or air plants meaning they normally grow without soil. They don't need soil because moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air and absorbed through structures on the leaves called trichomes. The roots are used as anchors only. Reproduction is by seeds or by offsets called "pups." A single plant could have up to a dozen pups. Although not normally cultivated for their flowers, some Tillandsia will bloom on a regular basis. In addition, it is quite common for some species to take on a different leaf color, usually changing from green to red, when about to flower. This is an indication that the plant is monocarpic, which means it flowers once before dying, but offsets around the flowering plant will continue to thrive.  After blooming the offsets can be separated from...