Living in Los Angeles | Home Garden Harvest, Grocery Shopping, Cooking & Filipino Life Vlog 🌱🍋

 

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Vlogmas Day 22 | Garden Harvest, Winter Soup Recipe & Life Vlog 🌱🍋🍃

A little bit of gardening and cooking plus a glimpse of our daily life here in Los Angeles, California. Today's harvest - lemons, parsley and bay leaves. Please subscribe to our channel if you like growing food, garden-to-table lifestyle, home cooking, Filipino food and Los Angeles living.

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Winter Gardening and Plant Shopping

  

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Snow-capped Mountains

We saw sunny skies again today after series of storms rolled across Southern California bringing snow in the mountains.

Here's a snapshot of snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains taken during a short hike earlier today.

On a Winter Day

After days of El Nino driven storms, the sun finally came out, so I took a walk up on the hill and down the winding road back to the street that leads to our office building. It's almost an hour walk.

While up on the hill, I took this snapshot of a lemon tree.

After a Heavy Rainstorm

... the sky is clear, the air is fresh, the leaves have fallen.

Two Robins and a Dove

... on bare maple branches.  I heard the melodic caroling of the robins as I head out the door.

Rain Falls in Los Angeles

String of storms in the Pacific will hit drought-parched Southern California which will lead to flooding and mud slides.

A snapshot of the heavy downpour this morning. El Niño has arrived.

Camellia

Heavy rain is in the forecast throughout the week. So while the sky is clear, I took a 2-mile walk during lunch break. 

Here's a snapshot of a white camellia on the side of the road.  

On New Year's Eve

We feasted on Hoppin' John and sauteed collard greens -- traditionally served on New Year and considered lucky food in the South. We also had spaghetti which equates to long life in Chinese tradition as well as a variety of round fruits, thirteen in total, one for each month of the coming year plus one extra to signify abundance. This is one tradition many Filipinos all over the world follow.

When the clock strikes midnight we were standing at the doorstep throwing a bucket of coins into the house to attract good fortune. Then we ate twelve grapes, a Spanish tradition called "las doce uvas de la suerte." Actually, thirteen, I tweaked it a bit, so we have "extra"  like the round fruits.  It's nice to have more than enough to save for the rainy days.

So farewell 2015. What an amazing year it has been. I'm loking forward to creating more happy memories in 2016.

Happy New Year to y'all! May the coming year be a joyous, healthy and a prosperous one!

 

Playground

"Playground, playground ... let's go to the playground Mommy."

"Bye, bye duckies... bye, bye birds... I'm going to the playground."

"Slide... weeeeeeee!"

Winter Morning Stroll

We ventured out to the park to see some migratory birds on our way to meet-up with hubby for lunch.

Christmas Eve

Cheese platter, grapes, artichoke dip, bruschetta and riesling with lemon, apple and pomegranate seeds.  Cheers to a joyous Christmas!

By the Fireplace

...on the night before Christmas. 

Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

Spring Forward >>>

Daylight saving time kicked off at 2 o'clock AM Sunday which means it's time to move the clock an hour ahead.

On our way to church this morning I took this snapshot of the sky before sunrise.

Birdies On Maple Tree

Up, up on a maple tree in front of our house,  some doves and a robin are sitting on leafless branches on a cold winter day.

Squirrel

The squirrel is gathering nuts for the winter.

Winter Berries

As winter approaches, it is time to look around and enjoy the changing landscape. Autumn colors have faded.  Bright red berries are the star of the season -- Winterberry Holly, Firethorn, Bearberry, Hawthorn Berry. They surely add a beautiful contrast to the browns and evergreens.

Here are some photos I snapped during lunch walk with a colleague.