When life gives you a lemon tree

We have a lemon tree in our new home.

With lemons waiting to be picked everyday 

And we bought a new wind wheel right beside it because we love wind wheels. Now we all sit and stare at it and exclaim, "oh the wind's blowing from that way!" ( as though it matters at all) every time it spins. 

Check out the lemons from the garden: 

Yes, the tomatoes are from our garden too: heirloom and grape tomatoes, juicy and sweet

Oh and there are some string beans and mint and thyme too, I kept the beans away to cook tomorrow. Yum!!! The mint and thyme need some TLC, which I've started giving, starting today. 

I'm going to be baking lots of apple pie soon, when these turn golden yellow:

If I get to them before the squirrels do

We also have cherry and peach trees but no fruits right now. The hummingbirds, sparrows and several local birds visit our garden multiple times, everyday. 

The  garden has flowers too, mostly hibiscus 

Apparently this one's also hibiscus:

If you look closely at it, it does look like one

Updated: My loving, intelligent sister A did some digging (no pun intended) and found that this purple flower is called Rose of Sharon.

There is another plant in the backyard that blooms a peachish-orange hibiscus but I plucked a flower this morning for the prayer/ shrine area in my kitchen (which I think would be a bit impolite to take photos of- culturally ingrained in me from several temple visits) so I don't have a pic right now.

Updated with a picture:

Any guesses to what this one's called? Wish Google had an app for that :

And this one?

Updated:
My sister A, who is turning out to be a proper sleuth, found that these white flowers with crinkly leaves are geraniums. The name reminds me of potted plants sitting by the kitchen window sill. I wonder who gets to name these flowers?

So pretty, right? As someone who dislikes artificial flowers and married to someone who dislikes plastic flowers, having the real thing right at home is the real deal indeed. 

This is what we see when we enter and leave our beautiful, ridiculously old and beat up but tremendously joyful home in the Bay Area. There's something about rustic charm in this garden that calms my senses, makes me happy and makes me wonder...

...how the heck are we going to maintain this beautiful garden when California is in the middle of a massive drought?!!!!! 

This garden reminds me so so much of my childhood home in Madras, that A and I plan to quickly acquire pairs of green thumbs and take care of all these lovelies. As a reminder of my amamma's home, I want to plant curry leaves and coriander soon. Of course, planting coconut will be the best but that might be a bit much. Besides, since it might be challenging to find legit coconut climbers in the area and I don't want coconuts falling on my head, I shall postpone this decision. 

We shall figure this gardening thing out. All in good time. Hopefully motherhood has given me some mad skills to take care of all my new babies. 

Come, visit me. I'll cook you something from my garden. 

Bumbling into Brunch in the Bay Area

Our first day in California and what better way to start our new lives than a scrumptious brunch with our dear friends? 

We visited Bumble in Los Altos, a brunch place that feels like a win-win for parents with young kids. The kids play in a fun, clean sand lot and parents chill and eat outdoors.

Isn't this such a happy color?!

The name is the best part, though. How can you NOT walk in to a place named Bumble? Adorable.

The world is a sandlot.

Spot my kids, lost in sand.

For little brunch-ers

Can't go wrong with white walls and ceiling and dark wood

For those who want to run away from kids

True indeed. Life in a hot air balloon might make u sick, though. But life AS a hot air balloon...now that sounds great

Free diapers, y'all! They have forgetful parents covered

Mmmmmm! Green juice! My husband A's fave kind

Mmmmm....crunchy granola with sweet yogurt. Everyone's fave in my home

Today was moving day

A new chapter in our lives begins tomorrow. Transition is exciting and nerve inducing. Will this be a better future? Will we grow our potential? Will our children like California better than they did Chicago? It probably makes no sense to compare but I know we will, especially as we settle into our new lives.

Today was packing and moving day. It felt harsh to say bye to our lovely home, the place we called our very own, the place where we had both our babies, the place in which we celebrated our wins and losses. Promotions, new jobs, a new book. Welcomed new friends and laughed with good old ones. Used white noise machines and cool mist humidifiers. The home in which we had the worst sleepless nights ever, waking up and caring for crying infants. The home where we had bitter fights and sweet make-up kisses. The home we proudly showed our parents as our very own. "See, mom and dad, your little kid has grown up to own her and his own place!"

Though in life, do we really ever own anything? Do things own us or do we own them? Is it better to own or better to let go? Is ownership just an illusion of security? Is it one step closer to feeling free? Or tied down?

Pictures of boxes and boxes... Thank you dear home and Chicago, for the sweet memories. 

Hereon, we look forward and surge forth to California!