Hiatus Highlights

“Yes, I will give to those who give of themselves, untold Joy and Bliss; and what is more, I will lead them by the hand along those petal strewn paths of Eternal Joy.” 

~Sri Sathya Sai Baba

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I have severely fallen behind on my 2-3 posts a week goal here at oHo. Professional and popular bloggers will tell you the importance of sticking to your blog schedule when you first start out to build discipline and storyline, etc. It can be rough at first, with the inevitable doubts that arise. Does anyone even read this anyways? What is the point?

My absence here has less to do with those doubts and more to do with the slow takeover of my normal life. There have been doubts, yes, but there has also been part time jobs responsibilities, relationship crises, healing, and a TON of garden work. You cannot expect to have summer vegetables without back-breaking labor in spring, nor life without some stumbling blocks.

We've put in several gardens here at the house including a trellised front-yard bed, lush container gardens and a spontaneous alley garden that Ron has nicknamed "the ghetto garden" plus we've installed a full-fledged, fenced-in vegetable patch over at a friend's,  There have been so many great moments and highlights from the past several weeks that I just wasn't able to share with you all: al fresco dining, potting benches, drying herbs on our new herb rack, peonies in bloom, taco night, cupcakes and a strawberry pie surprise from my neighbor (Thanks Lyric!), thrift store treasures and the soon-to-be launching of my vintage etsy shop, The Fickle Fern.

Now, I am about to begin a two month job working as Costume Supervisor on National Geographic's Killing Kennedy. I am excited to be jumping back in to the film business and working with my friends again, but I have a feeling, from experience, that there won't be as much time for blogging. I will if I can, but chances are, by the time I am back, summer will be in full swing and I'll be super excited to document riverside picnics, grilling parties and tomato harvests.

See you all in July!

An Accidental Cinco de Mayo

You can probably tell by the lack of recent posts here that I've been pretty busy elsewhere. So busy, in fact, that I almost let a holiday slip by uncelebrated. And this on a blog whose theme is about highlighting the causes for celebration; a possible catastrophe! Okay, just kidding. I guess if you set out to make each day a high occasion, then it wouldn't be so bad missing a holiday here or there. Nonetheless, Cinco de Mayo almost came and went.

That morning I invited two friends over for cocktails and munchies, unaware of the actual date. I had an unopened bottle of Trader Joe's Bloody Mary mix in the back of my fridge just crying to be cracked and shared. Noel and I had been trying to reconnect over the last two weeks to no avail, but this time things clicked into place.

Noel is co-owner of a local pickling company, Pickled Silly. (Check 'em out; I styled and photographed the main image on their website!) Her and her business partner, Sandra, make a delicious array of fresh and crispy pickles, but it was their spicy okra that took special place at the table today; the brine was our mixer and the okra, the garnish. With over 20 years of restaurant and bar experience, my beloved Ron was our bartender of choice. He cracked pepper, sprinkled smoked salt and stirred the spirits with professional mystique, all while carrying on a conversation about the common lawn weed, oxalis. Our Bloody Mary's were made with gin instead of vodka; a pleasant change from the traditional spirit of choice.

I'm a lightweight, and while I sipped on my one, perfectly concocted cocktail all afternoon, my three compatriots knocked back their Mary's with vigor. We drank and chatted on the back deck until late in the afternoon, gnoshing on homemade pickles and honey roasted peanuts. It was an incredibly pleasant, laid back day. Glancing at the calendar in the evening and realizing it was the fifth of May just made the impromptu gathering that much more serendipitous.

Happy Montage Monday: Backyard Haven

I really love Spring, guys. It is undoubtedly my favorite season. Myriad flowers bloom everywhere. Brand new leaves pop seemingly out of nowhere on twigs and branches painting a canopy of green overhead. On certain days we get a fleeting glimpse of Summer when the weather is warm enough for sandals and hammock lounging. I press open a good book or glossy magazine and could sit for hours, bathing in the first hot sun of the year.

My backyard is a haven in Spring: rustic, wild and pure. There is almost no grass here; medicinals and weeds naturally populate the yard. I am beginning to like the un-manicured feel of this rental property. Vinca vines with blooming periwinkle hold hands with english ivy and virginia creeper (and also happen to be one of Nabby's favorite nap spots). The grape vine on the fence sends out its green tentacles and the first buds appear on the hydrangea and gardenia. There aren't any mosquitoes around the water barrel yet, and the local birds flit about searching for nest material or baby birdie food, making quite a racket each sunrise and sunset.

This photo montage is a snapshot of my dearly beloved backyard haven. May it inspire a relaxing day out-of-doors.

Let's Be Neighbors

Did you know Saturday, April 27th was National Neighbor Day? I didn't.

A chance encounter surfing the web brought this to my attention, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to thank my awesome neighbors for being, well, awesome, and the best excuse to bake something sweet.

Ron took over in the kitchen, making the scrumptious cinnamon swirl buns that were such a hit at Easter. I purchased pretty pink packaging materials and set about writing notes to each neighbor.

The card read something like...

"Happy National Neighbor Day!
Ron and I are just tickled pink to have you as our neighbor."

I delivered them one-by-one. My upstairs neighbor gave us a cool Jamaican CD in return, and my next-door neighbor, Lyric, took these great portraits of her two young girls biting into the goods. Aren't they precious?

Lyric is a fantastic portrait photographer with a knack for capturing the natural warmth and charm of children, infants and families. Check out more of her work at LyricHasslerPhotography.com.

I think I might have been under the misguided impression that this was one of those informal national holidays, like National Rubber Eraser Day (April 15) or Blah, Blah, Blah Day (April 17).  (No seriously, those are, in fact, National observance days in the month of April.) Turns out this Neighbor Day was a community-building, grassroots event partly inspired by the Boston Marathon events. (Here is the link to find out more).

The 27th of April actually shares holiday coverage with Babe Ruth, Prime Rib and something called 'Tell A Story Day'.  There might not be any more room to make this an honest-to-America holiday called National Neighbor Day. Only time will tell. Note: this should NOT to be confused with National Neighborhood Day on the third Sunday in September.

My head is spinning. I fully recommend you read the full list of bizarre National Days here.

Okay, so I inadvertently lied on the card. Big whoop. I also didn't get a chance to don my apron, as Ron did the baking, but I did have the pleasure of visiting each of my immediate neighbors to see their faces light up and enjoyed some pleasant chit-chat.

Plus, we've got leftovers! Win. Win. Win.

This was such a success, and I felt so good afterwards that I have half-a-mind to play around with that-there list of wacky holidays and come up with random acts of kindness for each month out of the year! Whose with me?

Happy Montage Monday | The Earth, The Sea and The Sky.

I hope you all had a swell weekend!

The weather was great here in central Virginia despite a little drizzle Sunday afternoon. I spent as much time as possible outdoors, either sitting on my back deck (meditating, sipping tea, eating lunch and, I'll admit, being on the computer waaaay too long) or walking my garden and Maymont's Herbs Galore.

Being in touch with the elements has left me feeling quite grounded and secure as I start off the week. This montage I entitled "The Earth, The Sea and The Sky;" it is inspired by nature's balmy, relaxing effects. The photos were taken at various times, and in various locals, over the past 9 years. Some were taken on film, hence the grainy, low res nature of a few shots.

May it be the salve to your work-week stress and find you amidst your paper piles and to-do lists happily day-dreaming.

Happy Monday!

Be Good to Mama | Mother's Day Inspiration

Up until my mid-20's everything I knew about gardening I learned from my mother (pictured above snorkeling in the Bahamas). She's no expert by any means, but she did teach me how to correctly plant store-bought impatiens, and tomatoes and that knowledge will get you pretty far.

My mother catching a snooze.

You don't just plop them in the ground. Oh, no. You carefully remove them from their containers by turning them upside down and tapping the perimeter and bottom of the pot until it is jostled loose, making sure not to "tug" on the stem. You massage the roots and then place them in a hole twice the root-ball size with a 1:1 mix of garden soil/compost and the dirt that's already there, plus a pinch of fertilizer. The roots should be fully sub-merged and level with the rest of the garden. The plants get watered immediately and the dirt gently compressed around the plant, as you would tuck in a toddler.

Mom, fishing in Grandpa Dursch's canal.

Gardening requires a gentle touch, finesse and patience. From the first time helping her in the backyard plant annual flowers along the woodland border, I was hooked.

Eventually my love for gardening, landscaping and the outdoors led me to help found an urban garden collective, sow my home-grown vegetables from seeds, and experiment with all kinds of growth habitats and plant species from shade container gardening (I love my ferns), to raised bed vegetable patches. I've never owned a home or cultivated my own land, but I've always had an outdoor garden and sitting area of some sort wherever I've plopped my bags. 

I think our love of plants and pretty-manicured gardens is genetic; my great grandfather, Frank Dursch, was a landscaper and gardener who maintained the Dupont's estate in New England. I never met him, but I did get a chance to visit his lovely estate in Pennsylvania (that our family unfortunately sold) complete with a full English rose garden, a hand-diverted canal stream with waterfalls, and canoe dock.

In honor of my humble beginnings in horticulture, I pay homage to my mother each year by treating her to a garden-themed Mother's Day. It is something special we share, and my little way of showing her how much she means to me.

A few years back I bought tickets to the 2nd Annual Mother's Day garden tour. Last year we enjoyed Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's spring plant sale and walked the grounds. This year, albeit early, I took her to Fredericksburg for Historic Home + Garden Week. Over the course of the day, we visited 5 historic sites including Belmont, Snowden, Chatham and Kenmore Plantation.

The first part of the day was overcast and chilly, but by 2 P.M. the clouds parted to reveal a brilliant blue sky and bright sun. We had so much fun walking the grounds and peeking into the past through guided tours. Living vicariously through others is priceless, and while only one of the properties we visited still remained a private home, it was a thrill to the imagination to picture life on one of these estates; definitely worth the $30 price tag!



Whether it is a delivered flower arrangement with a special note, Sunday brunch or handmade slippers, make sure you be good to your mama this year, and show her just how much you appreciate her. After all, we wouldn't be here without 'em.

Mother's Day is May 12th; do you have your gift procured, your plans figured out?

If you have the time and want to bypass the pre-arranged florals this year, plan something fun and unique! How about packing a stellar picnic and heading to Maymont (*Their annual Abbey Mother's Day Tea is already full) or lunch and a container gardening class at Lavender Field Farms? Splurge on champagne brunch at The Jefferson, or if you're short on dough, head to Agecroft Hall on May 12th for free admission and evening concert by the Richmond Concert Band.

Playlist | Songs for Driving Down an Old Country Lane

Spring is the perfect season for packing a picnic and heading into the great unknown.

Even better if you can take a quick jaunt to the countryside and relish in expansive views amid frolicking wildlife.

When you're a good distance from city-life and civilization, pick a road to turn down. Any road that screams at you in perfect quaint beauty will do, one with a rundown gas station on the corner perhaps, or a narrow winding dirt one lined with wild buttercups and thistle. Just take a chance and prepare for surprises at every turn.

This past Sunday, Ron and I did just that up in Nellysford, Virgina. The fist part of our country day-trip was prescribed by Virgina Garden Club's Historic Garden Week. After 4 hours of hiking the magnificent grounds of two woodland wonder-homes (Solliden + Knollwood), we picnic-ed on homemade sandwiches and Pickled Silly's Carrots (Check out their site; I did the cover photo styling and photography!) under a nearby Dogwood, then stopped off at Devils Backbone Brewery for celebratory libations and queso-smothered nachos (I just can't resist cheese!).

Ron obliged me on the journey back home–and we delighted our more adventurous sides–by turning  down an unmarked country lane. I spotted a deer, a woodchuck, a red squirrel, plenty of horses, pigs and cattle and a kity-kat that raced us a ways. The sun was beginning its descent and the mountains shone with a golden hue. I just wish I had this mix playing during the drive, then it would have been truly magical!

The Sunday drive inspired the completion of this playlist, and I share it with you lovingly, hoping at least you can enjoy the idyllic serenity of some country lane near you with it softly serenading the way. Some songs will fit the ambience of vast stretches of blue sky and green grass, others are meant for fast and furious curves through the holler.

Note: there will be banjoes, and whistling; it wouldn't be a true country mix without 'em.

Be Happy; Drive On!

You can also listen on Grooveshark.