Izumi Tanaka

When I take my walk in the morning, I bring my camera these days.  Right now, there are so many flowers everywhere…. all I shoot are flowers, flowers, flowers!

A stranger gave me a branch of lilacs on a sidewalk, and my world was perfect.

While we were in Chicago last month, my sister-in-law turned me onto this special sandwich she makes.  Mushed avocado, cucumber slices, red pepper, red onion and provolone on wheat bread. I use the multi-grain bread and added alfalfa to make it even more yummy and healthy.  Some day I add tomatoes, someday I use tofu burger, and someday I eat it twice!

Thank GOD!  It looks like the spring is here to stay!  The jacaranda trees in my neighborhood are starting to bloom.  Enchanting purple blossoms….

This is the time those purple flowers start to bloom around here.  Just a little while ago, wisterias were going crazy in my neighborhood.  Now, we have those irises followed by agapanthus a.k.a. Lilly of the Niles in my front yard.  Then pretty soon, the jacaranda will start.  How did God make those different species to have all the same pretty purple?  I love that subtle and delicate purple.

I got to do a photo shoot today at Rivera Restaurant in LA Live.  Not only was it so much fun, but also quite yummy.  I had this red cabbage salad, which was so satisfying….  It even came with a pansy.  Pansies were one of my favorite flowers in the spring.  It brings some fond memories of planting them in the garden with my mother.

I’m not Christian, and I haven’t really celebrated Easter in my life.  But yesterday as I was visiting my friend, James and his family with three young boys, I prepared some Easter baskets for the first time.  What I don’t understand is why do kids get so much candies for every occasion?  Doesn’t seem to matter what holiday it is, it seems to me they get tons of candies. This is an apple stick covered with sugar I saw at a chocolatier in town.  Yeah, yeah, it’s cute, but who would want to eat that?

I’m having a very quiet Sunday up in the mountains.  As I walk around the area, I see new buds are filling up almost ready to burst open.  I can’t wait to see some new greens and blossoms around.

We attended a Native American ceremony to celebrate the arrival of spring today.  We had a Chumash elder lead us in the prayer songs, did some drumming, planted some seeds, and gave some offerings in the Seven Sisters shrine…  I got a feeling something good is coming my way….

I got freesias from Trader Joe’s today.  They are my most favorite of all flowers.  I wish I can capture the fragrance in the photograph as well, but I guess the technology has not gone that far  yet – even though I’m sure someone is already working on something crazy like that….