California Dreaming

Here’s a funny story for you:  When Adam and I first met, he thought I was from California.

It was only for, like, a hot minute.  

And, it’s only because I was fresh off my internship in LA.  A lot of my recent Facebook photos had been from that summer.  And, before any and everyone was on Facebook, you shared your class schedule and internship details.

Mine said Redondo Beach, CA.

Now, with all weirdness on dear Facebook, I don’t even list my current city or employer… Anywho.

Even though it was short lived, I kind of loved that Adam thought I was from the west coast.  At 21, with my sights set on the city of Angels for post grad, it just seemed so much more chic than… Ohio.

But, even with dreams of getting back to California after I finished my final year of college, life had a funny way of sending me to the campus bar- even when I didn’t even really feel like going out- and I meet a boy.

And, where do I end up?  In oh-so chic rural Indiana.

While it’s not exactly Cosmopolitan, it’s become home.

But, it doesn’t mean that the topic of moving to California hasn’t come up more than once or twice.

Day dream chatting, of course. The cost of living would slowly kill us.

In one particular chat, just after we graduated and were kind of hating our new lives of getting up at 6:00 and 40 hour work weeks, I joked that we should just pick up and move west.

I threw out a couple ideas for jobs for me. Dream hospitality gigs like planning the Academy Awards… Then, I looked at Adam, a guy who has wanted to be a farmer all his life and said, “And, you could farm, like, lemons or avocado’s or something.”

Adam looked at me with a funny face.

“Lemons? Avocados?” he questioned.

I shrugged.

“Grapes.” Adam said with a big grin.

… You know those moments that people talk about when they knew their spouse was “The One?”

This was my moment.

My heart swelled. My ovaries leaped. And, my imagination ran wild with images of us riding horses through vines and pulling fabulous vintage wines up from a perfectly rustic cellar at our picturesque home on the vineyard.

While, the vineyard could become more than a dream in Indiana… Avocados and lemons will likely have to stay in the California day dream.

Our climate just doesn’t support growing either. Trust me, I have looked into it. Avocados and lemons are two of my favorite things to eat and while we did last month’s #bloomchallenege they were majorly missed.

I considered both for “freebies” during the challenge, but knew I had to draw the line somewhere.

And, truth be told, I almost caved with lemons one week in. I love the tart brightness of lemon juice and zest in everything from pasta to veggies, dessert and even oatmeal. Seriously.

So, on my first trip back to grocery store, I purchased not one, not two, not three… but, four lemons! I have a few plans to use them with our chickens, garlic and the last of the cucumbers but I am really excited to pair them with our herbs, particularly the thyme.

Thyme is a perennial and because ours is rocking out in a large pot on the patio, I plan to get it transplanted to the ground in a couple weeks so we can enjoy it for years to come.

Thyme is a pretty hand’s off herb, needing just good sunlight and just a bit of pruning to grow well. It has lots of cooking uses and can be preserved really easily frozen, dried or even in oil.

I love how well it’s zing pair with many of my garden vegetables, backyard chickens and lemons, especially in this refreshing dessert bar.

Lemon bars have been a longtime favorite dessert of mine.  I find myself craving them, but I really only bust them out for special occasions.  

And, yes.  While they are perfect for showers, parties, or picnics, they are also great for just embracing the last warm days – and flavors of summer.

… because California’s Endless Summer is just a dream when your an Indiana girl.