My dad created a beautiful pond in our backyard. It’s a real ecosystem full of koi fish, plants, frogs, algae, and dragon flies. The fish mate every spring, which causes the water to foam up and the air to really stink. As gross as this process is, it has produced quite a few babies. I’d guess that more than half of the countless (literally, we try) fish in our pond were born there. But in the last eight or so years, there has only been one new fish baby. But not anymore!
photo by my dad
We noticed a very cute baby koi darting around in the pond the other day. And then we noticed another! And there might even be a third! It’s amazing how quickly they grow up. The last baby was born in the pond about four years ago, and it’s probably around six inches by now. It still hasn’t eaten a single stick of fish food. Instead, it lives off of the healthy algae that grows in the pond. Our new little babies will grow just as quickly.
Stella will be very excited to have more fishy cousins to examine the next time she comes to visit.
It has been a beautiful summer. Cotton candy sunsets, new fishies, and fresh vegetables from the garden. What more could a girl want?
I think our fruits and vegetables are so delicious because of their beautiful environment. Wouldn’t you thrive under skies like these? And I’m sure it also helps that they were planted with love and that my dad re-routed the sprinkler system for easy watering! There are a lot of green thumbs in this house. I really can’t wait to have 
High quality tomatoes ensure that your tomato sauce will be delicious, so find the most beautiful batch you can. The tomatoes I used equal out to about 6 regular sized tomatoes and yielded about a pint of spread. To make this spread, chop up 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic, and sautée them in olive oil until they soften.
While they cook, chop your tomatoes into thin strips. It might seem like a waste to cook down such delicious produce, but the spread really shows off their flavor, so it’s ok. Make sure you taste each tomato as you chop because they all taste differently. It’s fun! And they’re beautiful. I never imagined I’d spend my Saturday afternoon literally petting produce in the kitchen.
Add your chopped tomatoes and all of the liquid they released to a skillet with the onions and garlic. Season them with salt and pepper. 
Bring the tomato mixture to a simmer. Let it cook for about an hour or until the liquid evaporates and the tomatoes thicken. Make sure to stir the tomatoes every now and again so the ones on the bottom don’t burn.