For more information about the Spring Carnival in Salinas, California today through May 10, 2026, check out my blog below:
https://ruthpaget.blogspot.com/2026/04/spring-carnival-may-1-to-may-10-2026-at.html?m=1
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Sky Pencil Japanese Holly Trees at Carmel Valley Park, Carmel by Ruth Paget
Out for a walk at the Carmel Valley Park outside Carmel, California, I used the Google lens app to identify flowers, shrubs, and trees around the park.
One of the most interesting trees I saw was a Sky Pencil Japanese Holly that had been trimmed to look like tapering columns on either side of the entrance to the Carmel Valley History Museum (open on weekends and just in time for the 2026 Carmel Valley Garden Show).
According to the Monrovia Nursery Site, these trees are rabbit resistant and can tolerate pollution. They are ornamental trees that can grow in tight spaces and tolerate pollution, making them good decorative plants for cities.
A photo and information about Sky Pencil Japanese Holly Trees follow:
https://www.monrovia.com/sky-pencil-japanese-holly.html
Happy Garden Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The writing resource book entitled Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman and published by the University of Chicago Press might interest writers in Monterey County California.
Details about this book and purchase information follow:
Keep Writing!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
New Zealand Christmas Trees in Costco Parking Lot in Sand City, California by Ruth Paget
City planners in Sand City, California (part of Monterey County) planted New Zealand trees in the parking lot of Costco at Sand City be Seaside to help beautify grocery shopping trips.
This hardwood tree native to New Zealand and called Pohutukawa by the indigenous Maori people there has begun to grow red-orange flowers in May. The trees are being pruned to provide a tree canopy along sidewalks to the Costco store entrance.
These trees are relatively drought resistant once growing is established with flowers that seem to attract bees, migrating monarch butterflies, and hummingbirds.
On the Central Coast, Santa Barbara began planting these trees in the 1800s according to the Santa Barbara Beautiful website which follows:
https://sbbeautiful.org/new-zealand-christmas/
The nursery photo in the website below shows New Zealand Christmas Trees in bloom:
To add a nature walk dimension to your Costco outings, look up on the way to the store to check out the beginnings of a shaded stately tree canopy to the store.
Happy Strolling!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Viking Tours for Kids in Solvang, California
Seriously cute, fine, and educational scavenger hunt and meal for kids in Danish settlement Solvang, California.
Solvang’s architecture is Danish so this kids’ tour has an almost fantasy element to it except that the town was really built by Danish settlers.
Information about the kids’ tour and ticket purchase follow:
https://secretsolvang.com/kids-viking-tour/
Looks like fun!
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
Artist Eric Ravilious illustrated Twelfth Night on sale today for $19.99 by University of Chicago Press
Artist Eric Ravilious illustrated Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in 1932. The book’s artwork summons up the Elizabethan Era through its wood engravings and typography.
Ravilious’s work was almost not published due to the Great Depression.
Information about this facsimile edition and purchase details follow:
https://mail.google.com/mail/mu/mp/465/#cv/priority/%5Esmartlabel_promo/19dd93c790f157d3
Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
The Everything Chinese Cookbook at $3.99 on Kindle for Beginning Cooks by Ruth Paget
The Everything Chinese Cookbook selling for $3.99 on Kindle is a stellar resource for cooks who are just beginning to try cooking Chinese food for health and money savings.
This Kindle e-book is 712 pages long and contains 300 recipes drawing from all food groups. My favorite recipes for health and money saving come from the chicken, vegetable, and rice and noodle sections.
I have cooked from several Chinese cookbooks notably those by Fuchsia Dunlop and Ken Hom, but I like The Everything Chinese Cookbook for several reasons:
-it promotes lower-calorie stir-fries that omit the addition of slurry finishes at the end of cooking. Slurry is a corn starch and water mixture that thickens sauces and adds a glossy sheen to a dish.
-greatly reduced use of sugar in cooking
-greatly reduced usage of sweet Chinese cooking wine which adds flavors and calories
-a huge variety of recipes to make use of seasonal produce at the market
The Everything Chinese Cookbook by Rhoda Lauret Parkinson is a great resource for people wanting to make their first forays into Chinese cooking.
The Kindle price of $3.99 today for 300 recipes in a 712-page book is also great for budget minded Kindle users.
Note: There is an organic market in Marina, California on Sundays that sells many Asian produce items. Marina has several Chinese restaurants and markets as well close to the farmers’ market.
Happy Cooking!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games