river walk

 

this is walking "with" my brother. (see posting below). I failed to mention that he is a dozen years older than I.
You GO Geezer!

The American River

 

I just like this picture. This is a stretch of the lower American River just downstream from the "H" Street Bridge in Sacramento. My brother and I took a little extemporaneous walk along the river this morning. We only walked a bit over a mile but it was done at his pace which is well beyond "stroll" and just under "jog". MY joints have been Grinching about that all day. He was planning on a bike ride later in the day. I took a nap. My brother will be 75 this summer. Pretty amazing fellow, my brother.

Chard and chips

 

Rainbow chard and the Chard Guard. I don't know why I continue to ignore this as food. Probably because its good for me?

 

ahh. A nice big, FREE load of ground up trees. This stuff makes wonderful mud-free pathways.

 

And somebody thinks she's Queen of the Mtn!

day late & a dollar short

 

Bloom day plus one? The red abutelon never ceases to amaze me.

 

the asters always out-do themselves, starting in October and blooming at least 6 weeks.

 

Just look at all that carotin! the rainbow chard looks delicious so why do I never eat it?

 

vines

 

 

 

Think. Think HARD before planting vines. It seemed like such a good idea at the time..one little Purple Trumpet vine and one fine leafed Pink Jasmine planted at the base of an old orchard ladder, what harm in that? Yes, it did become a lovely cascade of flowers.. for a very short time each spring. And oh how the rats loved living in it. And oh, how I worried about a 30' olive tree cum vine tangle crashing down upon the house during some winter or spring storm. Not to mention that listening to the rats play in it at night only amused the dog and the cat, not moi. So, a couple of weeks ago I asked my local tree trimming crew to add that tree to the to-do list. It was simply amazing what a little man with a little chain saw and no fear at all about climbing trees, accomplished in a short time. I wish I could afford to keep Antonio "on my payroll" for the next ten years. This afternoon I finally got most of the small tangle of vines out of the larger, interesting tangle of vines. Still must make sure that all vines have been severed. Still must dig up all the rooted portions of the vines, which at least don't seem to be very deep. Still must dig up the Vinca Major that joined in the fun. And then...and THEN..I can add compost and sun loving plants to a whole new sunny area! Yippee!!! (This is in Phoebe-Dog's yard so the deer aren't an issue)Woo-hoo!

The Gardener

 

I got the leaves off what passes for lawn and mulched the shrubbery with them. Verna,in gardener mode, promptly reversed my efforts. Perhaps she thought the leaves were too close to the plants' bases. We have a few issues, she and I, but her snail eating ability more than makes up for untidy edging. In fact, I'd love to have a couple more hens.

Misc. Fall Fotos

 

 

 

I love the mini papyrus as much as the giant papryus!
Butterflys really DO like Asclepias.(aka milkweed)
I didn't have the courage to eat this Giant Puffball even though there is (supposedly) nothing like it that is poisonous. I am such a sissy!

Bye bye Atha

 

Atha, though never as spry as Verna, really started going down hill this past week. Friday morning she went to the Great Scratching Grounds where all Good Chicken Souls go when they are done here. Bless her big heart. So now I'm in the market for another hen or two to keep Verna and Roostie company and to help them decimate the snails.

breakfast

 

fresh eggs from Verna-the-Hen and freshly harvested, fried green tomatoes from the garden. Oh My!

praying mantis

 

 

 

I was just about to cut this fine Tithonia flower for the house when something moved...

misc

 

 

 

 

Just a few shots from around the yard this month.

and a squash blossom. gourd actually.

 

a bit of early morning fall color

 

 

 

 

don't tell my son

I just replaced the photo of my canoeing son with a portrait of GEORGE CLOONEY as my desktop adornment. Sorry Mark. (I'm swooning, George.)

Trying to relax my way out of pretzelhood

 

 

 

Yesterday I finally remembered to stop at OSH to replace the chuck key that vanished during the Great Re-organization of the Studio. Of COURSE there was a beautiful big blue pot on sale for $19.99 at the door...a pot which is now on the "new" patio and aptly named "Chuck"...because I am a foolish potaholic.. As I was leaving OSH I bent down to pick up something "ohhh! Pretty! Sparkly!" and my back went "out". My posture is currently less than perfect and I'd do almost anything for some Valium. In the meantime, 600 mg of Ibuprofen seems to have helped. My liver is probably not impressed. But I digress! At 4:00 this morning I suddenly "saw" the missing chuck key in the zip up pouch with all the drill bits. Wouldn't you think that would be a nice, comforting thought on which I could go back to sleep? Noooooooo. My mind wouldn't let go of it. So as soon as it was light enough to find my way out to the studio without tripping over wildlife or the bogeyman, I went in search of The Pouch. And lo and behold, one nice little chuck key, resting safely inside. Still, I'll keep the new one just in case.
Another cool day in store and I can barely stand. I have so much to do!! Will attempt to haul a full laundry basket of damp clothing out to the clothesline in a moment..maybe if I go slow... Should just curl up and finish "Julie and Julia" but being flat on my back is almost as uncomfortable as standing. Grrrrrrr!No! OM! OM Om Om OM OM OM OM.....

its official!

 

Neighbor Jan took one of the boards from the dismantled old shed pile and painted a sign for my front garden! I love it.

the deer herd

 

My nephew's Asian Pear tree drops an enormous amount of fruit so I brought several home today and tossed them on the driveway. Doereen and (in order) Post Script, Pixel, and Gizmo devoured them post haste. Kept them from pruning the pomegranate tree. ... for about 10 minutes.