Weeder's Garden

fur and feathers

2012-01-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Let's try this again. (first time I tried this nothing happened. Maybe now it will post twice. Or not at all.) I have been down and out for the past 5 days with a nasty cold/sinus infection. I don't get sick often but seem to do a really good job of it when I do. Somewhere under the dog and the cat is I.

Felt almost human this afternoon so wandered outside with my camera and found this lovely grouping. Nobody was picking on Eyelean! She has "only" been with them for 9 months. Really, its Karla (who also chases the dog) who likes to run Eyelean off. Amelia has never been aggressive and Bette-the-Diva is only aggresive when she thinks about it. Nice to see the peaceful little feathered community.

deer in the yard

2011-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Jasmine is my "live-in" doeling. Her mama had babies here for 9 years but then fell victim to an auto.
The is the biggest buck. He's probably Jasmine's daddy.
Four more does and a fawn joined Jasmine, the big buck, a 4-point buck, a forked horn and a spike on Thanksgiving. Lately it has just been Jasmine although the spike wandered through the front yard this morning. Wish they'd eat all that leaft green chasmanthe. Or bamboo. Bamboo would be ok. Or baby Bunya-bunya trees..

Jack Frost's handiwork;before & after

2011-12-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

The past three nights (or early mornings) have been in the low 30°s so the plant people are not looking so pretty good. Only half of the Brugmansia is frost damaged...

My favorite coleus! Fortunately, I have started many babies from this plant so it will begin anew come spring.

The Persian Shield went from glorious purple to black. In this case, black is not beautiful.

The baby banana didn't fare too well either. However its cousin, in the planter next to the house is just fine thank-you-very-much. Now we just need a couple of months of rain, followed by SPRING in March.

my chickens

2011-11-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

Amelia is the adventurous one, the one who will inspect everything, enter any and all open doors, and who lays the bigest eggs.
Karla likes to tease the dog (and vice versa) They play "chase".. she chases Phoebe-the-dog.
Bette is beautiful.
Roostie is ancient.
Eyelean (she used to fly to my shoulder and peck, sweetly, at my eyes), is the "baby". She lays a nice greenish blue egg almost every day.

Stapelia

2011-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

The Stapelia didn't bloom last year but more than doubled its size. Seems to me it suffered from some Jack Frost issues as well. Anyhow, it summered outside and only came in recently. I did not notice much of an odor.

yay! Flowers!

2011-10-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Blooming now; a double purple Datura
a Brugmansia that starts out yellow then turns pinky-peachy, then white
The stinky Stapelia
and a Canna, of which I have too many.

arghhhhh1

2011-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

It just took me 20 minutes to figure out my user name and password for Blogger. Now that I have it, its not wanting to post the photos I'd intended to post. I am SO technically inept!

Water hibiscus

2011-09-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

YAY! Finally! The parent plant was dessert for Doereen the doe a few years back and this one has been struggling all belonely by itself in a pot ever since. This summer I stuck its pot in a big tub of water and that made it happy enough to bloom. There are lots more buds as well. (I was jealous of Phil's (Eastsidepatch) blooming in Austin months ago.)
Tomorrow my bank account will suffer a reduction but so will some of the over-grown 100 year old olive trees. Major reductions are in store.. this also means that the new shade garden will be in full sun after tomorrow. But hey, we never want to run out of projects do we! It will be Heavenly not to have tons of olive leaves and olives on the patio.. and a big relief not to have several tons of wood hanging over the studio and one of the little tin sheds. They will also obliterate the three big brush piles (yay, chips for the pathways!) and hopefully clean up the palm tree. Time to do a Happy Dance and go to bed.

datura, tomato horn worm

2011-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

This purple Datura has been a joy. HAD been a joy. Was STILL a joy to the tomato horn worm that discovered it yesterday and devoured it in very short order. Apparently they are not concerned that Daturas are poisonous. I tossed the worm to the hens, who came running but then put on their brakes. They would have nothing to do with the large green thing.

Poor little plant!

plant ID

2011-07-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Though this is growing in the above ground tin pond and doesn't seem to mind wet feet, I don't think it is any sort of bog plant. Is it one of the gazillion campanulas?

Bee Balm & unknown

2011-07-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Finally found the tag for this beautiful Bee Balm. The doe ate everything last year (and 8 years before) and the tags have been misplaced... I miss Doereen but not her appetite!

Have not found the tag for this one though. Its growing in a pot in the tin pond. What is it?

prickly pear

2011-07-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

What is attacking my prickly pear?

peafowl and Brugmansias

2011-06-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

a few years back a peahen flew in and honked at us. She ended up staying for a year, maybe two, at which time I gave her to a fellow who had a peacock but no peahen. Missed her. She once raised a Bantum chick. It was the cutest thing; little feathered golfball following the enormous peahen. She was such a good mother. anyhow, this evening I heard a loud HONK and then this peafowl flew from the ground to about 30' up in a Sycamore tree, a good 100' from take off. I had no idea they could fly that well. Hope it stays! I think its another hen.

This is ther Brugie my brother bought for me last year. It is absolutely loaded with buds and flowers which smell divine.

changes

2011-06-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

last June I tore out and dug up LOTS of Vinca Major and Oregon Grape. Not to mention removed the fence that was older than Yours Truly.

It is now becoming a dry garden of yuccas and aloes and such. Ahhh.

just some blooms

2011-06-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

The Shrimp plant never stops blooming. At least not now that its fenced off from hungry deer.
Dawson strolling through the new cottage garden in the early morn.
Alstroemeria
LOVE The grasses!

wind chime

2011-06-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

I totally LOVE this shell wind chime. Its not only beautiful but sounds wonderful. I love the glass balls too. Thanks again, Chris!!

(both items were purchased at PeraDice, 918 24th St, Sacramento, Ca.)

plant ID needed

2011-06-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

Does anybody know what this is? It had a marker but the Gnomes erased it and I sure don't remember the name.

deer

2011-06-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jasmine gave me the raspberry this morning.

door knob & Delphinium

2011-05-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! Is this thing going to let me blog again or will I type and type only to have it all vanish POOF! into cyberspace? I'm too tired to do this tonight.... so this will be a short test.

blog issues

2011-05-24T08:13:00.001-07:00

Still having trouble posting things to this. Will try again later with pictures....

evening primrose

2011-04-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

They were pretty last night

and they were pretty this morning!

frustration

2011-04-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

I keep sending pictures off to post on this blog but then they vanish into cyberspace. I don't get it. It worked in March. Is Picasa no longer talking to Blogger? I see that this posted. Where the heck are the photos I tried to post this past week???

Nun's orchid

2011-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

2 years ago my friend, Al, gave me a baby Nun's orchid for my birthday. Last December it started sending up a flower stalk, which reached 28".. and which started to bloom yesterday. Its almost my birthday again so the blooms are another gift. Thanks Al!

Springhouse-greenhouse

2011-03-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

So this is how Spring Fever affected me. I bought a "SpringHouse"! It will probably be more of a "Fallhouse" since its major function for me will be to winter over the tender succulents. I did order some Queen's Wreath seeds so will be starting those soon.

Heck, it could also double as a guest room! It is 6' x 6' x 6.5' and cost less than $100.00. What a deal! Took only minutes to set up with the help of Dear Friend, Karen.
It is tethered by ground stakes in several grommets and it is also tethered to metal fence posts at the corners. It will be tested today= windier than all get out! the floor has been "bedded" with shredded cedar over cardboard.

Pink Flamingos

2011-02-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Meet Dulcy and Mahar. They just flew in and were named in honor of my favorite Portland, Oregon garden writer, Dulcy Mahar.. who's garden I would love to see sometime.

I used to think pink flamingos were about the tackiest things around but then, something happened about 10 years ago and I suddenly had a flock of them. Apparently someone else liked them too because they all vanished one spring. Mind you they were on the yard side of the picketty fence, a good 25' from the road. Guess they should not have had their heads poking through the fence because, well, they vanished! Grrrrrr. These two will join the 6 who have come since the um, migration, but who have been content to stay up near the house where they are guarded by fearsome Attillas-The-Hens, Carla and Bette.

The sun is shining, its cold, but THE SUN IS SHINING so I am headed back outside to see what can be done without sinking into the muck and mire.

and, there's more!

2011-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

Also blooming; white Hellebore, Snowdrops, and Oxalis.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

2011-02-15T18:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this won't allow me to post more photos than 4 at a time but here they are. Hardenbergia, which I thought I had killed last winter, my favorite violets, the feral narcissis on what we call "the hill", and a clump of pink Hellebore.

The Inspector General

2011-02-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

I must get new screen doors and/or remember to secure all outside doors ALL THE TIME because Amanda will find any open door and go exploring.
I do love my chickens and I am not a super housekeeper but then again, I am NOT this much Ma Kettle either. At least (thus far) she is house broken.

rootball, chickens, iris

2011-02-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

The Girls are taking all the credit for finally removing the root ball. Harumpf. They DO get credit for snacking on lotsa bugs and wormies and for finding all the millet that the Dark Eyed Juncos & White Crowned Sparrows missed. (that's a stretch... because I see a flock of Juncos out there this morning busily gleaning.)
Wouldn't this make an interesting little table with a round piece of Plexiglas atop it? It will need a bit of leveling and it won't last long, but sure would be fun for a year or two. Phoebe's just in the shot for size comparison. Its a pretty poorly composed photo but you get the idea.
Can anyone tell me the proper name for this little winter blooming iris? Its only about 7" tall and blooms faithfully every winter.. with a few surprise blooms at other odd moments in time.

shovels, chickens

2011-02-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Decided today would be a good day to remove the old Purple Trumpet Vine stump because the ground is damp, the sun is hot (wait! This is February? its at least 70° outside!) and the girls were eager to help me. I am finding that my body is not yet over the nasty cold it came down with a week ago and is still in LAZY mode. Would you believe I had to come in and exchange the t-shirt for a tank top! In February. Oh well, aren't I always proclaiming "Spring arrives in February!"? Yes I am. And yes it does... in Northern California.

so then the shovel broke and I left the girls to finish digging out the stump. For some reason I do not have a lot of faith in them completing the job. I was needing (no I wasn't) another shovel for signage anyway. Need one that says "Make Compost, Not War!" (there must be at least 12 handle-less shovels on this place)
Either I am stronger than I thought or they just don't make 'em like they used to. Perhaps I could buy a shovel with a man attached. No, TOO expensive. On many levels.

Suppose I ought to mosey back outside to see how far Carla and Bette have gotten on the stump project. May have to coax Amelia, Verna and Methuselah to join in. If there were a way to do a deep infusion of bread smell under the stump, Phoebe the Wonder Dog would have it out in a heartbeat. There are Drug Dogs, Cadaver Dogs, all sorts of dogs.. I have a Bread Dog.

OK. Going back outside to bake the rest of this cold out of my head & breathing apparatus. AND another shovel, I must locate another shovel!

cat

2011-01-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

Its such a hard life being a cat.

Give..me... sunshine!

2011-01-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Sunshine! I can feel it! Let me out! I need sunshine! I am solar powered! Help! Sun! I need sun!!!

unhappy cactus

2011-01-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know the name of this cactus but it definately does not appreciate cold weather. Its tough, it refuses to die but I've not yet seen it bloom and it has been here for years. Can anyone ID it? It wanders and rambles like a Dragon Fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) but has dimples and spines.

Red Booties

2010-12-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

For Will. I know its not much of a puddle but its the best I could do this morning. Puddles will be getting deeper at the week progresses. My Seattle cousin just flew down for the holidays and I'm pretty sure he brought the rain with him.

rubber booties

2010-12-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

I LOVE my new rubber rain boots!!

Bloom Day

2010-11-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know why this only accepts (shows) half the photos nor can I remember how to just send a link to the album. Maybe when my son is here next week, he can explain it to me.

grapes

2010-10-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Can a person over dose on green grapes? I've eaten about 5 pounds of them since Friday and bought 3 more pounds today. They are plump, crunchy, juicy, seedless and sweet. Not a squishy one in any of the bunches I've purchased. Damn, they are good!

ghoulfriend

2010-10-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

A lady I know has this gal riding around with her in her VW. I am SO jealous! Isn't she just the cutest thang??

one of the many reasons I am broke

2010-09-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

How CUTE is this flamingo???

bad advertising

2010-09-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this display? It is in front of an upscale nursery and has looked like this for months. There is another stock tank on the other end, painted John Deere Green and containing a Sago Palm in the center and I forget what the palm is circled by..some blah looking shrubs. 5 or 6 of them. The owner ought to let the gals who decorate the inside, have a go at the outside. They have tons of cute things in their giftshop, lots of gardeny things and of course, lots of plants outside. I don't understand why they have such a crappy front. If they had that "come hither" look to the front they might actually have more than one customer at a time. I do not know how they stay in business! (though I did drop $27.00 for three glittery green fish ornaments and a to-die-for garden flamingo..black with bones painted on)
and its still one week until payday! And I am so totally broke! lalalalalalalalalal

Purple and orange

2010-09-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, ahem, I did go back and get a third purple pot. And the plants to go in it. and nearly whooped with joy when I spotted the variegated Purple Heart (below). I've had the "plain" Purple Heart for years. So far, the deer have not eaten it... then again, it has been dangling down from a chair hanging in a tree and maybe they just haven't looked up. Now then if it would only FEEL like Septober. 99° feels like July.

I LOVE grass!!

2010-09-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

My friend, Angela, tried to "sell" me on grasses years ago. Only this year I have finally seen the light.. or the grass. What's not to like? There are SO MANY! They are SO PRETTY! Many are DROUGHT TOLERANT! THE DEER DON'T LIKE THEM!!!

So of course the current plan is to turn my yard into a "grassland" as I can afford to. It may take awhile but I'm quite a'twitter to re-do the Not So Secret Garden along the avenue. I'll leave the things that have proven deer resistant, remove that which has failed the exam, and replace with tuffets of grasses and a DRIP SYSTEM.. $150/month for water in July & August is a bit much. (though my 2010 water bill for July & Aug was only 30 cents more than for the same period of '09... and the rates had gone up.. so I must have used less) But I digress. The 2nd photo was taken at Green Acres Nursery in Sacramento yesterday. We were only going to look. See that beautiful purple pot in the top photo? There's another one to its left. They were on SALE. And those plants are new... If payday weren't still 10 days off.... (I NEED one more purple pot. and more grass. lots more grass. .. and a leash.)

more Bloom Day

2010-09-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I can't "load" more than 4 photos. Everyone else seems to be able to publish as many as they want. so anyway, here are the tiny Cyclamen that pop up all over the place making nice little surprises. and the deer DON'T eat them!

Bloom Day

2010-09-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Yoga chicken

2010-09-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Carla was doing her morning routine. Forward bend?

signage

2010-08-31T06:18:00.000-07:00

The Most Wonderful Sign that my son and daughter-in-law gave me years ago now has a more prominent place to sum up my yard; the blue wall of the studio. This blue wall is begging for more cool mermaids.. not Little Mermaid kinds of mermaids but funky ones like this gal made of old tin ceiling tiles, parts of dinnerware and medallions.

Born Again Shed.. updated

2010-08-31T06:10:00.000-07:00

Amazing what a little paint can do! There are a few boards on the west side that are now literally held together with paint molecules.. the dry rot being very real and very spongy. My only worries are the BIG olive tree limbs that loom over the little studio. I'd love to have the tree guys come prune them back but I am still recovering from the bill from last fall's Whole Day of Pruning.

Recently there was a little Sunday afternoon gathering here, in which old friends met new friends, books were exchanged, wine was consumed and much laughter was heard. I should do this once a month.

Transformation

2010-08-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

Two Ladies of A Certain Age decided that the old gray/pale blue studio was just TOO BORING so.. out came the collection of "oops" paints from OSH and Emigh's and Home Depot and... TA-DA!

Nice, ever-so-cute (we think) studio just begging for people to partay around it. We aren't quite done yet... is anything ever really done?.. We wouldn't want to run out of things to do, for Heaven's sakes. (Have I ever mentioned that I have the BEST neighbors?)

upside down fence

2010-08-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is this fence upside down? All these many years I thought the "dog ears" were supposed to go on the top.

too much digging/raking

2010-08-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

There are way too many projects on the current list and I've way too few brain cells to know when to quit. The old Azalea grove is being dug up. Between the age, (mine as well as the plot),the deer and the drought, it turned into a patch of dead branches and imbedded roots. The plan is to dig all that mess out and make a simple labyrinth. Need to get that olive stump out of there too.

The chasmanthe and sticky willie grows rampant in this 25' x 75' alley. Believe it or not, I had mowed, once, in the spring. This week I got out there one morning with a rake and built a pile of fire hazard 4' tall and 5' wide. (Amazing how much one can cram into a 90 gallon Green Waste can) This stuff isn't fit for my compost piles as it is chuck full of weed seeds.)

The same view after the mowing and raking and mowing and raking episode. Still need to haul those olive limbs off. They have been there for a couple of years now so I can almost handle them. anybody want some Dietes? (Fortnight lilies, aka African iris) Come dig it up and its yours.

Yet another project. From here, I removed an ancient fence, a small forest of Mahonia, a LOT of Vinca Major, some Billbergia nutans and some Bletilla striata. This is to become a bermed area with agaves and other "dry" stuff. I still need to dig out that Mondo grass and move it to a shady spot. (this WAS a shady spot until I had the leaning tower of cedar removed.) My problems are that I cannot clone myself, day laborers are not in the budget, and I sub-luxated a rib a couple weeks ago and I keep forgetting to wear the back/ribcage brace when I pick up shovels and rakes. Now it feels as though there is an ice pick lodged under my right boob but it only hurts when I breathe. Or move. I can't seem to formulate an actual design for this spot either, other than "berm or berms, decomposed gravel, and all those currently potted agavies and stuff".... which reminds me, the deer ate another little pot of succulents last night. It wasn't a "known" but I think it was in the euphorbia family... hope that deer has a bellyache this morning.

Rooster

2010-07-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Poor Rodney. first off, he was supposed to be a she. He was the biggest of the day old chicks. He did indeed turn into a beautiful rooster. However, the itty bitty Banty rooster kept him away from the 4 hens and if Rodney did get near a hen, she loudly complained about his lack of tact. He even tried to challenge Doereen, the doe, who just looked at him and kept walking. Poor Rodney. He didn't show up for lock-up the other night and it was too dark by then to find a dark rooster under the trees and bushes. I don't know what happened, perhaps the itty bitty Banty had injured him and he just didn't want to come in. But the opossums found him and had a feast. Poor Rodney. rest in peace, Rodney. You were a sweet guy in spite of what the hens had to say.

Eggs!

2010-07-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

One of the young Wyandots (7 months) laid the first egg on July 1st. Mid-month, her egg mate started laying too.

Today, Amelia (the Barred rock) joined in the production. I'm thinking maybe its a good thing the 4th hen is a rooster. LOL

Verna, the old Buff Orpington, seems to be just fine in her retirement. She hasn't laid an egg in months. However, she is death on snails so still quite useful. It is interesting to see and feel how the successive eggs are growing in size. the first ones are small like Bantam eggs. these are still "small" but they are getting bigger. Actually, Amelia's egg (first one today) is bigger than the first eggs of the other two hens.
I thought hens didn't start laying until they were 6 months old.. these girls arrived as day old chicks in February. I didn't find any shelless eggs today.

Brugmansia & worms

2010-07-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

something had been chewing on the Brugmansia leaves, turning them into lacy skeletons and leaving little black poopies in their wake.

and then I finally found them. Tiny wormies. they hide under the leaves, on the stems, and are hard to see. Are these baby tomato hornworms or something else? They don't look like hornworms to me but then, I rarely find hornworms until they are ginormous and frightening.

new plants for me! Yea!

2010-07-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

I had been wanting a Matilija poppy for a very long time.

I have also been wanting a Brugmansia for a long time. Today was the day. Didn't I just say that I can't go to the nursery and JUST ask a question? I didn't lie. I tried to be good but after Andrew ID'd my mystery plant I wandered around "just taking notes" mind you, when suddenly there were the Brugmansias! Holy Compost! HAD to get one... and then, since ya don't get "Daisy Dollars" unless you spend at least $20.00, I ran back to get the poppy. What a great day! This evening I will plant my new buddies in the spots that have been waiting months for them. and Doereen won't bother with either of them. (Unless she has an urge to cross the Rainbow Bridge, which I doubt.)
Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

plant ID?ah-HA! Spigelia!

2010-07-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

I have no clue as to what this is other than beautiful. It popped up in an "empty" pot this spring and just started blooming this past week. I can't remember where I got it, much less what it is. I do remember the flower but then the memory dissapates into the fog...... Can anyone ID it for me? I could always take it to Windmill Nursery. Taylor and/orAndrew will know. (I'm just afraid to go there because plants aren't in my budget right now and, plantaholic that I am, I know I would buy something!)

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

Silly deer

2010-06-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Doereen discovered there was cracked corn in the pen for the chickens so she waltzed right in and helped herself. When I asked her what she was doing she gave me that "WHAAAT?" look and went back to munching. So the bunk-bed ladder that I gleaned off someone's trash pile years ago became a deer block and still allows the chickens to mosey in and out during the day. And so it goes......

first tomatoes!

2010-06-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

To what did my wondering eyes appear? Not garbage lodged at the base of the tomato plant but actual RIPE tomatoes?! YUM!
These are even earlier than last year and the weather has been not exactly "tomato weather" and these are growing in a bale of straw... See? It did help to prune the 100 year old olive trees WAY down. Sure they look stupid but hey, Tomatoes! Yea!

chickens

2010-06-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Verna picks odd spots for dust baths. doubt she sees the irony of bathing in an old Webber..

Jimmy B and the girls like to group bathe in the dust. Here they are in the little kitchen garden. Looks like someone attacked the basil. They also like to bathe behind the Schefflera, next to the brick wall. They've practically dug up the plants. Must fix that! This evening my nose allerted me to something deceased as I walked down my driveway.. upon investigation it became apparent that they had "bathed" over the spot where the recent slain rodents were buried. Note to self; DIG THE GRAVES DEEPER! They had unearthed two rats and a mole. ewwwwwwww!

Manfreda maculosa

2010-06-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

At least, I think thats what this is. "Manfreda" I'm pretty certain of, the "maculosa" almost certain of. LOL. Crazy thing's bloom stalks are at least 8' tall. The one's in the shade are happy but don't bloom. It wants sun for sure.

color!

2010-06-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Had Wayyyyyy too much fun at Panama Pottery this morning. Have not yet planted the terra cotta hen and rooster so those will be in a later post. Yesterday I stocked up on dog and cat food... and plants.. So... who's gonna feed ME for the next two weeks?

Panama Pottery

2010-05-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

So my brother kidnapped me yesterday, messing up my plans for the day... but, BUT! He took me to Panama Pottery www.panamapottery.com in Sacramento. It is a place I've been wanting to visit for at least 2 years. Check it out, you'll see why. They are having a sale next weekend and I could scream that I HAVE TO FRIGGIN WORK ON SATURDAY! (but you've probably heard that before.) I will try to get there first thing on Sunday. Even without the sale their prices are very reasonable. Of course I want all the pretty colors but would settle right now for a 15" lime green bowl. and one each 10" bright orange and bright yellow, and an 18" cobalt blue, and a glazed herb pot.. in cobalt...

chickens

2010-05-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

She wouldn't go near this worm. Little worms? Fine. Nightcrawlers? No way.

You lookin' at ME kid?

Hmm. That's a mighty masculine looking, ahem, hen. They were ALL supposed to be hens.

The Chicken Hilton.

plans

2010-05-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Next major project needing to be tackled; Move all the mahonia to the way back north fence line, put all the Vinca major in the greens can, remove the old fence and turn this area into a xeric garden spot. I'd be working on this now if my back weren't still being very grumpy.

random Spring shots

2010-05-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

DOEreen is close to "popping". Let's hope she doesn't have triplets again. The other photos are just some random blooms in the yard. One of these days I'll actually write something again.

cobalt blue bird bath

2010-04-26T17:22:00.000-07:00

I fought temptation awhile back when these bird baths showed up at a local grocery store wearing $59.99 price tags. Even though the price was good, I didn't like the base. However.. now I wonder if they hadn't stood the bases upside down.. because this has a good, solid base with a locking top. It IS too deep but with the addition of a few items and the little rock pump thingie, the little birdies should find it usable. I'd only gone to the store to get some hamburger for lasagna, but the birdbath jumped out at me waving its $39.99 price tag. How could I not purchase it? (I'd have kicked myself had I just walked away.) Of course, I may still kick myself when some forgotten bill shows up in my mailbox and my budget is $39.99 too short. LOL

At last! A lovely Spring Day!

2010-04-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

When life gives you garbage, make art! My parents recycled long before it was the "in" thing to do. Dad had used various pieces of piping in concrete to give more support to the lath-house shelves he'd built for mom in the 1960's. Fast forward to 2010, when their daughter decides she needed a chicken coop & pen more than a lath-house. What to do with all these pipes embedded in concrete! Can't put them in the garbage.. Hmmmm

the chicks got their freedom today. This was their first step to becoming free range chickens. The old hen, the ancient rooster and the dog all thought it was just dandy to have company. There was no bickering amongst the fowl and the dog was delighted to finally be able to smell the chicks up close and personal. There has always been wire between her nose and the chicks... and she has had her nose to the wire since they hatched.. 8 weeks ago. 9? Now if I can get the old hen to decide to roost in the new coop, I can take down the seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time round, wire pen with tarps.

so much for using chicken wire to keep chickens from scratching away all the top soil in the planter. the little ones figured it just made their dirt bath more um, cozy. 2.5 acres and they HAVE to bathe in my planter?

well after Bloom Day blooms

2010-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Too much to do, too little time! LOL Let's see, African daisies, iris, clematis, and scilla peruviana. Now I must go to my paying job.

chickens

2010-04-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Verna and Roostie like to visit the chicks through the fence. The babies moved outside at 5 weeks, into a small pen with a heat lamp. Last week they moved into their new digs.. still with a heat lamp but they are 8 weeks old now so I can probably turn it off.

Verna (the Buff Orpington) was trading pecks through the fence with Sara this morning. I have no idea what breed Sara is. I don't care as long as she's a SHE. I worry that all 4 will turn out to be roosters. There are two Barred Rocks and two somethingorothers. One day soon (I hope) I'll get the coop painted and the pen finished.

baby chicks

2010-03-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Actually, they are teen chicks now. The two barree rocks are the friendliest. the other two are more skittery. does anyone know what breed they are? (the black ones with the white racing stripes)

baby chicks

2010-03-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

photo #1. day old chicks
photo #2+ same chicks at 11 days

So 10 days ago I was presented with 4 baby chickens. Two are Barred Rock but the doner couldn't remember what the other two are. They are supposed to all be hens. (Please, God, make them all be hens!)Three are the same size but one of the Barred Rocks is huge. She (we are determined to make it a she) was bigger when I got them so I'm hoping she hatched a day or two early and somehow got boxed in with the younger ones. She figured out how to fly up to the new perch today, just hours after being put into this bigger place of confinement. The kids who presented me with this little flock named her "Beans" but I think she is going to be "Bertha" as in BIG. The cat, Dawson, ignores them but the dog, Phoebe, is totally and utterly fascinated by them. Phoebe pretty much ignores the grown hen, Verna, and the Bantam rooster who reside outside, so I think she will not pester these gals once they are free range. She just wants to play with everything. She still wants to play with the deer but she is very good about just standing still and wagging her tail. (She felt the strike of the doe's hooves once and that was enough of a lesson for her.)Anyhow, I had NO idea just how messy chicks would be! No, its not the tiny poopies, its the food they manage to scratch out of the special chick feeder and scatter all over. Maybe they will be too big SOON to get their tiny feet into the feeder ports and that nonsense will stop? Don't know what the next inside home will be but surely they won't all fit in this current cage for 7 more weeks!

after the storm

2010-02-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

After the deluge...... rainbows are always good. I'm amazed that the Stellata magnolia bloom isn't a blur because there is still a breeze a'blowin... I was getting wet from the dripping trees. I am SO ready for a long stretch of DRY weather.

Beetles & Berries

2010-01-25T19:14:00.000-08:00

So I was sitting here at the computer this afternoon, looking for inspiration-of-the-gardening-kind and eating a bowl of partially thawed blackberries, when I realized one of the "berries" was very hard. I thought, "hmm, must be a stem..spit it out into my hand... and shreiked! This lovely black beetle, missing a few legs, had been hiding in the berry package and then in my bowl. Now... when I bought these, I saw the American flag on the package and thought, "good." But after finding the beetle I looked more closely at the bag..."Product of...(gasp!) CHINA"?!?! Unless you like finding surprises in your food (that are not fun surprises like in the old Cracker Jax) you might want to read the labels more closely. Then again, a beetle could have crawled into just about any packaging..or, I should say, been scooped up during harvest or processing and "missed" from any packing plant. Things happen. Its "only a bug." But the fact that the package announces "Product of China"? Yeah, that makes me a bit queasy. (No it doesn't, but I'm not overly thrilled either.) Yet another good reason to GROW YOUR OWN. LOL

wet and not-so-wild..or maybe wild

2010-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

There is current fascination with the rain due to the fact it has been an uncommon occurance in these parts for the past three years. As long as it does not discover a point of entry into my humble abode, it is welcome. (rather selfish thought on my part isn't it! Tunnel vision. egocentric. etc.)

moss

2010-01-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

My one reader asks "Where's the moss?" Well, here's the moss my boy. Moss on the ground. Moss on some driftwood. Moss on an olive tree. Moss on a Sycamore. Granted, it isn't SEATTLE moss but then, this isn't Seattle! LOL

rain

2010-01-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today has been an orange day. As in Doppler orange. The self-cleaning gutters (read; rusted out) are making "nice" for the papyrus below. The grassy area to the south has become a small lake and Twin Rivers flow from it down the driveway. It has been a long time since that has happened. Boring as it is to be stuck inside all day, I am thankful for the rain. Really, I am. I am also very glad that I made a library stop last week! Almost done with Barbara Kingsolver's "High Tide in Tucson" so will have to decide what's next; "Small Wonder", also by Barbara Kingsolver? or "Crazy ladies" by Michael Lee West? Perhaps "The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty". Now if only I could stop eating everything not bolted down...

Zebra grass plume

2010-01-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

If only Bermuda grass were this pretty.

river walk

2009-12-25T21:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

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

praying mantis

2009-10-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

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

misc

2009-09-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots from around the yard this month.

and a squash blossom. gourd actually.

2009-09-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

a bit of early morning fall color

2009-09-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

don't tell my son

2009-09-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

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.

odd pot

2009-08-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist this Agave at HD today as it was only $4.99, had two pups and was in a gallon can. Besides, the old attic fan thingie hadn't had any plants in it for a long time. It was lonely. I think its a perfect match.
Agave agustifolia variegata. aka Striped Caribbean Agave.

Bunya-bunya cones

2009-08-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

One would not want to sit under this tree in August. It has dropped 20 cones in the past 4 days. Araucaria bidwellii.

my alma mater

2009-08-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

This grade school opened in the fall of 1953 when I was in the third grade. I remember those years as mostly good, though I did have some issues in 4th grade,5th and 6th were fine. Our Brownie troop (#278)began there and at some point, we "flew up" to become Girl Scouts. (Great troop with wonderful leaders. We managed to go down to Carmel for a few days and we even trekked all the way down to Catalina Island. We camped out often, sold lots of cookies, and generally had a great time.) But I digress. Fast track to now...the school looks so inviting I almost wish I could go back. The plantings are of mostly native plants, the art, done by students, is fabulous, and... well, its a school that parents really try to get their kids into. We had lots of music and art "way back then" but no major art installations like there are now. These tiles were all done by students. I think the Starry Starry Night painting on the back of the multipurpose room was too. (need to find out)The large painting on the newer buildings is huge and fun but again, I don't know who is doing the actual painting. Still, doesn't this look like a fun place to get one's education? They score high in academics too. And, they even have grass now! We had dirt. We were happy. We didn't know any different! The playground is home to a large flock of western Bluebirds. I don't remember seeing Bluebirds when I was a kid. Scrub Jays, Yellow-Billed Magpies, Crows, Robins, Killdeer, but Bluebirds? nope.

when what to my wondering eyes did appear...

2009-07-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

This may explain why there seems to be a baby deer bounding out of its hidey place no matter where I wander in the yard. Doereen didn't just have twins this year, she has triplets! If you click on the photo you should get a close up of, left to right, Gizmo, Doereen, Post Script (at her back legs), and Pixel. Post Script is tiny but very fast. Apparently triplets are not unusual in Black Tail deer. In fact, they may even have quads in their later years. Oh joy.

Brilliant Woman Solves All of California's Problems

2009-07-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Woman Solves All of California's Problems

I hope this worked. You MUST watch the video. OMG.

where the deer can't go

2009-07-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Scenes from Phoebe-dog's yard. The whole yard would probably look like this if not for the hungry deer. But then, my water bill would just be higher so perhaps the deer help keep me under control.