tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79456373682400064612024-02-18T19:59:22.962-08:00Project FairfaxCrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14815886507577337762noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-8009393312126843572011-12-18T17:01:00.001-08:002011-12-18T17:02:30.405-08:00Moved...Hi anyone who might stumble here, the blog's moved to <a href="http://projectfairfax.wordpress.com">ProjectFairfax.wordpress.com</a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-783308931603147202011-11-15T20:06:00.000-08:002011-11-15T08:42:48.616-08:00Bloom DayDaylily<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4ok6bJK0Vy2l_S39bWeYt4w8SszM4W2d0CeicnyHNmzQ0LuLDC5mMjX9VxpclULgw0ZpcKMo0LbzI5PYxt1EWGMgNd3L8AwdR73rwO4-JfSnwdAON6MloSQEKgd2mRtKV5KvLqZGSfE/s1600/2011.11.11+031.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675069882614409618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4ok6bJK0Vy2l_S39bWeYt4w8SszM4W2d0CeicnyHNmzQ0LuLDC5mMjX9VxpclULgw0ZpcKMo0LbzI5PYxt1EWGMgNd3L8AwdR73rwO4-JfSnwdAON6MloSQEKgd2mRtKV5KvLqZGSfE/s400/2011.11.11+031.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Alonsoa meridionalis 'Red'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdPeTsPcZZm-3wmttlhKW6mQLs59OdUooNrBn619oxfaHzxMTCTE1WnFQE1A4CNqVN1N0TXTmhh1_Nd64YBVvOzm0oZPm1ZdzGnO0FZQtJONs-iG8Z5hx-9fN45BIqjTNaM4oRwDdsfU/s1600/2011.11.13+024.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675070557547182930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdPeTsPcZZm-3wmttlhKW6mQLs59OdUooNrBn619oxfaHzxMTCTE1WnFQE1A4CNqVN1N0TXTmhh1_Nd64YBVvOzm0oZPm1ZdzGnO0FZQtJONs-iG8Z5hx-9fN45BIqjTNaM4oRwDdsfU/s400/2011.11.13+024.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Salvia greggii 'Dusky Pink'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9Sw4qcGhWYUgPeEkIU559eq4_SzKmMuVrx9VaNc8jVyZ6j_Vf6f6KyXmwQAWHVc85Ulwo4Jl6JMcF6Jx_W01XL9cRhWTinMeN9WLNsXdRJtszAIoOSOZt86jjGNWP_Q1U5fBwp6jmEc/s1600/2011.11.13+050.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675070569027589250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9Sw4qcGhWYUgPeEkIU559eq4_SzKmMuVrx9VaNc8jVyZ6j_Vf6f6KyXmwQAWHVc85Ulwo4Jl6JMcF6Jx_W01XL9cRhWTinMeN9WLNsXdRJtszAIoOSOZt86jjGNWP_Q1U5fBwp6jmEc/s400/2011.11.13+050.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Strawberry blossom<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9uB1hJuiY2ONNeMQA0_7vlyOM6Vw3XykFhxsK6ofA9c6g3SI3yVnV6oQ5kVK9403OWDCm2gYOKp19WZeazpynB19qZokfBiKGGtBzzLeTYsk1kRzQjShR3LJLpjfunMDnfcswNua6Qw/s1600/2011.11.13+021.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675070553634806370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9uB1hJuiY2ONNeMQA0_7vlyOM6Vw3XykFhxsK6ofA9c6g3SI3yVnV6oQ5kVK9403OWDCm2gYOKp19WZeazpynB19qZokfBiKGGtBzzLeTYsk1kRzQjShR3LJLpjfunMDnfcswNua6Qw/s400/2011.11.13+021.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Armeria maritima - Sea Thrift<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYHnMntS4__xAZO4UN_bsIcZXo023jyS_wfVOaq1PbTlWa0rcu3_7NVahi_BXQfuHpmspy34huAwVYoJMUu6aJFdsP9wHYEk5tEPK5Air9jLSmzLVMdQ1-xjfrgH2p7X3lmI5mUK-HQQ/s1600/2011.11.13+066.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675071163561791426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYHnMntS4__xAZO4UN_bsIcZXo023jyS_wfVOaq1PbTlWa0rcu3_7NVahi_BXQfuHpmspy34huAwVYoJMUu6aJFdsP9wHYEk5tEPK5Air9jLSmzLVMdQ1-xjfrgH2p7X3lmI5mUK-HQQ/s400/2011.11.13+066.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Oranges & Lemons'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lvbZM0XwEVcg0R2kmu4oHnNoQ5gy-Mq2Bu1KVCFA5soO_0dJ9Z_OYVOxkAAWwvaUwDV7GH8NmE3k1GBTZBp2SLAiCNwGR9J2R1Jx_OtXer71LZsBZIe88dUyxfPtgqLyfGD9SdpIKOM/s1600/2011.11.13+003.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675069884944023778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lvbZM0XwEVcg0R2kmu4oHnNoQ5gy-Mq2Bu1KVCFA5soO_0dJ9Z_OYVOxkAAWwvaUwDV7GH8NmE3k1GBTZBp2SLAiCNwGR9J2R1Jx_OtXer71LZsBZIe88dUyxfPtgqLyfGD9SdpIKOM/s400/2011.11.13+003.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv0-tqtmQBHv9NfuoQOtbEyrkP10jmSTYgkt_G3D0LMb74oW6Urja8oECdvo3X75cazu6zl3USb0xWZlMVzpRMMbAOaULb9FKpWj4SAlZ_g0WhllbnPNkcETRQf3BsZHL1KZy82E97Ts/s1600/2011.11.13+011.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675069902880231218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMv0-tqtmQBHv9NfuoQOtbEyrkP10jmSTYgkt_G3D0LMb74oW6Urja8oECdvo3X75cazu6zl3USb0xWZlMVzpRMMbAOaULb9FKpWj4SAlZ_g0WhllbnPNkcETRQf3BsZHL1KZy82E97Ts/s400/2011.11.13+011.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Agrostemma githago 'Milas'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mYZlBV-UYzHQDj8tno1sAwFinDuEbFyfiMRo39_bgfT0BAX_OuXgwLvzm-h-Lc5r4basu2S_3fUtkip0KTzWE1SdkR1d6eGzEAKjwKrJq0u2eQ1EQigzaKWzUz-eik0q90n_jQWisHw/s1600/2011.11.13+005.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675069894868339634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mYZlBV-UYzHQDj8tno1sAwFinDuEbFyfiMRo39_bgfT0BAX_OuXgwLvzm-h-Lc5r4basu2S_3fUtkip0KTzWE1SdkR1d6eGzEAKjwKrJq0u2eQ1EQigzaKWzUz-eik0q90n_jQWisHw/s400/2011.11.13+005.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Agastache aurantiaca 'Coronado'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqFPssjdkVqXrrpcHQ_VrPmBok676rBAv-NB1mGsi-DdAStmjAaetlYwVPtGcTiCA2LkmcDdsFKm05TETHD5BHXLn5dJndp2yQw9NGDsopZRMeOVAt-pYWNigQkb6Bjqy6MJ7sU9dj1A/s1600/2011.11.13+056.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675071154488956434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqFPssjdkVqXrrpcHQ_VrPmBok676rBAv-NB1mGsi-DdAStmjAaetlYwVPtGcTiCA2LkmcDdsFKm05TETHD5BHXLn5dJndp2yQw9NGDsopZRMeOVAt-pYWNigQkb6Bjqy6MJ7sU9dj1A/s400/2011.11.13+056.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XQscAy5nGJeTelOlkRH4z-WTVj9JwGoIO_szkBnnm5ZB3oseBVW0PvKF09M34xsCC4yrHRk5KecqlpYim9xbK6bMkjp6P-KYu6-zjajrrqNKTjOTQeGYtKwSSskOL9PxFIQAiRIzDg0/s1600/2011.11.13+055.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675071151027387042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XQscAy5nGJeTelOlkRH4z-WTVj9JwGoIO_szkBnnm5ZB3oseBVW0PvKF09M34xsCC4yrHRk5KecqlpYim9xbK6bMkjp6P-KYu6-zjajrrqNKTjOTQeGYtKwSSskOL9PxFIQAiRIzDg0/s400/2011.11.13+055.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Pea ‘Oregon Sugarpod II’<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3X68VQTCvZUSjtMqdDYXZAOGky-BHlX01xET4ZUZ7U0Opgi0GTEYw7Gnp5IYgfaiEqvOS4IWhRydl_5VhPtRVlLGhd5tLalK6UxUhEvLOY0Vw4fXjxAqAX8V1CS-J5pcm5FdA8aSGNRc/s1600/2011.11.12+039.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675071166254767826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3X68VQTCvZUSjtMqdDYXZAOGky-BHlX01xET4ZUZ7U0Opgi0GTEYw7Gnp5IYgfaiEqvOS4IWhRydl_5VhPtRVlLGhd5tLalK6UxUhEvLOY0Vw4fXjxAqAX8V1CS-J5pcm5FdA8aSGNRc/s400/2011.11.12+039.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Ceanthonus 'Dark Star'<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIe4Z83fNu6l12BNR_Pxfw8uDt6HUrZRvr5SjqTmdTLXV1MH1yzv0EMK-jUV3QWc4ireZRGtFZ3OeB_mk3QtKbivXh7kVfffSryMxXvDfRmkX68jmjCIDp1vXh8lnpimv2fzGZN5epM3M/s1600/2011.11.13+028.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675070561970418306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIe4Z83fNu6l12BNR_Pxfw8uDt6HUrZRvr5SjqTmdTLXV1MH1yzv0EMK-jUV3QWc4ireZRGtFZ3OeB_mk3QtKbivXh7kVfffSryMxXvDfRmkX68jmjCIDp1vXh8lnpimv2fzGZN5epM3M/s400/2011.11.13+028.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Saucer Magnolia<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9D3IdmIsef-fjYIAz1Grma78cAhulNE-qetssvQVgH4drouplXGbi2uIf_59VWeVi-XVb73UqW7I3apqIwdajzrCHwtgEUuTYLo8T4O3GwaEEopAEzr8y1cCmXh6kqx7bDpgmxn5N6Y/s1600/2011.11.13+030.JPG"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675072092969425682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9D3IdmIsef-fjYIAz1Grma78cAhulNE-qetssvQVgH4drouplXGbi2uIf_59VWeVi-XVb73UqW7I3apqIwdajzrCHwtgEUuTYLo8T4O3GwaEEopAEzr8y1cCmXh6kqx7bDpgmxn5N6Y/s400/2011.11.13+030.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-85387330773065536352011-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:002011-11-12T21:38:10.063-08:00Divisions and Seed StartingOh, I think one of my absolute favorite parts of gardening is dividing my plants. That time in their development when they're finally big enough to fill the space I put them in originally and look lovely... but awkward as well because they suddenly seem to stand all alone or in a strange arrangement compared to how I thought they would look. Take my two little island plantings, originally they were arranged like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tz8i02w7KmcIhvAGWaK-RUwhZgvgbrsd-dTFK91qFeJaT2ib4j80Z7wUpO-UuxGaWlLU__1NOUXQGsC_yaKlBFwYOW2YtaxWdOxT1N0Ar3-SYCmBRd6-P48BJNnbv10a8TSuCv7Ek2I/s1600/03c.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tz8i02w7KmcIhvAGWaK-RUwhZgvgbrsd-dTFK91qFeJaT2ib4j80Z7wUpO-UuxGaWlLU__1NOUXQGsC_yaKlBFwYOW2YtaxWdOxT1N0Ar3-SYCmBRd6-P48BJNnbv10a8TSuCv7Ek2I/s400/03c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674347305961929762" border="0" /></a><br />Now the Ladybird poppies were gorgeous but as an annual inevitably does, it died away. That left me with two rather sad looking planting beds on either side of the pathway. But it's fall and I've had quite a few plants for nearly a year now so a couple weeks ago I became possessed and divided half a dozen plants in one evening.<br /><br />Now I'm in love with the arrangements on our little island again, even if they still need some growing in. The right side now looks like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFrGcqehnpYf-O8nbgzXbEYcByu84OxwRQJU7Qb4XrVggtP49UufaRjBwaug2I0LTFnEqg8ucjbOXZiDKT2r3MoURQkmJd3aYfbX8o4DIugpNNXR1x_y_Uk_FO0VMaeUjLaqMeeuxZ_I/s1600/17a.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFrGcqehnpYf-O8nbgzXbEYcByu84OxwRQJU7Qb4XrVggtP49UufaRjBwaug2I0LTFnEqg8ucjbOXZiDKT2r3MoURQkmJd3aYfbX8o4DIugpNNXR1x_y_Uk_FO0VMaeUjLaqMeeuxZ_I/s400/17a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674347726620906322" border="0" /></a><br />The plant colors and texture mesh much better now. In the bottom left, there's a large clump of lambs ears that I took out of the clump I started from seed last year (it does look like new leaves will have to grow in before it's beautiful again but there are clearly new ones growing). Then in the middle is an Agastache 'Purple Pygmy' and the Aristea inequalis I had on the other side of the island earlier. Their blue and purple flowers will blend beautifully next year I think. Then, in the slightly bare space below them, is a hunk of the pink dianthus I bought a year and a half ago from Annies (they don't carry it anymore and I've forgotten the name!) and some reseeded Nemophilia 'Baby Five Spot'. Also for added texture the one clump of blue fescue that I had before is now two much prettier clumps and I also have a short bronze grass I never got the name of. Lastly, you can barely see the newly two clumps of Sisyrinchium hybrid 'Devon Skies' at the top corner. I'll take another division of those and fill the very corner as well eventually.<br /><br />Then on the other side:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_grEmjXDafh6bgyiXHU9ix6n5xPsI_IKN3qlCCvZsc537bGNECDGHhp-fsFVkm52W_nmZDc_xJqzXC21UTdkYF9O6ecg-6OhstbrjRXg8Z7CKNdE04LCP6p-8Zdi8hyxv8_VbxDAiC0/s1600/17b.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_grEmjXDafh6bgyiXHU9ix6n5xPsI_IKN3qlCCvZsc537bGNECDGHhp-fsFVkm52W_nmZDc_xJqzXC21UTdkYF9O6ecg-6OhstbrjRXg8Z7CKNdE04LCP6p-8Zdi8hyxv8_VbxDAiC0/s400/17b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674348051961557474" border="0" /></a><br />As the plants aren't in bloom at the moment, one has to imagine the effect but large and in the middle is a Cleveland Sage and around it I have put another division of Blue Fescue and lambs ears. Then, in the same place it has been all year, now hidden by the sage, is my Foothill Penstemon, one of my favorite california natives. Here's a picture I took of it earlier:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGNV0lyRarp-68uOviIW8DOsH1kENJqIvxuPSSr8LbkHVFk7CwFBjZ5T9SM3DgKZi7UNry2chyphenhyphenRucMJ25Kszc1b_2EjFF02uSlRmMVw2oEgvsIpJgNjvcdmbMItO7Yul_t88yXu2zYHE/s1600/03e.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoGNV0lyRarp-68uOviIW8DOsH1kENJqIvxuPSSr8LbkHVFk7CwFBjZ5T9SM3DgKZi7UNry2chyphenhyphenRucMJ25Kszc1b_2EjFF02uSlRmMVw2oEgvsIpJgNjvcdmbMItO7Yul_t88yXu2zYHE/s400/03e.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674348305963065522" border="0" /></a><br />But shortly before my division spree, I cut all the spent flower stalks off this one Penstemon and collected the seed. It was an amazing amount of seed! I thought after cutting the stalks that I would just lay them down on the porch and go back to the garden for a while but when I put them down a spray of seeds went flying out of them (apparently I was just in time to collect the seeds). So I swept what I could of those seeds into my hand and put the stalks in a large mixing bowl and by the time I was done, I had covered the bottom of the bowl completely with seeds, probably a thousand, maybe even two thousand seeds. And those from maybe four or five stalks. (by the by, the seedpods for Foothill Penstemon smell very much like dung)<br /><br />Shortly after collecting them, I planted some into four small pots and put them out next to the lawn and in a couple weeks had this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ApV_vFtGZ_6OH3RUnziwd4Sg2tnptY55ZEUN2ONNEac93i30H4S5Q0G027DZGi2OX2naBjlE9itysU7MnM4Rhqf84luhYNTa4Dx9DnrvqyfPK6GqDpYG1TYREWiroJs42nC3whcEWTc/s1600/2011.11.11+041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ApV_vFtGZ_6OH3RUnziwd4Sg2tnptY55ZEUN2ONNEac93i30H4S5Q0G027DZGi2OX2naBjlE9itysU7MnM4Rhqf84luhYNTa4Dx9DnrvqyfPK6GqDpYG1TYREWiroJs42nC3whcEWTc/s400/2011.11.11+041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674348644934159154" border="0" /></a><br />The two in the top row on the right, I had thought were Mask Flower seedlings but I was so happy to find out that they were baby Agastache Coronado. I knew when I finally touched them last week and smelled the strong mint scent. So last weekend I carefully split up these six pots into two full flats of baby plants.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXNPbVvdJV_p7XIwfr5pTV-43znS5ltmv_ZL7Rv21sth_U8czLOAkZYIj3DONYyYWEmc_iQQE42czGaedR6joXi96ZcIoGXT673ZPkE4SmIe7Gyn34g7_g6vdREXzGNyoFZfUF8vwE54/s1600/2011.11.12+033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXNPbVvdJV_p7XIwfr5pTV-43znS5ltmv_ZL7Rv21sth_U8czLOAkZYIj3DONYyYWEmc_iQQE42czGaedR6joXi96ZcIoGXT673ZPkE4SmIe7Gyn34g7_g6vdREXzGNyoFZfUF8vwE54/s400/2011.11.12+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674349052957837890" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdpP_0gDzo4CEtGxjyovcVgSvzZWFBufO0SqUCVyGW4RhA7SECMPiNMPa5nB_RavSyhhxHkGZAvKse2DQxKe5c3vgFFiOycO_OmwjOSbUfrcCW8jKrAO2qdixCIxYDN5UzB8IBeLg2LQ/s1600/2011.11.12+034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdpP_0gDzo4CEtGxjyovcVgSvzZWFBufO0SqUCVyGW4RhA7SECMPiNMPa5nB_RavSyhhxHkGZAvKse2DQxKe5c3vgFFiOycO_OmwjOSbUfrcCW8jKrAO2qdixCIxYDN5UzB8IBeLg2LQ/s400/2011.11.12+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674349361930643570" border="0" /></a><br />With the Agastache, I was very happy to find, I had enough plants to fill 16 pots and even put two to a pot for a few of them. Then, even though I only had four pots, I split the Penstemon into 14 larger pots with a bunch of little plants in each one. God, I'm going to have more groundcover than I will know what to do with.<br /><br />As if those aren't enough seeds to be going on with, before splitting those, I planted a bunch of other seeds in this flat:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_MHw7hlxYIjSiaRV7jQ8KIoLY00kk7HFVR-DCaeKsl8He0gTVd9Vwuel8p4e3RTbsH5flzeM5OaGTG1csiCYzqOQ0O6_qaF9YbnkKsjhlp7N0mC7hc4TsWNhioylZ529To720OO4dbw/s1600/2011.10.30+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_MHw7hlxYIjSiaRV7jQ8KIoLY00kk7HFVR-DCaeKsl8He0gTVd9Vwuel8p4e3RTbsH5flzeM5OaGTG1csiCYzqOQ0O6_qaF9YbnkKsjhlp7N0mC7hc4TsWNhioylZ529To720OO4dbw/s400/2011.10.30+024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674349862758344786" border="0" /></a><br />If you wanted to look at the plasticware I've written on with a permanent marker to make cheap plant tags (I quite like the look hehe), you would see I have: Dianthus (from before), Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw', Ladybird Poppies, Blue Flax, Lambs Ears, Catnip, Broccoli and two types of Lettuce. Other than the vegetables and Catnip, everything is from my own garden collected seeds. And I can confirm since about last week, every pot has some germinated seeds! So happy! Especially for the poppies because I wasn't even sure if the powder that was in my seed bag with the seed heads was actually seed or dust.<br /><br />Since last week, I've taken all my flats of seeds and added them to the top of the garden in my vegetable area.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyXFYMkMpAnhPYG2pM2NknShBJnxYdpbU1UeX-MIG3vAxdwz6NGUZ0BSBz2qW4GwODD-GYb3eEOmYTAVabha8JtB86YkY7BtP3Vm9kZ7MkOQtpfrF4V6U1YhOpIhYz3ys2HMHYeg58yQ/s1600/2011.11.12+030.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyXFYMkMpAnhPYG2pM2NknShBJnxYdpbU1UeX-MIG3vAxdwz6NGUZ0BSBz2qW4GwODD-GYb3eEOmYTAVabha8JtB86YkY7BtP3Vm9kZ7MkOQtpfrF4V6U1YhOpIhYz3ys2HMHYeg58yQ/s400/2011.11.12+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674350255842585138" border="0" /></a><br />As I don't have anymore Sluggo and the weedy bulbs of onion and oxalis are coming out in droves, I put my flats on top of a weed suppressing blanket of cardboard.<br /><br />Next time, I'll hopefully be able to say the other two and half flats I have up there have also germinated.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-81229799141188643442011-09-25T21:58:00.000-07:002011-09-25T22:21:02.724-07:00Home RenovationsYes, amazingly, as promised I am actually doing a post on our interior work! Over the summer, over two months ago, I finally finally finished plastering the living room. I did all the plastering, and most of the paint removal before that, so it was supposed to be my husband's job to sand the walls. Of course, there was no attempt to sand the walls in the last two months, but eventually, we decided we should sand it together the weekend before this.<br /><br />So we draped everything in plastic to avoid the dust problem we had when we stripped the paint.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnuv-nNsg0QUsujQO6-r1Gea64H9orGGyHXqf2pqoS3Dhyphenhyphenz692xBlDhkQWsiQtxtGw34H_BGhWHJbXPmjWKbpSknLw3roYLYgIwQYBOoXTH62SY-8bOfueP97pHTDBH2XtwVfT67cCjM/s1600/2011.09.18+080.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnuv-nNsg0QUsujQO6-r1Gea64H9orGGyHXqf2pqoS3Dhyphenhyphenz692xBlDhkQWsiQtxtGw34H_BGhWHJbXPmjWKbpSknLw3roYLYgIwQYBOoXTH62SY-8bOfueP97pHTDBH2XtwVfT67cCjM/s400/2011.09.18+080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656529992623399282" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsJ1fCVMLpspC_H-NBmWhnAJsLKlYGM6VKnhDlXUwvvQpuExGw8xOoF0YJU3qumvlZ8hXt0R2pZLhIfZWj-gHx-NtOx8cByp5L6cblxGdFs8UttY2L-SPOTE0z-MUzJ8-UaDRnR7Adqg/s1600/2011.09.18+092.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656488477412554514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMsJ1fCVMLpspC_H-NBmWhnAJsLKlYGM6VKnhDlXUwvvQpuExGw8xOoF0YJU3qumvlZ8hXt0R2pZLhIfZWj-gHx-NtOx8cByp5L6cblxGdFs8UttY2L-SPOTE0z-MUzJ8-UaDRnR7Adqg/s400/2011.09.18+092.JPG" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />We even taped up a tarp over the doorway, though with a quite weak tape that failed a few times as we worked. The draft was fun to watch, making it billow back into the dining room.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9-Zf6Ehsjfj6X9r7rw-5Z4-3lzsxucUPzjEREhkh023qLziD6JSOxJBmLA_Gv0Gk0Tcwd4hoU1v29QIFdbjJmNLK9_nO9W0lavEP3pr3PRn8_GgW5tOsO1992Tbw-4BncdFGIlxwJJ0/s1600/2011.09.18+087.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656488500934511026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9-Zf6Ehsjfj6X9r7rw-5Z4-3lzsxucUPzjEREhkh023qLziD6JSOxJBmLA_Gv0Gk0Tcwd4hoU1v29QIFdbjJmNLK9_nO9W0lavEP3pr3PRn8_GgW5tOsO1992Tbw-4BncdFGIlxwJJ0/s400/2011.09.18+087.JPG" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkc_zhSRtvXYX0rLA-ztUp-tZ2XnVYzrwslJV0JDBMbhfMzBMir3mp5YOAHopzWF1QAh8yxaoPMq8kUCr8tHWKXG7_floHbU2txKrovrAz6KiHMnLor6Bp7sa4ldB4XKG20ouXLD0tbI/s1600/2011.09.18+095.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656488519673193666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkc_zhSRtvXYX0rLA-ztUp-tZ2XnVYzrwslJV0JDBMbhfMzBMir3mp5YOAHopzWF1QAh8yxaoPMq8kUCr8tHWKXG7_floHbU2txKrovrAz6KiHMnLor6Bp7sa4ldB4XKG20ouXLD0tbI/s400/2011.09.18+095.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Apparently, you should use duct tape instead, next time we definitely will. Also, we probably should have know not to pile everything we had in the living room on the dining room table. As you will soon see. Here is what we had after the three or more hours of sanding (Not bad for all the grueling hours I put into getting the plaster onto the walls; electric sanders are wonderful).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWA7htyiyZpll0YiSxfIhEZiqS-hgWK0A7g8QpvUuuobyY4JGOBXGMvQyXauJkW-R3EV3rcIdALW5bfbrPcHHyeHZ_ShnxljNer_LHO3esWll2v4eXnTWX_Qu8YG-1-Ifm5jiyKtnvsk8/s1600/2011.09.18+113.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656489250499168914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWA7htyiyZpll0YiSxfIhEZiqS-hgWK0A7g8QpvUuuobyY4JGOBXGMvQyXauJkW-R3EV3rcIdALW5bfbrPcHHyeHZ_ShnxljNer_LHO3esWll2v4eXnTWX_Qu8YG-1-Ifm5jiyKtnvsk8/s400/2011.09.18+113.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 249px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSYgLVLQPNDw0vvF0i7Y4PglZ8VclUy-IUMftaB1KhnpOzIt8XHMs6yH-pCsLHAaIxmWYap7SCjHmIYaDc0yKCOO352juIXSFqYrQtv3FHV8eVmX6lf3xRiZoWLyhq-V6vosgzpoRZZ0/s1600/2011.09.18+115.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656488522332965426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSYgLVLQPNDw0vvF0i7Y4PglZ8VclUy-IUMftaB1KhnpOzIt8XHMs6yH-pCsLHAaIxmWYap7SCjHmIYaDc0yKCOO352juIXSFqYrQtv3FHV8eVmX6lf3xRiZoWLyhq-V6vosgzpoRZZ0/s400/2011.09.18+115.JPG" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />Then, a bit of the way into those three hours we noticed a light snow building up behind the curtains so tried to lessen the damage by draping another tarp over all our things on the dining room table.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGL2WDWVELmXCmh5lxRQK58PDc9x8hU1p3Yp2ZkNyBrLQfHfPw4vBxW5SX9XN38hyphenhyphensvHjNdB0Ff4LGfc6AFQvVj8aadmhHkioqyENFIJCl0E7EKRonzJmIZAWo4mu5NudDefwAxMkU9Q/s1600/2011.09.18+109.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656489257216867282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGL2WDWVELmXCmh5lxRQK58PDc9x8hU1p3Yp2ZkNyBrLQfHfPw4vBxW5SX9XN38hyphenhyphensvHjNdB0Ff4LGfc6AFQvVj8aadmhHkioqyENFIJCl0E7EKRonzJmIZAWo4mu5NudDefwAxMkU9Q/s400/2011.09.18+109.JPG" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />We had had the forethought to close the doors to the bathroom and two bedrooms, however...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6TSBX9pjzmOYs8Vwy2_1YVJi633miJs6eVj0Bmj7WgaNEhCMOvRQM5vB4h_rWwT2zkmpAuBQkc6BnYqN0ikId_UeXXnowJcuVZFA331b_4_2U87LPOVNA9nQ4IzCbsXP_WuKbmZMNkg/s1600/2011.09.18+098.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656489259768411026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6TSBX9pjzmOYs8Vwy2_1YVJi633miJs6eVj0Bmj7WgaNEhCMOvRQM5vB4h_rWwT2zkmpAuBQkc6BnYqN0ikId_UeXXnowJcuVZFA331b_4_2U87LPOVNA9nQ4IzCbsXP_WuKbmZMNkg/s400/2011.09.18+098.JPG" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp2b4X0kOaPQGevXet14ioMGFQPhppjYN5nqx2Scs7N3tY9-TCMrsFBl_SVv0dTBYhNyqFjmlaKI1oMGyKdEqWDiNue9am2ote2VGRnHg5kg48wSfBN_m4UlioHofJdzGChm5HUSVkGU/s1600/2011.09.18+099.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656489267262998018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp2b4X0kOaPQGevXet14ioMGFQPhppjYN5nqx2Scs7N3tY9-TCMrsFBl_SVv0dTBYhNyqFjmlaKI1oMGyKdEqWDiNue9am2ote2VGRnHg5kg48wSfBN_m4UlioHofJdzGChm5HUSVkGU/s400/2011.09.18+099.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 266px;" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see from the fog of dust, it might have been a good idea to shove some towels into the inch wide opening between the bedroom doors and the floor. The bathroom came through pretty much unscathed though because there's a raised lip of wood to cover the edge of the tile floor, pretty much eliminating that gap.<br /><br />Then, there was this weekend. Starting at noon yesterday and working leisurely until about 6 o'clock tonight, we finally painted our front room. Let us please remember where we started.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8TTz_h16Mmnc_kM-fLL7KG-8LUIoAYeuBq9I99GXG0aCLVuPUpF28sU6Ikl82E2ZweCEr5UddBw2Z8-vZPRvwjevGGlnv0QqajGIuPPvTsBuaarMqt_8zTTSfYsTAJss2BuY2d1a6mo/s1600/Living+Room+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8TTz_h16Mmnc_kM-fLL7KG-8LUIoAYeuBq9I99GXG0aCLVuPUpF28sU6Ikl82E2ZweCEr5UddBw2Z8-vZPRvwjevGGlnv0QqajGIuPPvTsBuaarMqt_8zTTSfYsTAJss2BuY2d1a6mo/s400/Living+Room+2.JPG" height="300" width="400" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmusBx1e1knPqIrE6nZHBBIEOSJD63BttJIzfskMjk6u5WWUain1E_GuWtnFuuga1DRkrdSF6HFaaqS6vNHk51zacrM0eNhkLh8E7WynmZaQbaN2X7w5GjFmFFtwOQ1PMiQr7FczgCdw/s1600/DSC02300.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmusBx1e1knPqIrE6nZHBBIEOSJD63BttJIzfskMjk6u5WWUain1E_GuWtnFuuga1DRkrdSF6HFaaqS6vNHk51zacrM0eNhkLh8E7WynmZaQbaN2X7w5GjFmFFtwOQ1PMiQr7FczgCdw/s400/DSC02300.JPG" height="400" width="300" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br />Now, finally, a finished room - viewed from sunset, of course, but you can just see the light subtle green.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ucug2yUdIP3Dz0TNg1xTNfSJeyTo40wGhled9d-9YnQGkEe1fJ8Zx8RGlEABpQj1yfHjypAl4f88D3n00vgrMQGnGXHcRl0i6Y4WFC9xhxxu1wGGUHw2iJf0Fwrj_Hii8E9hrx244Io/s1600/2011.09.25+020.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656490165123998578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ucug2yUdIP3Dz0TNg1xTNfSJeyTo40wGhled9d-9YnQGkEe1fJ8Zx8RGlEABpQj1yfHjypAl4f88D3n00vgrMQGnGXHcRl0i6Y4WFC9xhxxu1wGGUHw2iJf0Fwrj_Hii8E9hrx244Io/s400/2011.09.25+020.JPG" style="display: block; height: 264px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /> </a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKZuKK9twKx6CZ8qwOIeUbgCDp4-lj2I3sAMY7LjKJz15pbHzHSrepIJEUH1BCkx0MucBN3WaCWq-tSjff8RIf1x15toNJyaXLbnxTClg5BEmWBdLeVE2o-EEcVfRRrbK244sonAjGQ0/s1600/2011.09.25+016.JPG" target="_blank"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656490165829476306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKZuKK9twKx6CZ8qwOIeUbgCDp4-lj2I3sAMY7LjKJz15pbHzHSrepIJEUH1BCkx0MucBN3WaCWq-tSjff8RIf1x15toNJyaXLbnxTClg5BEmWBdLeVE2o-EEcVfRRrbK244sonAjGQ0/s400/2011.09.25+016.JPG" style="display: block; height: 258px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br />This makes 4 out of 6 rooms painted, but this one feels the real accomplishment. This is the only room that has been properly replastered and sanded. There were a dozen large cracks throughout the room, now all completely invisible.<br /><br />Maybe this will make us more eager to get the rest of the rooms done.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-63968718034093576972011-08-08T21:08:00.000-07:002011-08-11T20:20:04.770-07:00Stress ReliefThese past two months have been filled with stress after stress. First, my husband, the OUSD teacher, received his pink slip, along with 1/3 of all the teachers in Oakland. About a month ago, that slip was rescinded, but two weeks before that I found out that my near senile boss had advertised my job. Not that I was looking for jobs at the time, I was good at my position and enjoyed the work, the ridiculous old man accidentally showed me proof of the ad himself. One of my many roles was to draft the occasional e-mail for him, so he asked me to do that for him on that Monday and I see a response to his ad at the top of his inbox (he's an old man who doesn't really understand e-mail). Even more shocking, two weeks later, I was able to quit for a new position in a walnut creek medical office. Again, it doesn't end there, the seemingly kinder, more level headed new boss turned out to be a completely deluded nutcase and about a million dollars in debt with no income coming in (to be brief - I could go on forever about my month with her and prove it but this is the wrong blog for that). I practically didn't stop looking for jobs because of what I saw the first day I logged into her QuickBooks.
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<br />But for the past week and a half, I've been at my new place of work - God, I hope this one will work out. I'm working for a landscape design and construction company in Berkeley - 5 Elements Design.
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<br />This could be a dream come true...! And the end of our problems...?
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<br />During all of this, I've found comfort in working in the garden and house. Next time I post, I'll try to show some of the house. It's just hard to show the slow slow progress that I've made in plastering the front room. But the garden has changed quite a bit in this month.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO8ihyDRTTuBl2k5kVhLi5th4E_-FNI23-UBU1t2ENcbxX1069MyTFDdYz0036rqAv_MK2N5n-W_1ZxNAzNEl5IeaHrRm75pFO-UD_desEjFdAY5y93FHQSgTzVit5RyzhxAJY9l-4F4/s1600/2011.08.08+040.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVO8ihyDRTTuBl2k5kVhLi5th4E_-FNI23-UBU1t2ENcbxX1069MyTFDdYz0036rqAv_MK2N5n-W_1ZxNAzNEl5IeaHrRm75pFO-UD_desEjFdAY5y93FHQSgTzVit5RyzhxAJY9l-4F4/s400/2011.08.08+040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704385675842018" border="0" /></a>
<br />The lawn is firmly established, about 60%-40% grass to weeds.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUJAcpmtoUA9TWlHX4RK0aLURW3duvZApqFQ63vZN8-q4spiVUOTt4AAZ4qxtR__Livww0JBA3P_oHu-QVV2WHqXMC7VNUj-7cdrRsGOVqjsMN9IRBM9A5xC1xMG79GCHlskMj4av4yA/s1600/2011.07.11+014.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUJAcpmtoUA9TWlHX4RK0aLURW3duvZApqFQ63vZN8-q4spiVUOTt4AAZ4qxtR__Livww0JBA3P_oHu-QVV2WHqXMC7VNUj-7cdrRsGOVqjsMN9IRBM9A5xC1xMG79GCHlskMj4av4yA/s400/2011.07.11+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638707657526474098" border="0" /></a>
<br />About a month ago, you could see the ladybird poppies and lupine, the stars of this area.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iyg8G2Cilm12xx2LHbujU8Eh7ebxuTD0PDFeojZ8QyWgWCCPmj1PKTWf3j_gmhDyrAOxnWhvvduUr-iCBDv9WPRwrgZmGxWm54htDvHUTMTJ6-eYeBAh4fMGPasDBEmkhxjTeXH-E48/s1600/2011.07.11+059.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iyg8G2Cilm12xx2LHbujU8Eh7ebxuTD0PDFeojZ8QyWgWCCPmj1PKTWf3j_gmhDyrAOxnWhvvduUr-iCBDv9WPRwrgZmGxWm54htDvHUTMTJ6-eYeBAh4fMGPasDBEmkhxjTeXH-E48/s400/2011.07.11+059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638707663289495154" border="0" /></a>
<br />The lupine grew shockingly fast, from a tiny 6" puff to 3 feet with blooms in two months. But it grew too large for its place, so last week I pulled it out and pruned the lavender next to it and moved it into the vacant spot.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzlvzBmxcR19nVHvxkc6aMP3f0I9JEfAvSoy1gylM31Wt2MRqXk9vc2jJ8DC5E23Zg0bIH9trasny8PPL_ftzoMTPsHv-CoQgc-_-uIT7YftfPrpcrLHD5UI4oNPMZjXdX978l3LxEE/s1600/2011.08.08+018.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCzlvzBmxcR19nVHvxkc6aMP3f0I9JEfAvSoy1gylM31Wt2MRqXk9vc2jJ8DC5E23Zg0bIH9trasny8PPL_ftzoMTPsHv-CoQgc-_-uIT7YftfPrpcrLHD5UI4oNPMZjXdX978l3LxEE/s400/2011.08.08+018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638707667935887362" border="0" /></a>
<br />This spot isn't shining anymore but the lavender will fill the area nicely and of course, next year the daffodils will still have room to come back up.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_VYZ4SrLPh6KOqI5Y0mkuKC3PUai071xGLKAzQde24ZsGZ_-8xZK5YywrZ_0FgybilrSXr0JMNycU2K__zZc-HWnWfacnh_ynVc2-yb5-ZtCCzf2_iIJ91ENNgLpni_pcRQp0Ffg3PQ/s1600/2011.07.11+009.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA_VYZ4SrLPh6KOqI5Y0mkuKC3PUai071xGLKAzQde24ZsGZ_-8xZK5YywrZ_0FgybilrSXr0JMNycU2K__zZc-HWnWfacnh_ynVc2-yb5-ZtCCzf2_iIJ91ENNgLpni_pcRQp0Ffg3PQ/s400/2011.07.11+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638709640282946818" border="0" /></a>
<br />These two sad looking plants, I planted just next to the pink Dianthus above. I started these from seed a year and a half ago, letting them die back three and four times, not watering them, and not repotting them until a few weeks ago when I decided to finally pay them some proper attention.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe9yPTUQiNGNx2V4iJmqCp07oAVS809-td0BlG-bft1gf1Bb3Qqt4u8p_58WzVeK41z3j2l8SV833P9U-QN2r40jCCG1LImIlICHfShxNk_QqGKHVkhe-zyjV0fBeRLqUCmrDVqMpGYw/s1600/2011.08.08+120.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe9yPTUQiNGNx2V4iJmqCp07oAVS809-td0BlG-bft1gf1Bb3Qqt4u8p_58WzVeK41z3j2l8SV833P9U-QN2r40jCCG1LImIlICHfShxNk_QqGKHVkhe-zyjV0fBeRLqUCmrDVqMpGYw/s400/2011.08.08+120.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704412962257474" border="0" /></a>
<br />Now they've gone from scrawny and sad to beautiful pink Echinacea (with a little more growing, they'll look great from every angle).
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPjMy6amzAn8aT47AgqBLmvEksZkaJOyfZeL1U2pEgpS4xJLOYDyP62KN99_ktlQIMT5oAzC1LfkLm85qzUmAhutvxRQ1f5uFU0pa22d7YJHzqL-aQibK6JtGZS-efq2tpWXbonk_rC4/s1600/2011.07.11+028.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPjMy6amzAn8aT47AgqBLmvEksZkaJOyfZeL1U2pEgpS4xJLOYDyP62KN99_ktlQIMT5oAzC1LfkLm85qzUmAhutvxRQ1f5uFU0pa22d7YJHzqL-aQibK6JtGZS-efq2tpWXbonk_rC4/s400/2011.07.11+028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638710578086048546" border="0" /></a>
<br />Down closer to the house and my neighbor's garage, the wildflowers are completely faded now. I've cleared most of this already and collected tons of seed. I'll have more wildflowers next year but positioned around perennials so that I don't have totally wasted looking areas next year.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE1qGKPGt12zL2wTGlTgBCk02NSNmpFs3GFHVWna2mPOIXi4Sv7muLe3nrqd19CvjAhtgLqbo5v3OOl34VUqazzdvxnccBGKmtTIBKTmmt_sdoZfJbA6C8Q5dpkk1JMiYvzeYlwo69oI/s1600/2011.07.11+027.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE1qGKPGt12zL2wTGlTgBCk02NSNmpFs3GFHVWna2mPOIXi4Sv7muLe3nrqd19CvjAhtgLqbo5v3OOl34VUqazzdvxnccBGKmtTIBKTmmt_sdoZfJbA6C8Q5dpkk1JMiYvzeYlwo69oI/s400/2011.07.11+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638709632096354754" border="0" /></a>
<br />Already the perennial monkeyflower is starting to fill in that bare area. There's also a very small buckwheat and milkweed that aren't quite photo ready. I've left just one of the wildflowers standing because of the peculiar way the bees were acting around it...
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLn5LkqBTcL-ydbmzs2LjHlOFTGwpWdV5zG2GcZWA8R6rRr5jUgOrGx1lcMOZFIYIEHfn7ur9lxeCxAjC08s9hQmygJfCCHZNEBBRX2BykLzx-wITy3Sl0ZE2DMYWkoSlmEsHwTPb4ek/s1600/2011.07.11+068.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLn5LkqBTcL-ydbmzs2LjHlOFTGwpWdV5zG2GcZWA8R6rRr5jUgOrGx1lcMOZFIYIEHfn7ur9lxeCxAjC08s9hQmygJfCCHZNEBBRX2BykLzx-wITy3Sl0ZE2DMYWkoSlmEsHwTPb4ek/s400/2011.07.11+068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638709630042062674" border="0" /></a>
<br />I think this is Gilia capitata... and well the bees apparently like to use it as a bed... or drugs den. I can see them there everyday, completely stoned and oblivious to my presence. I can move the flower heads around, brush the bees themselves a little and all they do is twitch their wings or move their legs a bit.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEbhGuRnn-y5zvjvjIx8_zRk3gjts7mrhJ2RFs1VLXsnnXfMcXHCsydqoLI5EvDQxegp_9FyScRpZ5sdjjVABO_OnJowuylsSReSW9_HXyysIrr1UMZb0rdXx_8jyEgL4n1QrMZZJCxE/s1600/2011.08.08+057.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEbhGuRnn-y5zvjvjIx8_zRk3gjts7mrhJ2RFs1VLXsnnXfMcXHCsydqoLI5EvDQxegp_9FyScRpZ5sdjjVABO_OnJowuylsSReSW9_HXyysIrr1UMZb0rdXx_8jyEgL4n1QrMZZJCxE/s400/2011.08.08+057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704392349070498" border="0" /></a>
<br />Then, there's the new bed next to the garage which has filled in very nicely. The trellises are completely covered by the nasturtium vines I bought from Annie's.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhWZC6L_AiSTh6OG88D7g_rvclTydr4k6uacuMzyh-yhxZPeaxheX8a93BoEJErpMfwHbJjefeJHSJGDV85zZtowi3goYfHFUSLIOa1LnvIYnWng-Wm5uWySf-55DZQh-xkdPWp5LDvw/s1600/2011.08.08+088.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhWZC6L_AiSTh6OG88D7g_rvclTydr4k6uacuMzyh-yhxZPeaxheX8a93BoEJErpMfwHbJjefeJHSJGDV85zZtowi3goYfHFUSLIOa1LnvIYnWng-Wm5uWySf-55DZQh-xkdPWp5LDvw/s400/2011.08.08+088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704397706987122" border="0" /></a>
<br />From this angle, the vines are just what I wanted - a beautiful pop of yellow on blue. However...
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Zk8ctXzXgMCnyXmkJIX3n1BTVr48VS7oelNO1kzJzg2UcskRTask75uZBN50XVHr7flxW0tpO6Dbve2BT3GkKL0upKWHrXLKjNhx8X1konuRQUQC3HzAAhSDhvQE7eST4oxHuF3Hrk/s1600/2011.08.08+091.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Zk8ctXzXgMCnyXmkJIX3n1BTVr48VS7oelNO1kzJzg2UcskRTask75uZBN50XVHr7flxW0tpO6Dbve2BT3GkKL0upKWHrXLKjNhx8X1konuRQUQC3HzAAhSDhvQE7eST4oxHuF3Hrk/s400/2011.08.08+091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704405281961698" border="0" /></a>
<br />The lower you look the worse it is. I've decided I'll be changing the vines next year, I really love the reddish pink bougainvillaeas or maybe a clematis. But no more yellow, it sounded nice and looks good up close but from far away it looks too much like yellowing leaves.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV3xmNKZ3wPcYDJXB_BWxwbZMudl-P3ezeqxve5jZKlQ-rdBe6kRGNp9bKwqjT5jr0A489E0iJScot8r7f43-ZDnPoVvmPnsrRij7B1GxhMpsYQaqmElwl4GqSc5IN9A-3vhiwhLfKuc/s1600/2011.08.08+061.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxV3xmNKZ3wPcYDJXB_BWxwbZMudl-P3ezeqxve5jZKlQ-rdBe6kRGNp9bKwqjT5jr0A489E0iJScot8r7f43-ZDnPoVvmPnsrRij7B1GxhMpsYQaqmElwl4GqSc5IN9A-3vhiwhLfKuc/s400/2011.08.08+061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638705937982207490" border="0" /></a>
<br />The little hostas are flowering quite prettily, not sure what type they are.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkrretkNdJ5JXWFkHF3yJ-zRG1biJ7lylkGdpiTS3GUXQuXQKGy5VKirf2TCLIxYYQxf_WvCBZyoXflIZgela1CPHVevhSjAItGB6jHhglYdWV8lc15at0YyuCudhaZmcQf_VDH8TqTQ/s1600/2011.08.08+096.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkrretkNdJ5JXWFkHF3yJ-zRG1biJ7lylkGdpiTS3GUXQuXQKGy5VKirf2TCLIxYYQxf_WvCBZyoXflIZgela1CPHVevhSjAItGB6jHhglYdWV8lc15at0YyuCudhaZmcQf_VDH8TqTQ/s400/2011.08.08+096.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638705940109287202" border="0" /></a>
<br />Geranium pyrenaicum 'Bill Wallis'.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHIQLhFEo210X-iIIQ6HcTzCmnW_bjm4qAJn-NW4BVIgWPEOstSvB6oQjmLBJeFS5aIwXPge6M3hHDlRj8zZkSQVauyAwFs8w9_I3PTT0dmbW-ZRc409-ktZ4W3xMDUmip5iQ6ALwpyo/s1600/2011.07.11+075.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHIQLhFEo210X-iIIQ6HcTzCmnW_bjm4qAJn-NW4BVIgWPEOstSvB6oQjmLBJeFS5aIwXPge6M3hHDlRj8zZkSQVauyAwFs8w9_I3PTT0dmbW-ZRc409-ktZ4W3xMDUmip5iQ6ALwpyo/s400/2011.07.11+075.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638709643920203058" border="0" /></a>
<br />Then there's our first attempt at edibles. My husband has a great weakness for rhubarb pie so here we are. One month ago, we had this.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKCAmn6ESfiL0Il3cbf7XwlsTGQpWf7fialI78JxhI-we7WK-Z-0XQcKIGuMQyzp-bpdQxSEMaMc1zPY1cpc4jCCPV4A__QV-w8f8r2wPkmMvjaqFT0VpKsZqdElRmkFVf_y8peEmaBI/s1600/2011.08.08+049.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKCAmn6ESfiL0Il3cbf7XwlsTGQpWf7fialI78JxhI-we7WK-Z-0XQcKIGuMQyzp-bpdQxSEMaMc1zPY1cpc4jCCPV4A__QV-w8f8r2wPkmMvjaqFT0VpKsZqdElRmkFVf_y8peEmaBI/s400/2011.08.08+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638709647351327714" border="0" /></a>
<br />Now we have this! What ridiculously huge leaves. The two lettuces I tried between them, I've ripped out now - turns out they were a bitter type, not something I'd like.
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc_y7JWaQgH_49Iz2N67BYDkERvOyD8LrcfcJQEnaweQitb7OVOkMDTHFNOzMyTmzWPzGV62x6CM1JfymfATvuZvzU4VulGYWjebh6cXogFKeWY3Q588S3nOSbSEieEBaYOT0QcVVGWU/s1600/2011.08.08+054.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc_y7JWaQgH_49Iz2N67BYDkERvOyD8LrcfcJQEnaweQitb7OVOkMDTHFNOzMyTmzWPzGV62x6CM1JfymfATvuZvzU4VulGYWjebh6cXogFKeWY3Q588S3nOSbSEieEBaYOT0QcVVGWU/s400/2011.08.08+054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638710586872055746" border="0" /></a>
<br />We've put the half wine barrel up in the back right of the yard where we plan on putting more edibles someday. Then, two weeks ago, I dug up and divided a very old Salvia leucantha and planted 5 large divisions along the fence here. I can just imagine how beautiful the line of them will look next year.
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<br />CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-82586733660291446822011-06-28T17:23:00.000-07:002011-06-28T18:47:04.467-07:00Focusing on the Lower GardenJust over a month ago, I was so proud of myself when I was able to post that I had cleared the grass from the island in the middle of our lower garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykGdWVrjJ0Fy9XigiOJwrJVdduslqRYnyR0qN5T3Fnl27pxd0lR8GVXS5JyHE3duA9nshNcrwFeqbUNZF4idQOMlnLdVAJUtPZCj-aGw77q-L0cBFf9z_OJQN9KU7aDoQ46Q7fcoO_Wc/s1600/01.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykGdWVrjJ0Fy9XigiOJwrJVdduslqRYnyR0qN5T3Fnl27pxd0lR8GVXS5JyHE3duA9nshNcrwFeqbUNZF4idQOMlnLdVAJUtPZCj-aGw77q-L0cBFf9z_OJQN9KU7aDoQ46Q7fcoO_Wc/s400/01.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623113147489932818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJBKQ2lOejKUM-KyLtl4SlZ3pwL1_6RjS1zGrNBmdhVE61-o7MBRZ5MfP39BwVuggIWg8bbT6Kaw8osNS5LUBh7dkF02gJg4uBRuU-mlPes5d1s7wjSI5hlIJLKt6cU22mtNzFMDXcuY/s1600/01a.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJBKQ2lOejKUM-KyLtl4SlZ3pwL1_6RjS1zGrNBmdhVE61-o7MBRZ5MfP39BwVuggIWg8bbT6Kaw8osNS5LUBh7dkF02gJg4uBRuU-mlPes5d1s7wjSI5hlIJLKt6cU22mtNzFMDXcuY/s400/01a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623112967219421938" border="0" /></a><br />A months worth of evening gardening since and a few hours of rototilling donated by my husband, we've completely transformed the lower area. First we cleared the area next to the house and garage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5X5qfthjYCotkyjFVJm_VeMaolu1WDesjRTHFoUSTtQcvPWgEdqwcX6AtYFZtXt0oKDOrz5I3KEZYkEboXRhGF-igZRhjxDcnIdVyk8YZjY2A41ccEC_7EVOeI-F4n0s3NY7qmx4FL8/s1600/02.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5X5qfthjYCotkyjFVJm_VeMaolu1WDesjRTHFoUSTtQcvPWgEdqwcX6AtYFZtXt0oKDOrz5I3KEZYkEboXRhGF-igZRhjxDcnIdVyk8YZjY2A41ccEC_7EVOeI-F4n0s3NY7qmx4FL8/s400/02.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623112752726873602" border="0" /></a><br />Then, we cleared the area past what will be the dry creekbed and spent hours flattening, weeding, rototilling and compacting the middle round patch for Patrick's lawn. It works well in my design, so I like it but it is definitely Patrick's lawn (he has to mow it).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp9xeTOoyFrarW-BPNEWNITrQQrRnmi4BfCOjgNCGBWO8ah1HGoXVIsCEismtn4WwLWRIrjUqyIucVrxJ6ylywZQMfvDoPWDX9lg8O2JqQbjCZhjfvRt5w-kujmrVY713SAf65NMh_Pc/s1600/03.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAp9xeTOoyFrarW-BPNEWNITrQQrRnmi4BfCOjgNCGBWO8ah1HGoXVIsCEismtn4WwLWRIrjUqyIucVrxJ6ylywZQMfvDoPWDX9lg8O2JqQbjCZhjfvRt5w-kujmrVY713SAf65NMh_Pc/s400/03.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623112560567174402" border="0" /></a><br />This picture was May 30th and carefully examining the seeded patch every night after work, we found sprouts on June 6th.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpycBnIOgS6eb56t83sm7Nqc-sBhhscquk3yri5pe0gJFJSmzenbw26dh8C6XZuM4-EbgGjSsKvF8zyp1RB10rT8hu94a6eKb5_fHsQF57JbAh1dSCrC904IyDagt4BIPTe-yjB1hjHzk/s1600/03a+%25282%2529.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpycBnIOgS6eb56t83sm7Nqc-sBhhscquk3yri5pe0gJFJSmzenbw26dh8C6XZuM4-EbgGjSsKvF8zyp1RB10rT8hu94a6eKb5_fHsQF57JbAh1dSCrC904IyDagt4BIPTe-yjB1hjHzk/s400/03a+%25282%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623112370406870850" border="0" /></a><br />This is Eco-Lawn grass seed that we bought from Annie's Annuals which is supposed to be less thirsty than a regular lawn. Also, from pictures around the web it does look like it will be a pretty grass left long. That besides how soft and thin the blades seem to be.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6LKq8j-CZvOlcsRBmGsY4YAMEffAcnX9RbFlF2XTBhwsST6BkJ0W7H9OKXV3GE0OOWZEGuc6mpBwk69GM3XH77X3rbEgPuQqdKKj_QZQfRllQYBSoDXpUufGbiYP2aV4uiP5k6iiT8k/s1600/03b.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6LKq8j-CZvOlcsRBmGsY4YAMEffAcnX9RbFlF2XTBhwsST6BkJ0W7H9OKXV3GE0OOWZEGuc6mpBwk69GM3XH77X3rbEgPuQqdKKj_QZQfRllQYBSoDXpUufGbiYP2aV4uiP5k6iiT8k/s400/03b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623112139314341298" border="0" /></a><br />By June 8th we had grass that we could actually see a bit from a distance. And as of tonight, it looks like the picture below. The only bit we're disappointed with is that the one bag of seed we bought wasn't enough for this small bit of grass. Maybe it should have been but we still have a bunch of bare spots so we bought another bag over the weekend and seeded those spots again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVtvWh5Gnz_2bUADVv4F0wY2vj3tyITtHEiRjlhgzFgR5FGyKP8RzQZos3DY0gv5-6S8xslhfueW3olSwVBbyN5DLciVstCoS_DNxKeWq5Wr2H_tMpNhTlnti_4DoDhVPMoywO7ePvrY/s1600/03c.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVtvWh5Gnz_2bUADVv4F0wY2vj3tyITtHEiRjlhgzFgR5FGyKP8RzQZos3DY0gv5-6S8xslhfueW3olSwVBbyN5DLciVstCoS_DNxKeWq5Wr2H_tMpNhTlnti_4DoDhVPMoywO7ePvrY/s400/03c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623111729457781378" border="0" /></a><br />Now to the details. The foothill penstemon has been in bloom for some time now. I'm just in love with its beautiful blue. The one I have planted is a bit scraggly this year but I'm sure next year it will be much fuller.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhiNATkIHOyJ_1yZ3X7_BvV3AF0i3AqkADnGvykyhOT1bi03ZMcBffJ5kf3f8EvkLc-OW4UZIQc7XEUS856DNeW3YYjqWRmZF02BneMupsvERz1huyG9TSlopMkAym8UM7cNFVcV5Hqw/s1600/03e.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhiNATkIHOyJ_1yZ3X7_BvV3AF0i3AqkADnGvykyhOT1bi03ZMcBffJ5kf3f8EvkLc-OW4UZIQc7XEUS856DNeW3YYjqWRmZF02BneMupsvERz1huyG9TSlopMkAym8UM7cNFVcV5Hqw/s400/03e.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623111537781016898" border="0" /></a><br />My wildflower patch with wrinkled apricot poppies, five spots, and tidy tips were at their height a few weeks ago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjXMSz0Wvv2ZfWjlo2d4l2OqgTiPr9goHrqz112vGAcXoxeNWjgsZIBHGxpK0jWybHfQ6rABV3Pj7EqDzHMig0ZI9E-394SE-xgCgqE5RXbHkQuqn2yR0kNkMJlAq7YlwIzGYCrocLKA/s1600/03f.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjXMSz0Wvv2ZfWjlo2d4l2OqgTiPr9goHrqz112vGAcXoxeNWjgsZIBHGxpK0jWybHfQ6rABV3Pj7EqDzHMig0ZI9E-394SE-xgCgqE5RXbHkQuqn2yR0kNkMJlAq7YlwIzGYCrocLKA/s400/03f.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623111276655153202" border="0" /></a><br />But are now acting floppy and not shining so much. On the plus side, I'm starting to collect seeds for next year. Below you can see what tidy tips seeds look like. Apparently, the tidy tips seeds I separated out from the mixed bag last winter were the ones I thought were yarrow. Oh well, I prefer tidy tips and next year I'll have thousands it seems.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r0wblZuM6jByDDDZ0C-s_gmPdIlNOKN74B_nQP4E1JhQV8wTaw5hET6SpdE6JjVXLjvLan6mOW4M3cGW-Fkad04xmTGh3CthZPEsXLEKT3JcR7suGTjVbz04Xw3R2SXXh63HeIKUj9g/s1600/03g.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6r0wblZuM6jByDDDZ0C-s_gmPdIlNOKN74B_nQP4E1JhQV8wTaw5hET6SpdE6JjVXLjvLan6mOW4M3cGW-Fkad04xmTGh3CthZPEsXLEKT3JcR7suGTjVbz04Xw3R2SXXh63HeIKUj9g/s400/03g.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623110976079997362" border="0" /></a><br />While the wildflowers fade away, the two Agastache I planted next to them are in a wonderful full bloom that should only get better in the coming months.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4auKtwrdp_dSPl0ivgZlT0Z3rgjDiW_oO1dZpxQxkvrALDGNVFQMcM9xXboD6zhcZEK-zxfnIzlCm3-XUn9WJdb59jb4OdglQs6rSrSTEA9dj7pOzasCQjBvPPw90dJ0Op9uFzkFe9M/s1600/03h.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4auKtwrdp_dSPl0ivgZlT0Z3rgjDiW_oO1dZpxQxkvrALDGNVFQMcM9xXboD6zhcZEK-zxfnIzlCm3-XUn9WJdb59jb4OdglQs6rSrSTEA9dj7pOzasCQjBvPPw90dJ0Op9uFzkFe9M/s400/03h.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623110740664473570" border="0" /></a><br />Agastache Rupestris<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxbmH7lVtblyp92RQaqfUF5rP00UkeVdns_0RK0vrrpOm8SRj82ZBChCvUQMBWAnarTYyZqRDh0A6zj0rQagm2y26HKLPGKJUYd3wydDm04QPLbSegLIT3F3-vSL3NJjTe2d2-oagqaI/s1600/03i.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxbmH7lVtblyp92RQaqfUF5rP00UkeVdns_0RK0vrrpOm8SRj82ZBChCvUQMBWAnarTYyZqRDh0A6zj0rQagm2y26HKLPGKJUYd3wydDm04QPLbSegLIT3F3-vSL3NJjTe2d2-oagqaI/s400/03i.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623110539699104322" border="0" /></a><br />Agastache aurantiaca 'Coronado'<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9d6vYQgak7vxzew6dsAJoNGykpKwn7ygW65SkLxT3PHQdJVHBTbSZDs2PVHif3XG9VG54GOeGkeD5TJVC5Gv_zfss1lNI3kduBgS09kSROiIf0rBpgE0H_ZGF70DKxGeCjHyHfnm4YQ/s1600/03j.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW9d6vYQgak7vxzew6dsAJoNGykpKwn7ygW65SkLxT3PHQdJVHBTbSZDs2PVHif3XG9VG54GOeGkeD5TJVC5Gv_zfss1lNI3kduBgS09kSROiIf0rBpgE0H_ZGF70DKxGeCjHyHfnm4YQ/s400/03j.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623110303673439458" border="0" /></a><br />Then we have the gorgeous ladybird poppies. God, I've wanted these for two years, ever since I first saw them at Annies, they are so beautiful. And finally I have two of my own. Sadly, they are supposed to be annuals so I'll do my best to try and collect seeds from them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx-YUMnfO0O3a7nyxhbmlieqTcmUFvKvtR4LtRIxoYkY_8ZfIFOQWBFTCyHGTixk0OWE_73s9Y1Ua1lYozhXwmu5xjSJ-ar4NJP8HTW7a82XodhzZutyxxLdYzfetPOySAr4beRYzj8s/s1600/03k.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQx-YUMnfO0O3a7nyxhbmlieqTcmUFvKvtR4LtRIxoYkY_8ZfIFOQWBFTCyHGTixk0OWE_73s9Y1Ua1lYozhXwmu5xjSJ-ar4NJP8HTW7a82XodhzZutyxxLdYzfetPOySAr4beRYzj8s/s400/03k.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623110067895976962" border="0" /></a><br />Behind the first picture, you can see some blue flax, now in bloom as well. Almost all of these planted only a month ago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZDg6bk6rIuw7h-8cxPsRUHDH9W1z8w-J-WVXE5egZE8pLKekVFpnLTeKeMIcBf35GQJccPuQYhyphenhyphent-N9fx_kLsgvJa27KpY5KDyqnZQNJdp4pFa_xvi8MvLVRlAPkB4uUykKQS4JyY40/s1600/03l.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZDg6bk6rIuw7h-8cxPsRUHDH9W1z8w-J-WVXE5egZE8pLKekVFpnLTeKeMIcBf35GQJccPuQYhyphenhyphent-N9fx_kLsgvJa27KpY5KDyqnZQNJdp4pFa_xvi8MvLVRlAPkB4uUykKQS4JyY40/s400/03l.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623109788612107746" border="0" /></a><br />There's one other big change to the lower garden. In just a couple of hours and after one swipe of rototilling by my husband, I cleared the area next to the garage and created a small planting bed framed with some redwood 4x4s.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxo0IVRI3oyfYGlDldy8cO3lEAcXx5_OTsRmqayY3fO945-gOrW1suDf_sSbwWDSZXL1lIciyZpyqs-GpGxrPREN4XoJK0VPiaCFvX_lvB8W7DD3tAsPLch_YN9h6VCf4SD61s3k_7F0/s1600/04.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxo0IVRI3oyfYGlDldy8cO3lEAcXx5_OTsRmqayY3fO945-gOrW1suDf_sSbwWDSZXL1lIciyZpyqs-GpGxrPREN4XoJK0VPiaCFvX_lvB8W7DD3tAsPLch_YN9h6VCf4SD61s3k_7F0/s400/04.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623109596774635922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmkcHusidaO3EpWya0AwcKm5g6W8q8kuCKpwlkF3RSpUUsAHpUQb5zQaCup5MFbcJqdND1avKKAxZknaeZJ8pHb7VxdVMFP2sip2O_wI78vFYZ6zaO5Z0qmUJNCdjl8SaMiAU1GR19vc/s1600/04a.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmkcHusidaO3EpWya0AwcKm5g6W8q8kuCKpwlkF3RSpUUsAHpUQb5zQaCup5MFbcJqdND1avKKAxZknaeZJ8pHb7VxdVMFP2sip2O_wI78vFYZ6zaO5Z0qmUJNCdjl8SaMiAU1GR19vc/s400/04a.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623108720811935298" border="0" /></a>Hostas and lady ferns (a bit sun bleached but this is the shadiest part of the garden just now)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKXBW_FwGc8RK-loZahr42R-CSsnYdfG5iOWFsfncqJmbenz5pEOkkpH3Hw0FsVbFFplUUw3E8BCuxRoegymhYyL1dCno4OOorbaRxl23AWXDnSByprNPz_fQcPy0HiqNrzij_vR28rk/s1600/04b.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKXBW_FwGc8RK-loZahr42R-CSsnYdfG5iOWFsfncqJmbenz5pEOkkpH3Hw0FsVbFFplUUw3E8BCuxRoegymhYyL1dCno4OOorbaRxl23AWXDnSByprNPz_fQcPy0HiqNrzij_vR28rk/s400/04b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623108725872338386" border="0" /></a><br />Some Astilbe, finally sending up flower stalks after two years.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGZX2w7ClKdCYJzpqw4Gi7ygUsgn5JRx9RgVoe5Q_RwmvjlfIlyvilzdRr9nX3RmratVhByxb4Q85CM5kTljHV-lrJAnFEaw_UOsk31eMWv_TS3MkopG-VBtqIukJOORgZtQxRUvB3wU/s1600/04c.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGZX2w7ClKdCYJzpqw4Gi7ygUsgn5JRx9RgVoe5Q_RwmvjlfIlyvilzdRr9nX3RmratVhByxb4Q85CM5kTljHV-lrJAnFEaw_UOsk31eMWv_TS3MkopG-VBtqIukJOORgZtQxRUvB3wU/s400/04c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623108728277206402" border="0" /></a><br />And for our two trellises, we're trying Nasturtium (Tropaeolum peregrinum) "Canary Creeper" which started out too short to attach to the trellises.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCO4QHgEZFVUouH4fQmFJRMb6d5uUFcoTb6xyunsgyZR0pFpUGRrfUlPmqhHSsYL6SC8foBGdR7wpidGr_ARkdXNZVYxZpkXNYC32bRqFFQXZbojrBtTHksOeRU0hjOUGUHJVD21E_Mk/s1600/05.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCO4QHgEZFVUouH4fQmFJRMb6d5uUFcoTb6xyunsgyZR0pFpUGRrfUlPmqhHSsYL6SC8foBGdR7wpidGr_ARkdXNZVYxZpkXNYC32bRqFFQXZbojrBtTHksOeRU0hjOUGUHJVD21E_Mk/s400/05.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623108735926034994" border="0" /></a><br />But with just a month, they're halfway up the wall. There are also quite a few other plants along the garage but I'll go into that later when I have nice pictures of them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbxkNYEemcg_ONuLQanhoTrIoDgl4owvwgD0uy-K2cjTMmkxfQ7f9O87NQUM-OVSwG9UQrd3n8PuNDcAqOKUus6Wcp4batiAjCqk9IyZCPMBj1ddv4iW-7U3D-Q0GcSEvANleH1ITHag/s1600/06.JPG" target="_Blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbxkNYEemcg_ONuLQanhoTrIoDgl4owvwgD0uy-K2cjTMmkxfQ7f9O87NQUM-OVSwG9UQrd3n8PuNDcAqOKUus6Wcp4batiAjCqk9IyZCPMBj1ddv4iW-7U3D-Q0GcSEvANleH1ITHag/s400/06.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623108743915283154" border="0" /></a><br />And finally after sitting on our back steps for two or three weeks, I went on a planting spree this Sunday and put 10 of the suffering little guys in the ground. There are some Gaura that had reseeded in my parents Antioch yard that I rescued, two blue gentian sages, two more foothill penstemons, a milkweed to hopefully bring in the Monarchs, Galvezia speciosa "Island Bush Snapdragon", a Monardella villosa "Coyote Mint" and lastly my second Ceanothus 'Dark Star'. I feel bad for leaving that one so long; a lot of the leaves had gone yellow, but I'm sure that I got it in the ground within enough time for it to recover.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-28456794748064100152011-05-16T19:37:00.000-07:002011-05-24T21:43:08.953-07:00New Creatures and Rototilling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCUer4k78LjmizeXxfq2wE7wIlCuwCiw_HpJpC67idA1mR5XThZAMM3ZDh7RpDKTEZNnGO3jB0FXdFtM7ziY1WLTQJADXZBdQaCYn7JNaBWLUvp7UD0-8TVDBusirIC4REoy-_9Bjhqs/s1600/2011.05.15+016.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCUer4k78LjmizeXxfq2wE7wIlCuwCiw_HpJpC67idA1mR5XThZAMM3ZDh7RpDKTEZNnGO3jB0FXdFtM7ziY1WLTQJADXZBdQaCYn7JNaBWLUvp7UD0-8TVDBusirIC4REoy-_9Bjhqs/s400/2011.05.15+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607512928171536642" border="0" /></a><br />The weekend before last, we had what I guess was the last storm of the rainy season and the clouds were amazing. Also, as you can see, over the prior week, I'd gotten a bit more ground cleared of grass and planted 3 basket fulls of Annie's Annuals.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCE00MonjjCdGQNz2_ZPGOeYe4tdlUAo8yjZbQNr_3KuWTLmpufjmnx4aq_l1roC8K3IS0SBmSi1pOwgk0S54nWgBkAhwflcDE_i9q7RnfmuS6USP5tssIA5G0U2iOzTb9BxzNRnbGKs/s1600/2011.05.22+031.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilCE00MonjjCdGQNz2_ZPGOeYe4tdlUAo8yjZbQNr_3KuWTLmpufjmnx4aq_l1roC8K3IS0SBmSi1pOwgk0S54nWgBkAhwflcDE_i9q7RnfmuS6USP5tssIA5G0U2iOzTb9BxzNRnbGKs/s400/2011.05.22+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609771888565556546" border="0" /></a><br />Here are two Ladybird poppies, some native carex grass and the rest of my five spots.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36wXe5aZzfG_zdqME0evAuJbluoExoriIj15RrTW8V4Rz901NiCq799K8r6ucYqDd-_X9OTwCRw4RRmwwQ_2u1Q-vQJHzlqjA1XFssXMSIVlVUqmuU7wfEhDbzEJKsT1RF5vNJ4fAWGk/s1600/2011.05.12+005.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36wXe5aZzfG_zdqME0evAuJbluoExoriIj15RrTW8V4Rz901NiCq799K8r6ucYqDd-_X9OTwCRw4RRmwwQ_2u1Q-vQJHzlqjA1XFssXMSIVlVUqmuU7wfEhDbzEJKsT1RF5vNJ4fAWGk/s400/2011.05.12+005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607510310264289538" border="0" /></a><br />A native Penstemon heterophyllus "Foothill Penstemon"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9Eo4SeR4aUbIr0BRPM6dN057TODA3aolMC0YVVBWNiEjVyByK14b2WPhxZYPiEeeYT4zmDCGSD7fwO-BllZ8EgT6vNU_aA6vhbA9ZiWBtHVDFiGbJyPDu4FXO_K5hKpiKVa7knX0yhQ/s1600/2011.05.12+079.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ9Eo4SeR4aUbIr0BRPM6dN057TODA3aolMC0YVVBWNiEjVyByK14b2WPhxZYPiEeeYT4zmDCGSD7fwO-BllZ8EgT6vNU_aA6vhbA9ZiWBtHVDFiGbJyPDu4FXO_K5hKpiKVa7knX0yhQ/s400/2011.05.12+079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607512239825590050" border="0" /></a><br />The first edible I've ever planted, Fragaria vesca "Alpine Strawberry".<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9MZEemKMIDkk-ex28L1heD5Wg3h5Th899JSJ-H8NFNuZCF3KPi_GIwB8-S6ftIcpb6PRhaYQJCCPWw6IPTlDYY5sTciC_Sio5DQiDT7nqd5EjAk4mgQbXbkxFxsEm7OgHU11veVo0AM/s1600/2011.05.12+074.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9MZEemKMIDkk-ex28L1heD5Wg3h5Th899JSJ-H8NFNuZCF3KPi_GIwB8-S6ftIcpb6PRhaYQJCCPWw6IPTlDYY5sTciC_Sio5DQiDT7nqd5EjAk4mgQbXbkxFxsEm7OgHU11veVo0AM/s400/2011.05.12+074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607510328363524978" border="0" /></a><br />And a bunch of others mixed with some of my much neglected earlier purchases, such as this bronze grass.<br /><br />But once the plants were planted (the ones I could figure out where to plant, there are still a couple without homes), I worked on removing grass around what will be the dry creekbed. It was a slow slow chore but not too difficult using my handheld garden spike to lever the clumps out by their roots. But as that's not very interesting I haven't documented much of the process. However, this Sunday my husband finally came out into the yard and we went to work rototilling the area close to the house.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbl7O4oTqKAvpOCJZaJfbBo2Ht2CUodECpjCl2G2zrlQkLj4RulsIQvCA1yFODZshKZ1kGk8qo1Y5bJ9giZsK0Bc7XE77vAk1jWl5ijjJyT9bWjr7VsKiobL7rUSskqIR7lBBLmXu73w/s1600/2011.05.15+006.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbl7O4oTqKAvpOCJZaJfbBo2Ht2CUodECpjCl2G2zrlQkLj4RulsIQvCA1yFODZshKZ1kGk8qo1Y5bJ9giZsK0Bc7XE77vAk1jWl5ijjJyT9bWjr7VsKiobL7rUSskqIR7lBBLmXu73w/s400/2011.05.15+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610131660003835154" border="0" /></a><br />This is our before picture. Everything was very weedy and bumpy. We had a pile of dirt infused with lumps of concrete that the contractor's men left behind last year. You can see it next to the green bin in the picture. So there was quite a hill away from the house, growing flatter as you got closer. What we wanted though was the opposite. We want a nice flat area to eventually put outdoor furniture. That would involve a quick steep hill near the house (to maintain proper grading at the foundation), then a flat expanse, and another slope to what was the original level of the area. Like this, kind of:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCZWLIOY9VnDuchVqMEQ_ubqkTbVH55hZCRCcZSCnVnqSB9g02LMGlapzeTcFnEfE4jvv7EzBW58t0qsRZb_wRTDS7Ecc0g54bKScA101F2oizFUEOBJh1egAqZaAPOnUJbHzDrRH8zU/s1600/2011.05.22+023.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCZWLIOY9VnDuchVqMEQ_ubqkTbVH55hZCRCcZSCnVnqSB9g02LMGlapzeTcFnEfE4jvv7EzBW58t0qsRZb_wRTDS7Ecc0g54bKScA101F2oizFUEOBJh1egAqZaAPOnUJbHzDrRH8zU/s400/2011.05.22+023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609771880974179282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd6kIUguShFT3UjjzaZ072lcB9U37WAc3t_0sw5Qx68aWdaFBFcRvqO2RLWbEjmZaaw6lhj7kwlN2Xjpw30oBwJtxl5XLsqmNyqoN9vz0_cvQy50WpdgVAz83gAGkLhpfW5Cwj2rW0Uw/s1600/2011.05.22+017.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd6kIUguShFT3UjjzaZ072lcB9U37WAc3t_0sw5Qx68aWdaFBFcRvqO2RLWbEjmZaaw6lhj7kwlN2Xjpw30oBwJtxl5XLsqmNyqoN9vz0_cvQy50WpdgVAz83gAGkLhpfW5Cwj2rW0Uw/s400/2011.05.22+017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609771875990876146" border="0" /></a><br />It certainly an amazing improvement, its still not quite level, quite close though and a huge change from what it was. It's hard to see in the first picture but we created a nice hill near the house and now we need to compact the built up area and do a little more rototilling in the area we've been removing the dirt from to really make it level.<br /><br />But isn't just beautiful, flat... ish and clear. I can really imagine that patio area being their eventually.<br /><br />Another bit of fun this weekend - I sat down next to the batch of native wildflowers just above the "patio" area and watched the creatures moving about. And I actually took some good pictures! These are all my pictures, not stolen from around the web like before.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEFZgBKcKkhvgbkTdApHtjWAbpvQPd4KnFWHF66F_OyIsf6ay31fB5j0-eHWdbVQc3k5DNTPNgF8r3kDRbXZLcojE9ldS70sltA07kTox2ycX5dHJ5PF_W0c5xTgifOSf4K9GZ8QofUo/s1600/sweat+bee+01.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEFZgBKcKkhvgbkTdApHtjWAbpvQPd4KnFWHF66F_OyIsf6ay31fB5j0-eHWdbVQc3k5DNTPNgF8r3kDRbXZLcojE9ldS70sltA07kTox2ycX5dHJ5PF_W0c5xTgifOSf4K9GZ8QofUo/s400/sweat+bee+01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609770396172379906" border="0" /></a><br />A native sweat bee, Agapostemon (angelicus?)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPeC_LsIcGQyCRRT0Wuax7q6jkOwU9kmtweGRwFzDoDuyMBJ8FK8injwCo3aSX6jMpd2-Rj7GQXTlD5fzMKc6iyT5E1w7GBcj4QuqUkFYdBkC-rUeqJrapgm_HEYgmPbOMpwTCzPlu6M/s1600/sweat+bee+02.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPeC_LsIcGQyCRRT0Wuax7q6jkOwU9kmtweGRwFzDoDuyMBJ8FK8injwCo3aSX6jMpd2-Rj7GQXTlD5fzMKc6iyT5E1w7GBcj4QuqUkFYdBkC-rUeqJrapgm_HEYgmPbOMpwTCzPlu6M/s400/sweat+bee+02.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609771869949762882" border="0" /></a><br />His back legs are covered, rather disgustingly... or at least weirdly... in pollen, both yellow and blue from the tricolor gillia that he's diving in here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbOW5Lvr3Bm5D02NNb39VN4JvsQoRT72NGJcoLJTE32uAy46fnzAaHg-y5hWTXfilRD7yRxzh86SZXfW0O9fwqRGljVBB-14e3mvp0_8TnyDRPyKN2PQX63nj8cxNnVDABecjXAbZOuM/s1600/ladybug+01.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbOW5Lvr3Bm5D02NNb39VN4JvsQoRT72NGJcoLJTE32uAy46fnzAaHg-y5hWTXfilRD7yRxzh86SZXfW0O9fwqRGljVBB-14e3mvp0_8TnyDRPyKN2PQX63nj8cxNnVDABecjXAbZOuM/s400/ladybug+01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609771894678680818" border="0" /></a><br />Here's one of the many pasted down metamorphosing ladybug pupas. This one has attached itself to a leaf on my Salvia leucantha.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rDNGMHI7hxzeR2PJP7bYFu6ZVN3WvtG75NAlfsQsR5bBnKROYgrUHdt_vbnrPAs1nzOXVgiZnDAyNIP89sbtTH6NV5Y9gNRDB_iOtLnK5ekZCWQx-o8o-W8m9tbD77DfkVRFODcoDds/s1600/black+bee+01.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rDNGMHI7hxzeR2PJP7bYFu6ZVN3WvtG75NAlfsQsR5bBnKROYgrUHdt_vbnrPAs1nzOXVgiZnDAyNIP89sbtTH6NV5Y9gNRDB_iOtLnK5ekZCWQx-o8o-W8m9tbD77DfkVRFODcoDds/s400/black+bee+01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609770379175733746" border="0" /></a><br />Continuing with the same Salvia, here is a big black bee... maybe a carpenter bee, but the other pictures I see don't look like carpenter bees are fuzzy and this is fuzzy, right? Maybe it's just my picture.<br /><br />Now, I'm not crazy about bugs or creepy crawlies but when it comes to my backyard and the creatures living directly around me, I'm extremely interested. I'm amazed by all the new different creatures I've found living on our property. I grew up just twenty miles from here and in my entire life I had never seen a sweat bee, to my knowledge, until two weeks ago. But now I've seen dozens of them! It's shocking that there have been all these creatures around me and I've never known it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGWNuWG4x9ewYbD-vMmcnsv7oXIu39cvi4oUzz0mDsvUsKZUiLuZ0m6Omo-ZWFtJBwXSvJO2IIWcLBK9WWZ4LyPZGCkKcniBRnRTh6exGczNJHLWpzh7ul9OUwZH_eC5dxKKT1_1g1Ig/s1600/butterfly+02.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGWNuWG4x9ewYbD-vMmcnsv7oXIu39cvi4oUzz0mDsvUsKZUiLuZ0m6Omo-ZWFtJBwXSvJO2IIWcLBK9WWZ4LyPZGCkKcniBRnRTh6exGczNJHLWpzh7ul9OUwZH_eC5dxKKT1_1g1Ig/s400/butterfly+02.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609770390528373426" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a pretty common butterfly, a Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus), on my five spots.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe54p2g10K2URzSBr8StGV71Vt9uMEudZ7oreCWHqjzT0iz51mflFM2tyHUHmMsEGfx0t0PDZhcdjlaR_iqLCSZ3bzpjo9_LzuBin5_-0tRFCYWrVPQGtN0Zt24oyZ383_tw_DqyAY30g/s1600/butterfly+01.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe54p2g10K2URzSBr8StGV71Vt9uMEudZ7oreCWHqjzT0iz51mflFM2tyHUHmMsEGfx0t0PDZhcdjlaR_iqLCSZ3bzpjo9_LzuBin5_-0tRFCYWrVPQGtN0Zt24oyZ383_tw_DqyAY30g/s400/butterfly+01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609770385401306562" border="0" /></a><br />Wings closed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY09Xw47aMzaCNgrVBsuqYCNhOu0O5-n-mjXWamsvX07DnkCaMuo4br3tsE3zW7o0YeL6rmPq6JIA-78DrwO3vWdvjNqNjhbvctQVV_5slPYUs7l-Q3YP-tQ4QklI6hgh5YceBIsz9y7k/s1600/anna%2527s+hummingbird+01.png" target="_blank"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY09Xw47aMzaCNgrVBsuqYCNhOu0O5-n-mjXWamsvX07DnkCaMuo4br3tsE3zW7o0YeL6rmPq6JIA-78DrwO3vWdvjNqNjhbvctQVV_5slPYUs7l-Q3YP-tQ4QklI6hgh5YceBIsz9y7k/s400/anna%2527s+hummingbird+01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609770376506675730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEFZgBKcKkhvgbkTdApHtjWAbpvQPd4KnFWHF66F_OyIsf6ay31fB5j0-eHWdbVQc3k5DNTPNgF8r3kDRbXZLcojE9ldS70sltA07kTox2ycX5dHJ5PF_W0c5xTgifOSf4K9GZ8QofUo/s1600/sweat+bee+01.png"><br /></a>Lastly, an awesome action picture, an Anna's hummingbird. After a few clicks of the camera, the hummingbird got interested in the clicking of my camera and freaked me out a bit by suddenly flying a very quick three feet closer to me, right at the camera and seeing it through the camera lens, she was like crazy divebomber. But no picture because I flinched at the teeny little bird.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-74242622098855506932011-05-03T18:10:00.000-07:002011-05-04T09:13:53.157-07:00Planting Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyGUnZG-YSEfzmVDIfDvENVQSlFHsvH_ICBEyAWpsXFAmI6eGDGQewj9xlYQTmDbD778j2vy1GqI6eQGCEeo20A7h0uG5mJwJQ897l8-h_tc8seAuJjB2Y_fM4-Viej3d0GxLkY2yWQk/s1600/2011.05.02.0+091.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyGUnZG-YSEfzmVDIfDvENVQSlFHsvH_ICBEyAWpsXFAmI6eGDGQewj9xlYQTmDbD778j2vy1GqI6eQGCEeo20A7h0uG5mJwJQ897l8-h_tc8seAuJjB2Y_fM4-Viej3d0GxLkY2yWQk/s400/2011.05.02.0+091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602678693557673858" border="0" /></a><br />As of yesterday I have a bigger better bed next to what will be a patio area in our backyard. I already had some bulbs, poppies, and wildflowers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UQ23Ahv6GPVFCgHvEPK5JHFVRd5J51lruALxWKELufDAKTwB7KrfCvKIgobudkdr0xog14EaCJ1bi-dcZFuaVKVR-tl8rTBktJvRLrkEMEmJZd7ehC4e_QrQqyrAOhqGbMuZBqiHY5o/s1600/2011.05.03+046.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UQ23Ahv6GPVFCgHvEPK5JHFVRd5J51lruALxWKELufDAKTwB7KrfCvKIgobudkdr0xog14EaCJ1bi-dcZFuaVKVR-tl8rTBktJvRLrkEMEmJZd7ehC4e_QrQqyrAOhqGbMuZBqiHY5o/s400/2011.05.03+046.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602678691779679106" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwvUkdtF5BN1qJ9IF_yOXKW8AL97_qOzFyIjYy6RteeOqZdwo2vmkivyF74HA-jTgxNFQoXpZQ8OSLOr8Fbqj9JK5gb6TwIqc7RNcdrNicJur4GeNhKyXpNoojo9enH7uBiYahu5E_gU/s1600/2011.05.02.0+087.JPG"><br /></a>The red near the middle are the flowers for some freesia I planted around the same time as the daffodils, in late winter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqP19emIkyeAtpXGJkOeU_VTKcRPjBHA5oiz9re-NeACbRUKM6sVYmQ4P968zurBdQRZW5mMg8Aq0ezqmuOBJlVTZ9iPLB7i3GWLrMxpIhnsNoIYDYGH5Vt4PnZ9KWtZiHh3R7DALBUU/s1600/2011.05.02.0+014.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqP19emIkyeAtpXGJkOeU_VTKcRPjBHA5oiz9re-NeACbRUKM6sVYmQ4P968zurBdQRZW5mMg8Aq0ezqmuOBJlVTZ9iPLB7i3GWLrMxpIhnsNoIYDYGH5Vt4PnZ9KWtZiHh3R7DALBUU/s400/2011.05.02.0+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602665062872126530" border="0" /></a><br />This last week the poppies I planted out about a month ago really started blooming, a beautiful mix of oranges.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz7o6Mbav-v3L2tcXHccqrcegBG1IgrGglmW9V-WDm9NGIfMlju1r8kXlygqVnfMeUMV6TG2NMtsB_M5MJA59plqgVHr4XE9mQY_IpcqhMe3eUo7r_Zi8R3EcefIizjitEPuLiI9Ey2E/s1600/2011.05.02.0+083.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqz7o6Mbav-v3L2tcXHccqrcegBG1IgrGglmW9V-WDm9NGIfMlju1r8kXlygqVnfMeUMV6TG2NMtsB_M5MJA59plqgVHr4XE9mQY_IpcqhMe3eUo7r_Zi8R3EcefIizjitEPuLiI9Ey2E/s400/2011.05.02.0+083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602665065941353058" border="0" /></a><br />Then there's the fluffy bunch of various wildflowers behind the freesias, three of the plants in the mix have just started blooming.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3OikoV5uHnucTFfZHoKB11nZSQnIJw1u2HDMsS9GgKqHiQwoGbbDeGER62CQPIR3jbl2vcpuNy50E7H_6ItP7hHYgnjFYnsqHQG_LAMMvlXj5tHnGxCkmtt3khPZnWNuQ52RaLCi2g/s1600/2011.05.03+031.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd3OikoV5uHnucTFfZHoKB11nZSQnIJw1u2HDMsS9GgKqHiQwoGbbDeGER62CQPIR3jbl2vcpuNy50E7H_6ItP7hHYgnjFYnsqHQG_LAMMvlXj5tHnGxCkmtt3khPZnWNuQ52RaLCi2g/s400/2011.05.03+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602678682795647442" border="0" /></a><br />Gilia Tricolor and unidentified yellow flowers<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3kTatJHgx_FPvV4A435tkfo1B2DUv1xL9-yhtEKiyR8jm0dvDubaS-0Od2iRTpYHEVD6PAcWskR5hQxE3t-Uv_DcvItyxStdPIpVb15UQSMihRHeEDSvbU5yFF51OcTlts1E-TKKtTI/s1600/2011.05.02.0+023.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3kTatJHgx_FPvV4A435tkfo1B2DUv1xL9-yhtEKiyR8jm0dvDubaS-0Od2iRTpYHEVD6PAcWskR5hQxE3t-Uv_DcvItyxStdPIpVb15UQSMihRHeEDSvbU5yFF51OcTlts1E-TKKtTI/s400/2011.05.02.0+023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602665081496403490" border="0" /></a><br />And two short baby blue eyes, hidden below the other taller two.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX3ZXDIqioUcrWI7_1QidXeIjy6TECej8RxZ7wshZqgPcKF6ySsdfCbwe0eBVRy3AKfWEzWGpW8Mo-Mk4GgGDHTl4i2nO5ZirOIfB1YlBJUZ9Qaa4e09hukkzab4Ofzvh7eFGZ1QVDB8/s1600/2011.05.02.0+027.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXX3ZXDIqioUcrWI7_1QidXeIjy6TECej8RxZ7wshZqgPcKF6ySsdfCbwe0eBVRy3AKfWEzWGpW8Mo-Mk4GgGDHTl4i2nO5ZirOIfB1YlBJUZ9Qaa4e09hukkzab4Ofzvh7eFGZ1QVDB8/s400/2011.05.02.0+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602665092252751666" border="0" /></a><br />Everything to the right of those plants are new to the ground.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nE5wYCWAD7u9r1St9APV3CF8dobXQiB9xg4CxFbEfv9JZZlNSNq-QWfcHv8D9MLMc___4DgRt0WRHPiY7-mVSDye9vwxaYOnBGXXkyMaS9ct_jvzNRlkEHm4hE_V13aQEE9gtOjUais/s1600/2011.05.03+043.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3nE5wYCWAD7u9r1St9APV3CF8dobXQiB9xg4CxFbEfv9JZZlNSNq-QWfcHv8D9MLMc___4DgRt0WRHPiY7-mVSDye9vwxaYOnBGXXkyMaS9ct_jvzNRlkEHm4hE_V13aQEE9gtOjUais/s400/2011.05.03+043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602678671676941186" border="0" /></a><br />I finally planted out what was a baby Dietes. I separated it from its mother when it had only three blades and I found it quite rootbound when I popped it out of its pot yesterday. To plant it I tried to stick a shovel into the ground but even with all my weight I could only get about two inches down because I haven't watered that spot all year. So I took a hose and filled it with water and let it drain sloooowly for the next twenty minutes. Meanwhile, I took my hand-pick and worked on a trough in front for my Five Spots, 7 little pots all from seed. Still have three more to go.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6_-TnISBxHZDG2pPtAffyCr7sweoeQota0M1mETkKnocLgn1iuwl3Ji6lB4CvBDqeU7io6KKnSQWY1uCjeljJPRcqujj5n2tqXZkXuH421M1SX6qNDI1G7MQq_Q6ymTn1JLHW57DwU8/s1600/2011.05.03+040.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6_-TnISBxHZDG2pPtAffyCr7sweoeQota0M1mETkKnocLgn1iuwl3Ji6lB4CvBDqeU7io6KKnSQWY1uCjeljJPRcqujj5n2tqXZkXuH421M1SX6qNDI1G7MQq_Q6ymTn1JLHW57DwU8/s400/2011.05.03+040.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602682571336699234" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk850jhA6Ltz7Fwpra_93SlXXtP2tuP1KXOPD-eaLeFxSixZaL8vvSI1fohlMP-gx7kA4E9kMmRcGV8C5Sw2gVe4geYYjISb_3WNATXBlX3vKoDoAgvjsbqw5jPM7M7OH74TS626dJsA/s1600/2011.05.03+013.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk850jhA6Ltz7Fwpra_93SlXXtP2tuP1KXOPD-eaLeFxSixZaL8vvSI1fohlMP-gx7kA4E9kMmRcGV8C5Sw2gVe4geYYjISb_3WNATXBlX3vKoDoAgvjsbqw5jPM7M7OH74TS626dJsA/s400/2011.05.03+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602682569641464050" border="0" /></a><br />These little plants have popped right back since my taking them out of their pots.<br /><br />Lined up behind them, are a bunch of Tidy Tips plants just about ready to bloom and taking a close look at my little transplantees tonight, I noticed that despite their short time in the ground, my tidy tips already have a little defender: this ugly ugly lady bug larva. I've been seeing ladybugs every which way since it's started to warm up and before moving out to Oakland, I had never noticed a lady bug larva before but now they're everywhere.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OhT8Bl2a9hGVy2K_Ri12ANfz0lfHBZipdmwnSwPHG8G3fBmOihK6lwRv4X1wkaxntybWs9YQW_sEuw5xszwD2peueefwUQsU9bvZqxoTbofPjun6GcSkGZsewVX2KmMoWaVOgrgUf-M/s1600/2011.05.03+019.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OhT8Bl2a9hGVy2K_Ri12ANfz0lfHBZipdmwnSwPHG8G3fBmOihK6lwRv4X1wkaxntybWs9YQW_sEuw5xszwD2peueefwUQsU9bvZqxoTbofPjun6GcSkGZsewVX2KmMoWaVOgrgUf-M/s400/2011.05.03+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602678658987552306" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk850jhA6Ltz7Fwpra_93SlXXtP2tuP1KXOPD-eaLeFxSixZaL8vvSI1fohlMP-gx7kA4E9kMmRcGV8C5Sw2gVe4geYYjISb_3WNATXBlX3vKoDoAgvjsbqw5jPM7M7OH74TS626dJsA/s1600/2011.05.03+013.JPG"><br /></a>Last weekend, I worked with my garden spike inch by inch trying to clear away the grasses and weeds around what will be the dry river bed to plant out all these little plants I'd started earlier this year. I cleared quite a bit as you can see but you can also see I have plenty more to do.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8Lf1NuRFY32zrA5U7JQEFXPh3nlNhc0GuMEi8OuQn91SiFIMTf3-MhkdTSKELPVz-hW3Bc99Raf6MRlsVWj6Qx7nx0zX44_CwaEzlU-nHia8lzmbB2yWx39bvYIDerKP9fzPPLu7BNg/s1600/2011.05.03+048.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8Lf1NuRFY32zrA5U7JQEFXPh3nlNhc0GuMEi8OuQn91SiFIMTf3-MhkdTSKELPVz-hW3Bc99Raf6MRlsVWj6Qx7nx0zX44_CwaEzlU-nHia8lzmbB2yWx39bvYIDerKP9fzPPLu7BNg/s400/2011.05.03+048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602682558525066402" border="0" /></a><br />In this picture, what you can't see in the grass is the other trench we dug in order to form a cute little island, I want to have that entire area and two feet all around the other side cleared of grass eventually.<br /><br />Also, on another subject, two weeks ago, I found this little maple tree up in the field of my backyard and decided to keep it since it had the cutest soft fuzzy leaves. I'm a sucker for soft fuzzy leaves. It lost all its old leaves but has since grown all these and is now a good 6 inches tall.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoZPXdE07_Id8kT8bplcFvKOTvxd9At2dgNxyfg-tn0ooj0l8_DGqWp-sL1JmFJjH6bGK-vIEwZPsRAJu7Hcv9LoYX17PLGzkcdIeGoEBRetZUnePj0YTsk5uJXWtDZuPByZlneglv10/s1600/2011.05.03+052.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoZPXdE07_Id8kT8bplcFvKOTvxd9At2dgNxyfg-tn0ooj0l8_DGqWp-sL1JmFJjH6bGK-vIEwZPsRAJu7Hcv9LoYX17PLGzkcdIeGoEBRetZUnePj0YTsk5uJXWtDZuPByZlneglv10/s400/2011.05.03+052.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602682555801028194" border="0" /></a><br />And for fun, here is a Stig in a box. (I didn't put her in there, but I admit to leaving the empty basket because I love seeing here jump in and out)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJZ_mTrnG3a2vPOBvinx83bVS1N1Vn-lPmVzAwDkxUJrt4xmSh9gAe-Dhyphenhyphen2Bk4DSJpLJINz4dnrksNrWA8Umfx9GrXw0GPMgAp4RgvBlVCFp9hXVinZeUZLcIcDLwnF7DC32S4gSxdRA/s1600/2011.05.03+002.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJZ_mTrnG3a2vPOBvinx83bVS1N1Vn-lPmVzAwDkxUJrt4xmSh9gAe-Dhyphenhyphen2Bk4DSJpLJINz4dnrksNrWA8Umfx9GrXw0GPMgAp4RgvBlVCFp9hXVinZeUZLcIcDLwnF7DC32S4gSxdRA/s400/2011.05.03+002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602682546632650594" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6_-TnISBxHZDG2pPtAffyCr7sweoeQota0M1mETkKnocLgn1iuwl3Ji6lB4CvBDqeU7io6KKnSQWY1uCjeljJPRcqujj5n2tqXZkXuH421M1SX6qNDI1G7MQq_Q6ymTn1JLHW57DwU8/s1600/2011.05.03+040.JPG"><br /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-19028626765781362262011-04-22T20:00:00.000-07:002011-04-22T16:28:29.568-07:00My Bloom DayI know that garden bloggers have a specific day of the week they call bloom day... but I can't remember which day that is so today is mine! I really want to share the pictures I've taken recently in my garden but I don't feel much like writing... So today is bloom day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrJcvk9GqyWUwblof4ulYTgjCQIPAB813xDoOzX2DXh5Y3S2lsea1mA3YTmQQ0SO0DY3PkgBwjLZ9sUXRKChQscuEM-k_q1uiFcFo66RlX6GkDpAJ3_eZSAzX5Wf7bID078wP4-Ivql4/s1600/11.04.21.+012.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrJcvk9GqyWUwblof4ulYTgjCQIPAB813xDoOzX2DXh5Y3S2lsea1mA3YTmQQ0SO0DY3PkgBwjLZ9sUXRKChQscuEM-k_q1uiFcFo66RlX6GkDpAJ3_eZSAzX5Wf7bID078wP4-Ivql4/s400/11.04.21.+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598480288225089826" border="0" /></a><br />My first California Poppy (Eschscholzi<span style="font-style: italic;">a something</span>)<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> from seed, sadly it had closed by the time I took the picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCBWHlUgrVQ04P9_EESZRbTQJ-kOiWw4LocbkgsvnB-NUmPdrOe7bld_QFsZmZyy3xi6z7swr7atS9JRvw3GxzZwRGfJTgYac7QOx2aoHnbOoahg7H8K2wdCHXiDiZChiI3P05ApBOFg/s1600/11.04.21.+016.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCBWHlUgrVQ04P9_EESZRbTQJ-kOiWw4LocbkgsvnB-NUmPdrOe7bld_QFsZmZyy3xi6z7swr7atS9JRvw3GxzZwRGfJTgYac7QOx2aoHnbOoahg7H8K2wdCHXiDiZChiI3P05ApBOFg/s400/11.04.21.+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598480295167022354" border="0" /></a><br />Right in the middle, the first little bud on... my baby blue eyes? Maybe... <span style="font-style: italic;">(Nemophila</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span>. A bud counts for bloom day right?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xj9GJrSCb_uEt6__9jtwyt-YK7vzOYk9vamStK-Iug_8tUYj5tTSVgflLF-N_2UIyKcI_13NwtyQDqsBVGCF6YmBgUskiXwOiGlIVzV8p8G9KOBhzCiuYMqJLMLQOUDY72chkglnLZM/s1600/11.04.21.+021.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4xj9GJrSCb_uEt6__9jtwyt-YK7vzOYk9vamStK-Iug_8tUYj5tTSVgflLF-N_2UIyKcI_13NwtyQDqsBVGCF6YmBgUskiXwOiGlIVzV8p8G9KOBhzCiuYMqJLMLQOUDY72chkglnLZM/s400/11.04.21.+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598480298769445282" border="0" /></a><br />Buds and aphids on my seedling Red Horned Poppy (<em>Glaucium corniculatum)</em>, grown from seeds I took from the one I bought from Annie's Annuals last year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQrSl7ggam39YmiQ9GMXdPHZp2hkmYr2kJDX6aPQ3238Y2wFcLD_qPuVoY_5eyTCBkcxl82vxUkcpbYaEHyFyfWCH-hZ26ctOcVKQVFEtTtcxhdqIAfl3dKITrfCvshu-5yEsENS8Ask/s1600/11.04.21.+024.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQrSl7ggam39YmiQ9GMXdPHZp2hkmYr2kJDX6aPQ3238Y2wFcLD_qPuVoY_5eyTCBkcxl82vxUkcpbYaEHyFyfWCH-hZ26ctOcVKQVFEtTtcxhdqIAfl3dKITrfCvshu-5yEsENS8Ask/s400/11.04.21.+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598480307941465554" border="0" /></a><br />Buds on my red princess lily (<span style="font-style: italic;">Alstroemeria</span>).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAonuxWeWWzfwQOciVBvsmFicBXbRNYU6ldxxT1_vJQ-MMhYgD5QN_qZQDupj9P4bboxMZv4yp57U0rjwX71jXVAyROoCn_7KhvjqCYw5FRGDHWA3-XeT9DVffTOeT1FmWtqmIX_UWHA/s1600/11.04.21.+026.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAonuxWeWWzfwQOciVBvsmFicBXbRNYU6ldxxT1_vJQ-MMhYgD5QN_qZQDupj9P4bboxMZv4yp57U0rjwX71jXVAyROoCn_7KhvjqCYw5FRGDHWA3-XeT9DVffTOeT1FmWtqmIX_UWHA/s400/11.04.21.+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598480311197132354" border="0" /></a><br />Beautiful pink carnations (even if the plant itself looks quite ragged)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7GrcpQw6QdECgzYWMvYp0IMq9gyhgIXW0NyHzz8vsySixPahvny7oeco5jdj9B4woNnsXgVMqSb5ecbraFfx6Z0XVbr-r_rJUbyY6xdbzaHLE2gq9pi2BhQ9Eygfg8wzy54-shj6LwA/s1600/11.04.21.+031.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7GrcpQw6QdECgzYWMvYp0IMq9gyhgIXW0NyHzz8vsySixPahvny7oeco5jdj9B4woNnsXgVMqSb5ecbraFfx6Z0XVbr-r_rJUbyY6xdbzaHLE2gq9pi2BhQ9Eygfg8wzy54-shj6LwA/s400/11.04.21.+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598516288254856098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Heuchera Sanguinea</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufsknl9UtHGnH_erTRoARLtfRrZMpwm-i8zCTwHadx3gFKeM4Aqkv1ZauZB77A92QkOtrkCITQ9XB0pw6bKj9iMUynLLCMdVq3H3K5okA0lyeey-LX-dvY-J3pDr6y2ZjNVFM9aetuUk/s1600/11.04.21.+037.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufsknl9UtHGnH_erTRoARLtfRrZMpwm-i8zCTwHadx3gFKeM4Aqkv1ZauZB77A92QkOtrkCITQ9XB0pw6bKj9iMUynLLCMdVq3H3K5okA0lyeey-LX-dvY-J3pDr6y2ZjNVFM9aetuUk/s400/11.04.21.+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598516276304257474" border="0" /></a><br />Lavender Sancho Paza (<span style="font-style: italic;">Lavandula</span>)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwEuT_v6lVNvo2DwvnH9xK9CzTgzzuvvFcwN1QwHtj0GoWlAgoSwjAbYVTRdQp9cvs-yw4DzaT0KJJWH0b65gg7lc8LSCuXcdBRLinebJr__MtTf-_fDxEDxb2NIcNcIuiLjnzqD9DWo/s1600/11.04.21.+039.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwEuT_v6lVNvo2DwvnH9xK9CzTgzzuvvFcwN1QwHtj0GoWlAgoSwjAbYVTRdQp9cvs-yw4DzaT0KJJWH0b65gg7lc8LSCuXcdBRLinebJr__MtTf-_fDxEDxb2NIcNcIuiLjnzqD9DWo/s400/11.04.21.+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598516274765030402" border="0" /></a><br />Blue Marguerite Daisies (<span style="font-style: italic;">Felicia amelloides</span>)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYxav0LdkoMGBAhL5opmbjJCUmJ7YfCvbwI48x-J_KXEVh4TqvJu4-ifbF-1FlzGEanZO3N5cwLB4GMKV2v1PSwhfFcU2vnnhkESmZ3epZiqG_iPN0NxmLNjozdqau0-1U8ba2fwI-_s/s1600/11.04.21.+046.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYxav0LdkoMGBAhL5opmbjJCUmJ7YfCvbwI48x-J_KXEVh4TqvJu4-ifbF-1FlzGEanZO3N5cwLB4GMKV2v1PSwhfFcU2vnnhkESmZ3epZiqG_iPN0NxmLNjozdqau0-1U8ba2fwI-_s/s400/11.04.21.+046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598516270749214562" border="0" /></a><br />Nemesia, in bloom year round.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sZi2C_r1ZOHWd7QkEhJ7oChVZ6Z-C1Ywd-iBWOxIbNhMuOpNn4qmEWT7chHcOdSsA6L8HU6mTa_nlLWo3wnfEM9WL46kusFMeOq7UEe7cP1PABV7VjUthpiasTV1k4F1tQSVybdy9S4/s1600/11.04.21.+054.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sZi2C_r1ZOHWd7QkEhJ7oChVZ6Z-C1Ywd-iBWOxIbNhMuOpNn4qmEWT7chHcOdSsA6L8HU6mTa_nlLWo3wnfEM9WL46kusFMeOq7UEe7cP1PABV7VjUthpiasTV1k4F1tQSVybdy9S4/s400/11.04.21.+054.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598519923666156818" border="0" /></a><br />Soon to be red Freesias from bulbs that I planted this winter.<br /><br />Now my roses, all of them came with the property so I don't know their names but I love them now. I used to hate roses for their thorns but these are so simply beautiful. These are the three currently blooming, three more colors are still just buds.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHAPPpjDeJ-YG6kQfTbd4D0rCQw7YPIpJZjLE-kSPVIgxgxEax7XNOf0XlfZhPuvgqmfYChlwKkGh55-d1xrqeKNrkRmNXjkpZmnCf-ry3gQ2Q4euHIPEuGHBjvXnTcCvwe2MT1ohYBw/s1600/11.04.21.+051.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoHAPPpjDeJ-YG6kQfTbd4D0rCQw7YPIpJZjLE-kSPVIgxgxEax7XNOf0XlfZhPuvgqmfYChlwKkGh55-d1xrqeKNrkRmNXjkpZmnCf-ry3gQ2Q4euHIPEuGHBjvXnTcCvwe2MT1ohYBw/s400/11.04.21.+051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598519940221313026" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgdTnOKf1g7DOKmsZXzf0mZ_VxX0NuOwXafYRkGzN2jda6aXWheqHlR75SeKOc9jWJSCpNiOgGGNDI103bEkS2724X9HsJ4xuqxxd8mdRtY7XAmabuiHGtWQNVwPzVeUe7P9eJ9a2zic/s1600/11.04.21.+059.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgdTnOKf1g7DOKmsZXzf0mZ_VxX0NuOwXafYRkGzN2jda6aXWheqHlR75SeKOc9jWJSCpNiOgGGNDI103bEkS2724X9HsJ4xuqxxd8mdRtY7XAmabuiHGtWQNVwPzVeUe7P9eJ9a2zic/s400/11.04.21.+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598519938119376450" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdhyphenhyphenDAOMUv6r3EdYTXSYkQeYeegYfgGzWdHlWzoHl7CdNJtogJl1xm1NJ1kL0QwvXmpMSbjHHFoCUbBLRZccrz2Ru5j8FKRyOvXYrz4NjXBAc7mR2NSnp96Isv3PMwoWUxEakTnvBi_s/s1600/11.04.21.+068.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHdhyphenhyphenDAOMUv6r3EdYTXSYkQeYeegYfgGzWdHlWzoHl7CdNJtogJl1xm1NJ1kL0QwvXmpMSbjHHFoCUbBLRZccrz2Ru5j8FKRyOvXYrz4NjXBAc7mR2NSnp96Isv3PMwoWUxEakTnvBi_s/s400/11.04.21.+068.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598519930356189474" border="0" /></a><br />Then in front of this last rose, is the far to tall for where it is, my Geum.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLSIrhTlsx_B39QxcrsHiIEZax7SxuaAapgqPRAZSj4cMHK1id8P9ztV9dt-ho-INN9UhgKxP7i1pO4T4bfq_roTpzUySCDcSqbnujnSljgJLXmXFkogfKUVVZWVKyLjAKC9YB4qus50/s1600/11.04.21.+071.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLSIrhTlsx_B39QxcrsHiIEZax7SxuaAapgqPRAZSj4cMHK1id8P9ztV9dt-ho-INN9UhgKxP7i1pO4T4bfq_roTpzUySCDcSqbnujnSljgJLXmXFkogfKUVVZWVKyLjAKC9YB4qus50/s400/11.04.21.+071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598523733278611010" border="0" /></a>It's about 3 feet tall now from less than 1 foot when I planted it. After I've fixed up other areas of the yard I'll move this baby over to the left where it won't block my rose anymore.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_uSWJC0s8XwqTgD3Sn4aIgn3X5YAjbSh0phYj1RdANHpoEJqPHREEWICRbrFCadHuy7fSe2PQ4Y7ocMyDtseEmc53TB8CbVGw0zEanvYcM8Zy1JCOmmHS46OoACCFAzzo3MenkJlO94/s1600/11.04.21.+082.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_uSWJC0s8XwqTgD3Sn4aIgn3X5YAjbSh0phYj1RdANHpoEJqPHREEWICRbrFCadHuy7fSe2PQ4Y7ocMyDtseEmc53TB8CbVGw0zEanvYcM8Zy1JCOmmHS46OoACCFAzzo3MenkJlO94/s400/11.04.21.+082.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598523725443311554" border="0" /></a><br />Lastly, my long awaited iris. There are more than a dozen buds on them now and still not a single opened flower. But I finally know what color it will be.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-13897095008825793202011-04-14T18:26:00.000-07:002011-04-15T10:04:50.375-07:00New FloraAs a counterpart to my last post and as a way to make my posts not unbearably long, I will now talk about the plants that have been coming back to life in my garden.<br /><br />Last week I decided I was fed up with the way my tiny bit of cultivated front yard was looking and added another barberry and a new daylily and salvia, taking out my ailing Dietes. It has a clear hole in the middle showing me that it needs dividing (even though it's tiny!). I was also greatly motivated by the wilting of my Daylily. My husband bought it for me as a Christmas present (actually, he let me go to a huge out of town nursery to buy $100 in plants, great Christmas present). I've been keeping my potted plants watered during the dryspells over the past few months best I can, but last week even my daylily finally wilted once. A quick watering solved that but now it's in the ground so it will never happen again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqDeIrvg1moEuy9uGGTrShLy01A2rqIJ6azjPqT5Lc-u8VcXWi8BJQ0iqHMOyiHtMzh-n0wlqtUVNViPM15uIQJcfAR70UujfmOWj3du_RtWUSSs-TTBlAj2RnwzPmn5iQKAEh5Z5BRo/s1600/11.04.10.0+068.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqDeIrvg1moEuy9uGGTrShLy01A2rqIJ6azjPqT5Lc-u8VcXWi8BJQ0iqHMOyiHtMzh-n0wlqtUVNViPM15uIQJcfAR70UujfmOWj3du_RtWUSSs-TTBlAj2RnwzPmn5iQKAEh5Z5BRo/s400/11.04.10.0+068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595478251534748802" border="0" /></a><br />The only other part of my front yard that I've had the time and patience to work on is the tiny square for the street tree. Last year, when I first put the plants (all started from seed) around the little tree it looked like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbc8QQYPZzt-61p1bMBJxMmPmYsxr4d-L9gR7EogyfzQ6CyasdqxjQvjqlwNnkXIVvOUlWXzaoVFZJh5Rc2iqaMo6_JSBlOxHCMcGLAQ7td6GgN_mVobZObFqej3R7bnYPdLHkJ7gJ_s/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglbc8QQYPZzt-61p1bMBJxMmPmYsxr4d-L9gR7EogyfzQ6CyasdqxjQvjqlwNnkXIVvOUlWXzaoVFZJh5Rc2iqaMo6_JSBlOxHCMcGLAQ7td6GgN_mVobZObFqej3R7bnYPdLHkJ7gJ_s/s400/DSC_0041.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595481408906332450" border="0" /></a><br />Now the plot is well filled in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnpDJr9XTFdzl7F7-RgoSBMi31hT8NeLsbROPuw0Y0inl11N3WNaUobGa5V2Xjr2AoA6IpuCaegmVISBSa9pfJ8-87YpinQTVIriIwB7bjALOyvMm6vmw2oE7YUNuIXCUdviAUCUC4Fk/s1600/11.04.10.0+099.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnpDJr9XTFdzl7F7-RgoSBMi31hT8NeLsbROPuw0Y0inl11N3WNaUobGa5V2Xjr2AoA6IpuCaegmVISBSa9pfJ8-87YpinQTVIriIwB7bjALOyvMm6vmw2oE7YUNuIXCUdviAUCUC4Fk/s400/11.04.10.0+099.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595482889073425714" border="0" /></a><br />I've said before I don't like the Gazanias (the ones with the flower buds) so soon I'll be taking those out but it won't take long at all for the lambs ears to fill the open spot. I might also stick another plant in their place, something that will flower.<br /><br />But the care I gave to the soil in this little plot and the water I started giving it late last summer once we'd bought the house has really paid off. The street tree, a small crape myrtle, has leafed out beautifully and very early. The other crape myrtle across the street is probably a year older than mine and still has no leaves even a month after mine started.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiOY3zI-ZWpZQqC1Vc8QUy_QvPgaG_9_5W6A-q3J1zPnHuU2e9Vqd34pHX0Qb0EPW0gpwTqr9KL5gavO6gYqAULxUJNYjS82EyewTm22z1RSxNM8kGAWc5Ug-QsXTmXLlU-ghZG_xf40/s1600/11.04.10.0+060.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiOY3zI-ZWpZQqC1Vc8QUy_QvPgaG_9_5W6A-q3J1zPnHuU2e9Vqd34pHX0Qb0EPW0gpwTqr9KL5gavO6gYqAULxUJNYjS82EyewTm22z1RSxNM8kGAWc5Ug-QsXTmXLlU-ghZG_xf40/s400/11.04.10.0+060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595480600771764434" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFjWCDzFqfuIfMQRu8joLjvMxmJaBw2eaNUEUw6DriUBAlFFYOJjpoQOqG93mUR17txO8leWi1fOSEKY3glwU_uoakkYQL1rc1yo0jVcG7Lr5j3gtH7CpHv8RW4VBLYOYt9IQ3NKoA-Y/s1600/11.04.10.0+064.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFjWCDzFqfuIfMQRu8joLjvMxmJaBw2eaNUEUw6DriUBAlFFYOJjpoQOqG93mUR17txO8leWi1fOSEKY3glwU_uoakkYQL1rc1yo0jVcG7Lr5j3gtH7CpHv8RW4VBLYOYt9IQ3NKoA-Y/s400/11.04.10.0+064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595481399767778690" border="0" /></a><br />And taking these pictures, I thought it's been such a long time since I've taken a picture of the house and I've never really captured the correct color of the new paint job so here is a new one, very true to life:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhqSQqiizPk78OdoxQMZncVLpe4dGaEW_4siAjhLYWIK8JEzx7NMXaJ08_j8UrVQnkJU6L4Gs0BhNhU3TQnmexRVAlkTuzFgh2_AzBJTOPeWWciK_ydbfV-ZSOj80bYfuWgCKFacdBow/s1600/11.04.10.0+086.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhqSQqiizPk78OdoxQMZncVLpe4dGaEW_4siAjhLYWIK8JEzx7NMXaJ08_j8UrVQnkJU6L4Gs0BhNhU3TQnmexRVAlkTuzFgh2_AzBJTOPeWWciK_ydbfV-ZSOj80bYfuWgCKFacdBow/s400/11.04.10.0+086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595482894450897874" border="0" /></a><br />Clearly we're not very into taking care of the lawn, if one can call it that. Our intent has always been to take it out, so we don't waste time on it except to pull out some of the suddenly appearing 3 foot high grass seed stalks, like the ones I found two weeks ago. And though it is a small victory, see my nicely grass free sidewalk, I spent ages out there with my small pick scraping it all out (don't look at the grass in the driveway!)<br /><br />Now onto the backyard, where I've put in a bit more time. The irises that I divided and moved to the back of the garden last year finally have buds! I was worried that I didn't divide them properly and wouldn't get any flowers until next year but I must have done it right after all. I can't wait to find out what color they are.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrHcCwb1S0PE2_u-h5JZB4BnjX-wHJQTBGnjf0EonQ0KdIo7kdF67x1BbzzjzmOyHSaVg9vPUNHOcQ0Ngl64kXaVm4u-0UCZdWBWJvwukf-fV0l-GaL-CZB8GvGDTc4b98kxw3IJE880/s1600/11.04.10.0+024.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrHcCwb1S0PE2_u-h5JZB4BnjX-wHJQTBGnjf0EonQ0KdIo7kdF67x1BbzzjzmOyHSaVg9vPUNHOcQ0Ngl64kXaVm4u-0UCZdWBWJvwukf-fV0l-GaL-CZB8GvGDTc4b98kxw3IJE880/s400/11.04.10.0+024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595487805987753826" border="0" /></a><br />When I did that dividing, there were a couple small tubers that had no leaves or didn't look so healthy, so I threw them into one of the big paper bags we were using in removing all the extra debris that wouldn't fit in our green bin. Well, a couple of those bags never got thrown away and sat decomposing in the back corner of the yard. And last weekend, I noticed this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg_HnWVlYMiEdp-kI07jSbIiIqVn7Fpn8JlWMY7aoW6f_vZ9scIylnKMfSyAw4uYUiVKgE7J1jntNsCarwDoSTNjVorg9fYENUVFQv2G0UWUpeM32lIhgjm6EbbNzX4e_Kq_RbfNnaVU/s1600/11.04.10.0+056.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidg_HnWVlYMiEdp-kI07jSbIiIqVn7Fpn8JlWMY7aoW6f_vZ9scIylnKMfSyAw4uYUiVKgE7J1jntNsCarwDoSTNjVorg9fYENUVFQv2G0UWUpeM32lIhgjm6EbbNzX4e_Kq_RbfNnaVU/s400/11.04.10.0+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595488844423726610" border="0" /></a><br />This really shows how much you don't need to baby this type of iris. There should actually be one more, taller iris in this picture, but feeling bad for the tough little baby, I had already tucked it into the earth behind my other irises when I took the picture.<br /><br />Flowers are also opening up now for my Geum. This Geum started out as a tiny little Annie's Annuals purchase just over a year ago. But it not only survived being planted at my dad's for a short while but lived through the flooding that the lavenders next to it did not (I rescued them and put them into pots but I'm starting to think I was too late). Now it has over a dozen flower stalks and multiple buds on each.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon-q7-5YCS2M06LqcIroh7fh3_X-nunVzCQJ_Vt_V82MylOyHHw0e6zi1VmBupHlPeWjeefQB28vn0QJ5sJdhkzs6xsJwsBOQ7qvc1ZyOdKp_hQbuLsdxJhZ1uXDz-syibCdNNQOrcBQ/s1600/11.04.10.0+049.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgon-q7-5YCS2M06LqcIroh7fh3_X-nunVzCQJ_Vt_V82MylOyHHw0e6zi1VmBupHlPeWjeefQB28vn0QJ5sJdhkzs6xsJwsBOQ7qvc1ZyOdKp_hQbuLsdxJhZ1uXDz-syibCdNNQOrcBQ/s400/11.04.10.0+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595493844447412146" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1e54woKJwD7BGJ8HixEFtYskLJ4lpGxpegQAzYZ_XhmgjALzt9MPmyItnELsBsAmizBpJChPm2UsOiwMfJW7EuYSRLwCz__rxy5CiSQRJv69B2hMc2Qy9pdO09VczUveUaEzTzcJrjw/s1600/11.04.10.0+047.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc1e54woKJwD7BGJ8HixEFtYskLJ4lpGxpegQAzYZ_XhmgjALzt9MPmyItnELsBsAmizBpJChPm2UsOiwMfJW7EuYSRLwCz__rxy5CiSQRJv69B2hMc2Qy9pdO09VczUveUaEzTzcJrjw/s400/11.04.10.0+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595493840245754082" border="0" /></a><br />The rose behind my Geum is also starting to flower. It looks so much better than when I first saw it, with dark green leaves and tons of buds. I do wish that I had cut it back a bit more though because I can't see my baby Ceanothus on the mound behind it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabeWHtwfdoVgc2qGuzXhqV9C7q9rKpO-Z73p_jGGn9vkgtaKWtKYXFUeWz07jsBJHXzPs9KIWXwhzXR6GWFuHG8ljtdMugavz-o1pGuj2u_um_vvHD-1JJifJ-hooVm7fjIC3aAJXjG8/s1600/11.04.10.0+016.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabeWHtwfdoVgc2qGuzXhqV9C7q9rKpO-Z73p_jGGn9vkgtaKWtKYXFUeWz07jsBJHXzPs9KIWXwhzXR6GWFuHG8ljtdMugavz-o1pGuj2u_um_vvHD-1JJifJ-hooVm7fjIC3aAJXjG8/s400/11.04.10.0+016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595493849790273666" border="0" /></a><br />Then there are the potted Hostas that died away last fall and I kept, hoping against hope that they would sleep through the winter and come back. I've never had Hostas before so while I knew that they die away during the winter, I didn't know if I did anything bad to them at the same time. But their pretty little leaves have come back and are still growing. I bought these last year before I had the house and split the one plant into these two. Once I get a nice shady spot cleared to put them, I'll get them in the ground...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GSnfdNJqZqH_tNFhq-24Yk5vnRnvFIFNUfJiTmX9TxVjhPvy_MPcrba4Ugq-WF4ND7SSl76RevJTjjszTizGPSO_9H3iWoYjiedKn_llc85BI5d-vblIe5eFYtLUXpv_30m4Cc2h4hs/s1600/11.04.10.0+038.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GSnfdNJqZqH_tNFhq-24Yk5vnRnvFIFNUfJiTmX9TxVjhPvy_MPcrba4Ugq-WF4ND7SSl76RevJTjjszTizGPSO_9H3iWoYjiedKn_llc85BI5d-vblIe5eFYtLUXpv_30m4Cc2h4hs/s400/11.04.10.0+038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595493851891490130" border="0" /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-22720532654453838332011-04-11T18:31:00.001-07:002011-04-11T20:59:47.623-07:00New FaunaNot much work has been done in the past month but I've found I'm still able to enjoy the garden, despite my busy-ness, sickness, and plain bone idleness. Now that Spring has gotten started, I've gotten into the habit of having a walk through the yard every night and on the weekend... trying to put in a couple hours of weeding.<br /><br />At the top of the garden, ever since Abel and his people emptied the contents of the old garage, there have been two cabinets sitting in the very middle behind the lemon tree, back to back. While it gave me a relatively snail and slug free platform for a couple of neglected pots of seedlings, they never made me very happy so we finally finally moved them two weekends ago.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYcp5yDhQVFTeeJEEzM-MT9hU884Nmt6JmGq88Dm9BoKJVQfPJZ5VBXv-3HHcGsub0NZoHR_Q7ONk4r9iUzPqdmHklwTyh4XeTy2Dn8KDUUcUt13fvyvRc2KRz6nI8rMFhCJQ1Tu0_nk/s1600/2011.4+117.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxYcp5yDhQVFTeeJEEzM-MT9hU884Nmt6JmGq88Dm9BoKJVQfPJZ5VBXv-3HHcGsub0NZoHR_Q7ONk4r9iUzPqdmHklwTyh4XeTy2Dn8KDUUcUt13fvyvRc2KRz6nI8rMFhCJQ1Tu0_nk/s400/2011.4+117.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594511239640345650" border="0" /></a><br />With the cabinets gone, I finally weeded the oxalis and onions that had been coming up between the doors and cabinet frames and all around them. In the process, I discovered a slender salamander. So interesting to find a new creature in your garden, especially when it's a beneficial one and not an evil looking bug... It's hard to see in my picture, but he's running away from me right in the middle of the frame, on his tiny little legs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixS3UktYhXd9f0fmVgOoRCoQlawGgYBSwRW-D3m3zxxwxFNPfB8cpd2LrjTJujixvDCITZPCH1VsO6DUQPAd8S7jOyMLR5kTwaogoNHXkrBAEGSwP0GWVYvlBEfJ85Qa6zjgK5Y51uY_Y/s1600/2011.4+077.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixS3UktYhXd9f0fmVgOoRCoQlawGgYBSwRW-D3m3zxxwxFNPfB8cpd2LrjTJujixvDCITZPCH1VsO6DUQPAd8S7jOyMLR5kTwaogoNHXkrBAEGSwP0GWVYvlBEfJ85Qa6zjgK5Y51uY_Y/s400/2011.4+077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594504421928979746" border="0" /></a><br />He clearly was enjoying the moist ground under the oxalis and gorging on the hundreds of slugs I had been finding all through my weeding. But he apparently wasn't the only one. Minutes later, I found an arboreal salamander too! You can just barely see the tiny yellow spots on his sides.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLJnVOm41fjrzkF9v9ZkLB3Ln1OKgHSaJPBepUrM8fdJJz9aHiofllo0G1tOPpOTkWKcdxJWQJuYYMMyQS8FoZl-9HFEQQ1bALSyD8CNbjVhNNWxUSPvq4FLnx_qzd46tHhbFZOEBlGg/s1600/2011.4+114.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTLJnVOm41fjrzkF9v9ZkLB3Ln1OKgHSaJPBepUrM8fdJJz9aHiofllo0G1tOPpOTkWKcdxJWQJuYYMMyQS8FoZl-9HFEQQ1bALSyD8CNbjVhNNWxUSPvq4FLnx_qzd46tHhbFZOEBlGg/s400/2011.4+114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594511233129078050" border="0" /></a><br />I'd read about them on <a href="http://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?p=4243" target="_blank">another blog</a> and knew not to pick this guy up in my hands because of his sharp sharp teeth. Reading about him before, I never thought I'd find one in my yard, either of these salamanders. They sound like creatures that couldn't survive the long dry summers away from creeks and rivers but that must not be true. I grew up in Contra Costa County and apparently they live there too, though probably not in any of my backyards which were mostly packed clay and grass.<br /><br />The last in my new animal discoveries, I was not so happy to discover; not that this creature was deserving of my disgust.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN7oOFeVcePe-8r2ZlkI2N7QpEDworxKpdjk_ZyzKVwyHDBAOX7DO89TGDVmJqDQZ4vcdBmf9wANLoyGLzJ0nsdEOHu75AhUN8GbxSkD90rAfllQBiZDSYWPmg5D98x2IDHwnDQgWFUc/s1600/11.04.10.0+033.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiN7oOFeVcePe-8r2ZlkI2N7QpEDworxKpdjk_ZyzKVwyHDBAOX7DO89TGDVmJqDQZ4vcdBmf9wANLoyGLzJ0nsdEOHu75AhUN8GbxSkD90rAfllQBiZDSYWPmg5D98x2IDHwnDQgWFUc/s400/11.04.10.0+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594513196364106130" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm01smYqrkGavCi99nitTuevUmBkA3pN8WN3XtbULEHEMprjXJfltXHScOVynJxuKtIR3TlNKcC8UsJyYTFW6sVl7731sgJvRnBW6etrgIGWq6_EeKc5T4QyFOR4yI97v34y1VFKMtL64/s1600/11.04.10.0+034.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm01smYqrkGavCi99nitTuevUmBkA3pN8WN3XtbULEHEMprjXJfltXHScOVynJxuKtIR3TlNKcC8UsJyYTFW6sVl7731sgJvRnBW6etrgIGWq6_EeKc5T4QyFOR4yI97v34y1VFKMtL64/s400/11.04.10.0+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594513191013930770" border="0" /></a><br />Sadly, I found this Jerusalem Cricket and another one minutes later before I tried to find out what they were and I sent them to cricket heaven. I found them when I started to attack the dirt pile near the house, about a foot high and there, like the cabinets, ever since Abel's men took out our patio. I was trying to break it up and spread it out evenly on the ground when I broke into these guys' homes. Jerusalem Crickets are apparently everywhere in the west and far down past Mexico, though this is the first I've ever seen one, probably because they are nocturnal and prefer to stay underground. This one is trying to scramble out of a 3-inch pot so it's a good inch long. They look disgustingly evil but are apparently a good creature all around: They aerate the soil, eat dead animal matter and provide a good food source for many larger animals. I found <a href="http://arthurevans.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/backyard-monsters-nope-just-jerusalem-crickets/" target="_blank">this page</a> about them quite interesting.<br /><br />Nearly two months ago (only two posts ago, sorry), I wrote that I had bought a bird feeder and hung it on my magnolia tree. It's been so interesting watching the little birdies ever since flying to and from it, fluffing their wings and hopping around. I've never properly watched birds before and I'm not yet interested in doing so much farther than my own backyard but I've been searching around the internet to identify each and every bird I've seen so far. There aren't any rare birds yet, but I'll admit that I didn't even know half of the names of these birds. And here they are:<br /><br />(Not my pictures, but I fully intend to capture my own birdie pictures once I have enough money to justify buying a new camera lens)<br /><br />Male Anna's Hummingbird<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftuB8MUnfPo_hBPhlI1Mq3zCISTMJRzS4OHS6jlYIiAH2rSGaHQQ33oJQfFQSrxJ9lmW_-jPakasJGcsCS836MBT9G7Zdfjr3jJ8-9BSrTmfLWKuBToA0AhiB2ryFLUNzaEcBS27PSuw/s1600/Anna%2527s+Hummingbird.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftuB8MUnfPo_hBPhlI1Mq3zCISTMJRzS4OHS6jlYIiAH2rSGaHQQ33oJQfFQSrxJ9lmW_-jPakasJGcsCS836MBT9G7Zdfjr3jJ8-9BSrTmfLWKuBToA0AhiB2ryFLUNzaEcBS27PSuw/s400/Anna%2527s+Hummingbird.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594529648125803762" border="0" /></a><br />Female Anna's Hummingbird<br />One female dive-bombed the Salvia next to my brick step. I was standing there, about to go back inside and I hear a loud crescendoing buzz and boom, it was there three feet from me. Goes from my Salvia to the Nemesia and the lavender before zooming off again.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8aZ9OJ1ovpZZTnrt2sFh0PHhmWiyUnj24aLzVQUDgszzc3B9fXCTToX9kQW5X-5hBbtpWcrkJqRBNOFfnvMODcXI4ptFrICbN4RqvMLXjqMfN3SF9CI_SDOsnPvZwJwTN8MjTevkW4U/s1600/Anna%2527s+Hummingbird+-+Female.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8aZ9OJ1ovpZZTnrt2sFh0PHhmWiyUnj24aLzVQUDgszzc3B9fXCTToX9kQW5X-5hBbtpWcrkJqRBNOFfnvMODcXI4ptFrICbN4RqvMLXjqMfN3SF9CI_SDOsnPvZwJwTN8MjTevkW4U/s400/Anna%2527s+Hummingbird+-+Female.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594529647913718946" border="0" /></a><br />The next three are my most common offenders, often jumping about and twittering in groups of 5 to 10.<br />Golden Crowned Sparrow<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RDEWhx7BDaj7XU3NTRXgsh3jwDSkvLKEoi3UO3XnM6IijekH6t7SLQhfCqbyetFHhIQEcP0Gg-6OiBlv6Bll3wNmpAXvO_P1VQK2E23Gk_GjaRxwYGcQWVBYuxBf_SzyVH6F0ZIeGiw/s1600/Golden+Crowned+Sparrow.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3RDEWhx7BDaj7XU3NTRXgsh3jwDSkvLKEoi3UO3XnM6IijekH6t7SLQhfCqbyetFHhIQEcP0Gg-6OiBlv6Bll3wNmpAXvO_P1VQK2E23Gk_GjaRxwYGcQWVBYuxBf_SzyVH6F0ZIeGiw/s400/Golden+Crowned+Sparrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594529643718149154" border="0" /></a><br />White Crowned Sparrow<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Md2lg94JAxVZaQuf-5qlTZpKdiclNgyUdeeOJ_6ggbuDblF97GstQItEQG3xDy7D5oHfaqB2Kjkbjv30ZhvpHCZC3RfbkPGmm1lrhuYIKeeMyg5MeDbOp9F7M0g2YW2H4eSST7CLks0/s1600/White+Crowned+Sparrow.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Md2lg94JAxVZaQuf-5qlTZpKdiclNgyUdeeOJ_6ggbuDblF97GstQItEQG3xDy7D5oHfaqB2Kjkbjv30ZhvpHCZC3RfbkPGmm1lrhuYIKeeMyg5MeDbOp9F7M0g2YW2H4eSST7CLks0/s400/White+Crowned+Sparrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594529641174896338" border="0" /></a><br />House Finch<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy32fP8wG-Jqt8kx-pxf8nLBZCRBOX5d0ux7WTcKqZWtcY3xdZ29iu028YFmeWuVza30CA8sdo6QS2XYwOudwJl5wCM3sLC-4cfZxde7PsGNyVAejkfXzw_Fmo9d-15sWYfr-V1XWHY3g/s1600/House+Finch.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy32fP8wG-Jqt8kx-pxf8nLBZCRBOX5d0ux7WTcKqZWtcY3xdZ29iu028YFmeWuVza30CA8sdo6QS2XYwOudwJl5wCM3sLC-4cfZxde7PsGNyVAejkfXzw_Fmo9d-15sWYfr-V1XWHY3g/s400/House+Finch.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594529652765146290" border="0" /></a><br />Mourning Dove - There's a pair that always come to the yard together and peck at the seeds spilled by the smaller birds and those mischievous little squirrels.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsSUjkdCtFKgagkwEJCNq1bfEVScR5FAjdSYJoAYDhK0E4W8IWnCsOUhTmAr0m9ftlNytqqgbT6UE4dwtoLtfL7mPVQv7l408DLNUvw4qTI6vGJ-jGboPq9qPlLryJILkiYTPT_XWXIw/s1600/Mourning+Dove.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsSUjkdCtFKgagkwEJCNq1bfEVScR5FAjdSYJoAYDhK0E4W8IWnCsOUhTmAr0m9ftlNytqqgbT6UE4dwtoLtfL7mPVQv7l408DLNUvw4qTI6vGJ-jGboPq9qPlLryJILkiYTPT_XWXIw/s400/Mourning+Dove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594531581177568914" border="0" /></a><br />Scrub Jay<br />I've seen these before, even as a child and they don't come any more often since I put up my bird feeder. Interesting thing, these are actually a type of crow (which explains the loud screech it makes) and they sometimes eat the eggs of others birds and even small hatchlings. Still, they are beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ7zZltRS1YSOh38FavYImMphDViGenol087C888O9tuHu5FV-nqRKFV3Oa-uq1_vkB2w3Gmu_eU5sUoz3PJk1a6KO_d0dtBtVF2e7-jTB8NuHU6P03am0QhQE_heoCfMaasFo14L_Kc/s1600/Scrub+Jay.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ7zZltRS1YSOh38FavYImMphDViGenol087C888O9tuHu5FV-nqRKFV3Oa-uq1_vkB2w3Gmu_eU5sUoz3PJk1a6KO_d0dtBtVF2e7-jTB8NuHU6P03am0QhQE_heoCfMaasFo14L_Kc/s400/Scrub+Jay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594531581790091394" border="0" /></a><br />Crow<br />I've only seen one land in my yard once, about two weeks ago, but who hasn't seen them everywhere else.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCGpSEmcy3okfdaqFL_V-LMlFP71czu1vZ-JsKJb2_VZawWNYBVD8s9oqDdejdffoM_Ma2vEzidHT3Nlf2ZFun8m3zCNyyMoRf8avi3T02BV4uhTgSKBjHBhZL3Abcb592FzEPrU-54s/s1600/Crow.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCGpSEmcy3okfdaqFL_V-LMlFP71czu1vZ-JsKJb2_VZawWNYBVD8s9oqDdejdffoM_Ma2vEzidHT3Nlf2ZFun8m3zCNyyMoRf8avi3T02BV4uhTgSKBjHBhZL3Abcb592FzEPrU-54s/s400/Crow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594531588340066610" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ7zZltRS1YSOh38FavYImMphDViGenol087C888O9tuHu5FV-nqRKFV3Oa-uq1_vkB2w3Gmu_eU5sUoz3PJk1a6KO_d0dtBtVF2e7-jTB8NuHU6P03am0QhQE_heoCfMaasFo14L_Kc/s1600/Scrub+Jay.JPG"><br /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-52848881951566881452011-03-13T18:22:00.001-07:002011-03-27T20:33:33.935-07:00Painting and WeedingForced to stop due to the rain, this seems as good a time as any to give an update. Last weekend was busy with Patrick pushing me much harder than I prefer to work. But as long as he's working, I feel bad to relax. Right now it's a bit different though, while he finishes the final touches in the closet, I'm resting my back. I guess I pushed myself too hard and have had a horrible back ache since Wednesday.<br /><br />So yes, we're finishing the closet now because last weekend we got a bit distracted and painted the kitchen.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqibutIrzczB8UIoQqQQ2OFcDh1AdkPLZjHiPZ3nuRcraDRjPZ3-TFfI7Vqr6Jss2RVDx9nQLLCXszaZko4WNHoZ2fychdFlbfw2kV-AdbFTt72eZ5fPceyRe5wLoOKXRgQtyffl4FKQg/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqibutIrzczB8UIoQqQQ2OFcDh1AdkPLZjHiPZ3nuRcraDRjPZ3-TFfI7Vqr6Jss2RVDx9nQLLCXszaZko4WNHoZ2fychdFlbfw2kV-AdbFTt72eZ5fPceyRe5wLoOKXRgQtyffl4FKQg/s400/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583997267321964706" border="0" /></a><br />Now we finally have a finished room. We even put up our first picture frames. The light yellow makes the room feel so wonderfully warm and cheerful. Patrick has had breakfast in there a few times now, despite the wobbly table and ugly cabinets. Now it's about the nicest looking room we have. We also spent a large chunk of our time, most of Sunday, creating a frame on the wall above the washer and dryer so that we could put up shelves. We attached the frame to three vertical studs and then were able to attach the shelves nicely in the middle of the nook. I helped draw up the design and find the correct dimensions for everything, but mostly this project was Patrick's. He's clearly very proud of the job he did.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytXd0yM8gwslUuQfh_Rgzhzw9iGsVQxrA5EW5yAGh2V2TPfmaLfx6NguIkyTmGVXKQ2tbasb3hHkqdqe6RAq27RNjakXStqq7mgAJgkW8Td37_kd-BAUFzEmipuNNabgX-Diq2qLQbuo/s1600/Untitled-4.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytXd0yM8gwslUuQfh_Rgzhzw9iGsVQxrA5EW5yAGh2V2TPfmaLfx6NguIkyTmGVXKQ2tbasb3hHkqdqe6RAq27RNjakXStqq7mgAJgkW8Td37_kd-BAUFzEmipuNNabgX-Diq2qLQbuo/s400/Untitled-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583997270576910162" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lRw-N7QlhGgpINQNTn4LYQSzTEoFYCVIWl4Jbo_cGmKorY0f1FLs8iCX8E8Dfh65W6EgNRD7XtpurkuOU2CmiTCUhXqbKXGOFGd0xIgJJ87pvc8ucJPTs64CjWFX5kKFLPfSjq-MorA/s1600/Untitled-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lRw-N7QlhGgpINQNTn4LYQSzTEoFYCVIWl4Jbo_cGmKorY0f1FLs8iCX8E8Dfh65W6EgNRD7XtpurkuOU2CmiTCUhXqbKXGOFGd0xIgJJ87pvc8ucJPTs64CjWFX5kKFLPfSjq-MorA/s400/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583997267182423554" border="0" /></a><br />Those three pictures took all our time last weekend and shockingly, even though we were so close to finishing the closet we didn't work on it at all. We just can't focus. The closet is finished now though. We sanded down the new plaster and painted yesterday and Patrick has been in the bedroom most of the afternoon assembling the closet organizer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLkHzGzfhK3E8QoxRF3IPw9tk8N0zS5hABqaZkd1YibQUc2EetBokCZFzb-zRTsvB3hve24VFD_M8cyQAH7ylqWYQMYktWkRlkFrHh2vuahdnEzOJgCpHBgTyzUPXO1E3Cr4XxxOxLow/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLkHzGzfhK3E8QoxRF3IPw9tk8N0zS5hABqaZkd1YibQUc2EetBokCZFzb-zRTsvB3hve24VFD_M8cyQAH7ylqWYQMYktWkRlkFrHh2vuahdnEzOJgCpHBgTyzUPXO1E3Cr4XxxOxLow/s400/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583997262347342882" border="0" /></a><br />The rest of this weekend, I got out into the garden and finally put in some good time pulling up Oxalis.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZGP1oh859Jo7wRbuaazoIjEz00WpwysIkd99GFq_qD8K5P8p3SGY3HKhJhX_j1JfzdM98vceW6DVFTnB-uJZi_NeGF-uUPdmJ3i3zKcTpZOwvpca-TCk28mvV-6ebPc6Y4jdkX-1CBg/s1600/march+061.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZGP1oh859Jo7wRbuaazoIjEz00WpwysIkd99GFq_qD8K5P8p3SGY3HKhJhX_j1JfzdM98vceW6DVFTnB-uJZi_NeGF-uUPdmJ3i3zKcTpZOwvpca-TCk28mvV-6ebPc6Y4jdkX-1CBg/s400/march+061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583748118647954306" border="0" /></a><br />Actually, this one isn't a before picture, these pretty flowers are still taunting me in the corner but here is the nice stretch of ground that I worked on.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4mPSAaG4G7in1sumzev_dKEv038F96XMEYCG2suDq0xws1Y18cFENnWMPficpjlMtIz7E0g_jJjEH37dPJvn895kR2WAno5NI5bxEKAThofFJVBy0lqZRB7P-ARv1laMp_89IrG5NV4/s1600/march+037.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4mPSAaG4G7in1sumzev_dKEv038F96XMEYCG2suDq0xws1Y18cFENnWMPficpjlMtIz7E0g_jJjEH37dPJvn895kR2WAno5NI5bxEKAThofFJVBy0lqZRB7P-ARv1laMp_89IrG5NV4/s400/march+037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583749155598210194" border="0" /></a><br />I cleared out everything around a bunch of irises that we apparently mowed over last year, not being able to see them under all the weeds. They're badly in need of dividing which I'm sure I'll get to eventually...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBnJf7bBsBQzPhyphenhyphen9IZALihhDgm_ukdH2OegPVXMDLJZjtQZH7k60jq3ZtEoz3BXPRlkhIE6JNKVRgt5TqXTsIceW-piqtgGOHk8ubwXlHBIvKZXjYtpnz3CiOkjDfjwP6zxt160Yvf98/s1600/march+049.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBnJf7bBsBQzPhyphenhyphen9IZALihhDgm_ukdH2OegPVXMDLJZjtQZH7k60jq3ZtEoz3BXPRlkhIE6JNKVRgt5TqXTsIceW-piqtgGOHk8ubwXlHBIvKZXjYtpnz3CiOkjDfjwP6zxt160Yvf98/s400/march+049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583750229470087570" border="0" /></a>But the irises that I divided last fall and moved to the back of the garden look wonderful and now that the lavender next to them is in bloom, I really love the contrast.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY_Gd2W6gNg0dsEfLF28JdzFEy2iEzE_fH2d4MuqESPORn3lVQk9LFhzt2l1GzXgt2d6v56q40Q8XTdwVcqJdcM0OKgo_wSEtBf2JN4JUkxs4QknNo-4QPEbkvHjghL82ohDLpGjoRpc/s1600/march+089.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY_Gd2W6gNg0dsEfLF28JdzFEy2iEzE_fH2d4MuqESPORn3lVQk9LFhzt2l1GzXgt2d6v56q40Q8XTdwVcqJdcM0OKgo_wSEtBf2JN4JUkxs4QknNo-4QPEbkvHjghL82ohDLpGjoRpc/s400/march+089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583751614020820178" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoV9NBlOHoRqICzMgbsA8JIpkbl3NVUm_fDi1N5K7i_YtCh2_Vzklz6xnwDsPV5ww-ZsHY3LC7oWUjjuDBQAlEml7yg50l47HXbh4FrgE6zxNu-7yXQn244D9KSKP1Q9xJTm18c9jAlYo/s1600/march+086.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoV9NBlOHoRqICzMgbsA8JIpkbl3NVUm_fDi1N5K7i_YtCh2_Vzklz6xnwDsPV5ww-ZsHY3LC7oWUjjuDBQAlEml7yg50l47HXbh4FrgE6zxNu-7yXQn244D9KSKP1Q9xJTm18c9jAlYo/s400/march+086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583751620108309074" border="0" /></a><br />Everything is finally starting to come up, even the bulbs that I planted far too late in the season. And I can't really be bothered to think of transitional phrases etc. so here you are.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEfnAB3vDDJlY_JEf_-Yy0RpLkekcjhZnrQ75yMwrRlY7M8Bv7E5AHXzHFmKTAji9u6LACpaAQjWxE6jB360ZqaA9CXQ4ythZzqhZkNq7SM5xE50RQNST0ezB7u9Sr4ObK8Bj15p0bK8/s1600/march+095.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEfnAB3vDDJlY_JEf_-Yy0RpLkekcjhZnrQ75yMwrRlY7M8Bv7E5AHXzHFmKTAji9u6LACpaAQjWxE6jB360ZqaA9CXQ4ythZzqhZkNq7SM5xE50RQNST0ezB7u9Sr4ObK8Bj15p0bK8/s400/march+095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583754038014721122" border="0" /></a><br />Our Dark Star Ceanthonus, still only partially blooming.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xt6qAIgtlcFq9AFj2z2moCP-oNi2ZVeC1xYqIKflVJukc9GRq1BJDuCFYXYeAWhlpupaivsgq80s5risyW-Y_8v7LvEZGncTQFpHoCf3k4sFPkRFlP8XZR_lWTQZavI0WnX9QTLj0l4/s1600/march+031.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Xt6qAIgtlcFq9AFj2z2moCP-oNi2ZVeC1xYqIKflVJukc9GRq1BJDuCFYXYeAWhlpupaivsgq80s5risyW-Y_8v7LvEZGncTQFpHoCf3k4sFPkRFlP8XZR_lWTQZavI0WnX9QTLj0l4/s400/march+031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583754055095667138" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7X8gdvOJ_LYoj3D3Msrz5uXnGqyF_7OZN7gS91ydY8InYsihcbzc_4gWetoFvWS5vMlefMado9XRrHo51C29H8VsZ8_DpTYz1c9gtACW3611Fa63lQYmwJ8WjY01k6CCOxkx_YtdmUQ/s1600/march+060.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7X8gdvOJ_LYoj3D3Msrz5uXnGqyF_7OZN7gS91ydY8InYsihcbzc_4gWetoFvWS5vMlefMado9XRrHo51C29H8VsZ8_DpTYz1c9gtACW3611Fa63lQYmwJ8WjY01k6CCOxkx_YtdmUQ/s400/march+060.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583756505691849410" border="0" /></a><br />Grape Hyacinth growing around some of my roman chamomile. The chamomile helped while I was picking out the tiny clovers in and around the grape hyacinths, the smell was absolutely wonderful. I'll be putting many more of them around the garden.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkQ3PwpLQgg3OYK5pXpNAaNsBt_jyFePY8Yl7Vj0GjOlT8nyHkNQ8rUj33k0hUQTW7BbvdBNQr3pOw5gCaXKLAZQe89tsTC4e9K3A4F3r3EvgWCti8mtltdr2ftMbGh4SPFLDE1q0ptc/s1600/march+027.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkQ3PwpLQgg3OYK5pXpNAaNsBt_jyFePY8Yl7Vj0GjOlT8nyHkNQ8rUj33k0hUQTW7BbvdBNQr3pOw5gCaXKLAZQe89tsTC4e9K3A4F3r3EvgWCti8mtltdr2ftMbGh4SPFLDE1q0ptc/s400/march+027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583754050983364114" border="0" /></a><br />The daffodils in this group will be opening any day. Two have already opened in a slightly more sunny spot.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EAjzoI6w96Lyt3aI-TRnaHxLeUFueu0__KQRKejGK0bMv3xoMLjqKzYIsKbIM_Y5BwDqM_pJvZu99EAsfEe2NubPLNSOP4WLYYI8B1PQ8ewEPNVBHJB3vNrxjtU2J4IoQJfV8quDwhU/s1600/march+056.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EAjzoI6w96Lyt3aI-TRnaHxLeUFueu0__KQRKejGK0bMv3xoMLjqKzYIsKbIM_Y5BwDqM_pJvZu99EAsfEe2NubPLNSOP4WLYYI8B1PQ8ewEPNVBHJB3vNrxjtU2J4IoQJfV8quDwhU/s400/march+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583756515785243026" border="0" /></a><br />There are two left over tulips in front of the group. Then, the same tulips, just plain red ones, in the front have opened on each side of the front stairs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuNsArmUd9LGapySMWAjKgSsI9lVtdcSL4ybQ-g_SGS8z9XgGO-q5Kwgix3wOU32V457PXluLpIM1wYyhg1FGk332K3CKk3jPnBSj_kIKROGBv1TP9g_S427vR8rqT3-njQxb3N8OwjQ/s1600/march+034.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQuNsArmUd9LGapySMWAjKgSsI9lVtdcSL4ybQ-g_SGS8z9XgGO-q5Kwgix3wOU32V457PXluLpIM1wYyhg1FGk332K3CKk3jPnBSj_kIKROGBv1TP9g_S427vR8rqT3-njQxb3N8OwjQ/s400/march+034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583754063005261058" border="0" /></a><br />Not quite up yet but looking promising are the Hostas I had in pots last year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ofQDI5Jm8KUYIeVIJZaBWF75nayLXBxQqsj1XJtwPQlUPpcX3QcJJ2xILgtGkpWka7EyfXKJrKQuwt-NEKEzp_o8NSYJ5GNLtEnkwx2At_DXXeZZMjWJHler4L4qcNuqkcfbppS8bKM/s1600/march+025.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ofQDI5Jm8KUYIeVIJZaBWF75nayLXBxQqsj1XJtwPQlUPpcX3QcJJ2xILgtGkpWka7EyfXKJrKQuwt-NEKEzp_o8NSYJ5GNLtEnkwx2At_DXXeZZMjWJHler4L4qcNuqkcfbppS8bKM/s400/march+025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583754042305891858" border="0" /></a><br />Other things coming up aren't so welcome. I have slightly fewer onions spread throughout the yard than Oxalis and their pretty white flowers are starting to emerge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3I2vQT3VITU53VA72H1RfIZiDVnJ30orUC56XOgO369aphTflDj1aTFe8HFUk7XjCXCGIDJH26Tf1F81nNCP8dE3lqv00Sd-bRyVeXRJlsT5CzztVLN2BR0gd4M2gtrXnkrUQygsheM/s1600/march+079.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3I2vQT3VITU53VA72H1RfIZiDVnJ30orUC56XOgO369aphTflDj1aTFe8HFUk7XjCXCGIDJH26Tf1F81nNCP8dE3lqv00Sd-bRyVeXRJlsT5CzztVLN2BR0gd4M2gtrXnkrUQygsheM/s400/march+079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583757107230074178" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHD5MsNy7c9ne9X59Pl3dhHhTFcq-pk5GICfkPeY0HL7h7V4exJkuQgWL78qhgbL1kWx1F1JsWJAJgoGCQ4USK5P22Mbm6YpZo2l26bt5Y8GINQXZN5jV2Pm2PkRIT8cMmgeijfmhYGY8/s1600/march+077.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHD5MsNy7c9ne9X59Pl3dhHhTFcq-pk5GICfkPeY0HL7h7V4exJkuQgWL78qhgbL1kWx1F1JsWJAJgoGCQ4USK5P22Mbm6YpZo2l26bt5Y8GINQXZN5jV2Pm2PkRIT8cMmgeijfmhYGY8/s400/march+077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583757099132282050" border="0" /></a><br />I quite like the flowers but the leaves are pretty ugly, besides the fact that these are weedy. The blackberries are also coming back.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1Shku7xzVz681gXnzOSgg9oO0IOecZZWNUToES_Fdu2B-PeVk0BLpc8Fife4hyphenhyphenbtHM2Px0hvVxy-GDtCuH1xTtXkPMWuipmRWke_z_i6mu1vA7OZVKQYF3jSJKtPb8cAQaoQngYebQk/s1600/march+091.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1Shku7xzVz681gXnzOSgg9oO0IOecZZWNUToES_Fdu2B-PeVk0BLpc8Fife4hyphenhyphenbtHM2Px0hvVxy-GDtCuH1xTtXkPMWuipmRWke_z_i6mu1vA7OZVKQYF3jSJKtPb8cAQaoQngYebQk/s400/march+091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583757112933015090" border="0" /></a><br />And I guess that's about all.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-48390428308208027022011-03-02T17:49:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:35:06.073-07:00Paint and PlasterDuring the past three months or so, we've worked on and off, little by little, on the front room walls. The front room more than any other had very bad paint, not color, although I can't stand any of the colors the house came with, but the paint was dimpled and cracked on all the walls. It wasn't peeling or falling off but it wasn't good. I decided that I'd scrape the paint off the walls, around the cracks, at least, but found that all the imperfections we were seeing in the paint were not coming from the plaster. The plaster is wonderfully flat and strong away from the cracks that actually were telegraphing through. So I decided to scrape all of the front room. Took forever and was quite dusty, but it's done now.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLbl5YjQ3MO3WGdsK-QC5aWcuQ59kZePZpos1mmxHJk7YVevimj_R7ByX5W6HaLuOuwBa7JVJyc-ult23idJd2-zNrCKtZNV-FmhYKFwdaBkLbM0-ofUE7JidmPBePxdbRAR5nSBtRd0/s1600/Untitled-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLbl5YjQ3MO3WGdsK-QC5aWcuQ59kZePZpos1mmxHJk7YVevimj_R7ByX5W6HaLuOuwBa7JVJyc-ult23idJd2-zNrCKtZNV-FmhYKFwdaBkLbM0-ofUE7JidmPBePxdbRAR5nSBtRd0/s400/Untitled-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579892026299085458" border="0" /></a><br />We've repaired all the cracks on this side of the room and skim coated the wall on the right of the picture and one more across the way. We won't remove the paint above because when we first started to scrape in that area we found that there isn't any finished plaster up there. There used to be a border all the way around the room and above it there was just the rough scratch coat and it's really hard to peel the paint from that. So we'll just plaster over it all around and put up a new border. You can also see to the right a paint sample! I want one more, slightly lighter but this front room will be green.<br /><br />We went a little paint sample crazy last weekend. The front room has been our focus for months now but actually the kitchen and bathroom have been ready for paint for a while. The bathroom will probably be bluish but I'm not happy with the samples I put up. The kitchen , though, will be yellow (with white cabinets and wood countertops) like the picture below.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRfNLs6NnRYZXkZ2QvUfMWkvTo4WWIJOkqtOJmjLF8D7EW_AFXVrNybGzEO_BCzOBurJrWIvVM8qMFzN-xTZ4NdKRRs-qop3Za4vuenTMPGMI4r1PUh60YXUJAXBibVYkh_1EfYxxiA8/s1600/Untitled-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRfNLs6NnRYZXkZ2QvUfMWkvTo4WWIJOkqtOJmjLF8D7EW_AFXVrNybGzEO_BCzOBurJrWIvVM8qMFzN-xTZ4NdKRRs-qop3Za4vuenTMPGMI4r1PUh60YXUJAXBibVYkh_1EfYxxiA8/s400/Untitled-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579907355763504930" border="0" /></a><br />I'll pick up another yellow sample slightly darker to see if it works better but this might be the right one. I also put up a very light purple before but it doesn't work, the room will need a warm color with all the white, stainless and fluorescent white lights.<br /><br />This last weekend, we also finished replacing the missing shelves in our kitchen built-in. Inexplicably, when we bought the house, there were these wire shelves resting on the remnants of the solid shelves that were cut out of the built-in (and not cut well either).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVakxI2mUTODysQsahjiGEbwK_AAUjXmi1dQDaZcBGbYV_d-L3X4EhuKiFqDF1XRrmqPZhO5ZHHDq7uJzGQoqd316r3q2pexkyLJ-EAXTpyKEvnOBut8FLs_9qzcfbgl0Ue42MKjJ7ahA/s1600/DSC_0013.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVakxI2mUTODysQsahjiGEbwK_AAUjXmi1dQDaZcBGbYV_d-L3X4EhuKiFqDF1XRrmqPZhO5ZHHDq7uJzGQoqd316r3q2pexkyLJ-EAXTpyKEvnOBut8FLs_9qzcfbgl0Ue42MKjJ7ahA/s400/DSC_0013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579666756871663474" border="0" /></a><br />But now we have pretty primed pine shelves. Still need to paint them with glossy white but we also need to use the shelves.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxju9cgebrTgXRQX6-L0mkZvvbpZf0Lue3aC5goHVU_h4b_E5_Ubd8p5ciQPjpE3j2ZDys4BfJ71YeIXVb2UUiVkZ9HBzYdIotJ0hskipj0ky6Vjwf48DYPYz7syQrpwgrRYDzneUV2L4/s1600/Untitled-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxju9cgebrTgXRQX6-L0mkZvvbpZf0Lue3aC5goHVU_h4b_E5_Ubd8p5ciQPjpE3j2ZDys4BfJ71YeIXVb2UUiVkZ9HBzYdIotJ0hskipj0ky6Vjwf48DYPYz7syQrpwgrRYDzneUV2L4/s400/Untitled-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580011140901244162" border="0" /></a><br />Then there is the big job we took on this last weekend, the first Patrick and I have done together for a while. When we first bought the house, the closet in the back room which is now our bedroom, was big (about 7x2) but it had a regular 30 inch door. So you could step into the closet, turn and walk three feet more into the closet. Very strange and not very useful so we had our contractor make the opening wider.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiyGZOghKcL6kEDtGPa3vVDclJHItEoVs82PwLq89KOzrBmwUvsEWQSiGgTHJ0L212gahkNuQqWasRuweb1zMStEpMOomhH8_QEgx-jus2y36Ke7s-qwSmDmIZrdqwbzuUaTXx6AyecM/s1600/Untitled-4.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiyGZOghKcL6kEDtGPa3vVDclJHItEoVs82PwLq89KOzrBmwUvsEWQSiGgTHJ0L212gahkNuQqWasRuweb1zMStEpMOomhH8_QEgx-jus2y36Ke7s-qwSmDmIZrdqwbzuUaTXx6AyecM/s400/Untitled-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580011144876695746" border="0" /></a><br />They widened it quickly enough but they didn't finish the framing and drywalling until last month... not really excusable in my mind. But it's done now.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwOM-B_VRT5x7r4RdqJLsgwRyDMxK4mWKCRrgXCthsLj1OD_IFOlMTII5f4T81MU0dQ_X_jtJvTTnxj-duiplW1gDlm0eM6NuyLBzZopOra8CUS8CL_OX9mB6Vf4Ncy3Ky0msdN7gxdo/s1600/Untitled-5.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwOM-B_VRT5x7r4RdqJLsgwRyDMxK4mWKCRrgXCthsLj1OD_IFOlMTII5f4T81MU0dQ_X_jtJvTTnxj-duiplW1gDlm0eM6NuyLBzZopOra8CUS8CL_OX9mB6Vf4Ncy3Ky0msdN7gxdo/s400/Untitled-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580011147828328754" border="0" /></a><br />You can see the purple paint sample that I bought to try in the kitchen in the middle. I like it in the bedroom but it's a bit too light. Anyway, super eager now that the closet was finished, we bought this simple closet organizer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTEIeWb5dRCSAiQg20xoa4CY6o6jMjoq9Gts4AMBUdQmjttQEHAKuE5ezV20PVU5OOFWidyv19TbHrWNVwQvWR72DkOvj5SiWg2vUK-WZLPd7yizVMWkKRw5FFiM2U83dYLM1HnqEDCY/s1600/2011Feb-00+026.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTEIeWb5dRCSAiQg20xoa4CY6o6jMjoq9Gts4AMBUdQmjttQEHAKuE5ezV20PVU5OOFWidyv19TbHrWNVwQvWR72DkOvj5SiWg2vUK-WZLPd7yizVMWkKRw5FFiM2U83dYLM1HnqEDCY/s400/2011Feb-00+026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579686800158279810" border="0" /></a><br />The pink wall looked like it was in good enough condition. The back baseboard was rotten on one side so we would replace it but after that just a bit a plaster repair in that area, paint and install. Finally an easy job.<br /><br />...But when we stepped into the closet to check out the baseboard, I noticed a very straight line down the middle of the back wall. I pick at it a little with my finger and some fell off. Damn. That pink is paint on top of green paint on top of 80 year old wallpaper.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzMAAgvvyUpCFtGn1u2EBqkpY86ktow1p0mz6R88x2medCVGGk-RJv1QrUIYF2BZAUH_FkXvOkl52V53uKzklZJEd3m_67cCa2BwCUm_ZuIyEmV0YZ4AbbBG_FSDFZ3ozeawHSuG42II/s1600/Untitled-6.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzMAAgvvyUpCFtGn1u2EBqkpY86ktow1p0mz6R88x2medCVGGk-RJv1QrUIYF2BZAUH_FkXvOkl52V53uKzklZJEd3m_67cCa2BwCUm_ZuIyEmV0YZ4AbbBG_FSDFZ3ozeawHSuG42II/s400/Untitled-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580011154091043618" border="0" /></a><br />So a bit annoyed, we went off to Home Depot again and got a wallpaper scorer and a spray to dissolve the glue, then scraped late into the night determined to install the organizer tomorrow. Most of Sunday, I plastered over the wallpaper we couldn't scrape off and the holes from the plaster that was pulled away with the wallpaper until it got to whitish yellow state above. Sunday, we also wrenched off the baseboard and about 5 pieces of lathe that were also rotten in the area and maybe half a square foot of plaster. Before screwing in the new baseboard, we sprayed in a can and a half of spray foam to stop the strong draft that had been freezing me since the moment I knelt down to do the plastering. Seems to be working. After spreading on a second layer of plaster Monday night, the bottom corner looked like this.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHevc7JX0M1vQb7UIMDYaOwG5Gb7VHuW5bl7XJ4r6b-3T9i9pzWqLhIbgJlWoWB70dOyEULe9kyBEiMPuWjf7SEZsgB7jXGGwJI2kVKxHNlxBGAOWYV-oGcm0e8jFhkZssWPA3w9W5_KQ/s1600/Untitled-7.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHevc7JX0M1vQb7UIMDYaOwG5Gb7VHuW5bl7XJ4r6b-3T9i9pzWqLhIbgJlWoWB70dOyEULe9kyBEiMPuWjf7SEZsgB7jXGGwJI2kVKxHNlxBGAOWYV-oGcm0e8jFhkZssWPA3w9W5_KQ/s400/Untitled-7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580011159965081682" border="0" /></a><br />With the third coat at the bottom yesterday, the area is almost flat. This weekend I'll sand down the plaster repair and the top of the baseboard which has gotten its own accidental coat of plaster, then we'll paint and Patrick will be able to finally install the closet organizer.<br /><br />Eight months without a working closet has certainly been long enough, I'll definitely be posting a finished picture after this weekend.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-6280283706067443062011-02-23T20:40:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:37:12.830-07:00A Month LaterMy last post pretty much corresponded with the beginning of my new job. Things have been far too busy for me to even imagine what I could write about but luckily, not so busy that I haven't been able to detach from my job over the weekends and spend time enjoying the garden and working on the house.<br /><br />Not much has changed in the garden since we dug the trenches last month except for some rototilling. We bought ourselves a small rototiller to tear up our weeds and grass and it's worked quite well for the little we've used it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRKKUf0eITzOItMZdapAyhv4NklEYBPqSM1IGKjU-uVj5q-V4h_QPl4GVVclPdOntvXDN12SpPQEALUY0xgtQ4CvjM9i2BMWTTXnFPbmHBb6pbQ56rq5cEEvm7-AHP3H-yjE6IrvU-2s/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRKKUf0eITzOItMZdapAyhv4NklEYBPqSM1IGKjU-uVj5q-V4h_QPl4GVVclPdOntvXDN12SpPQEALUY0xgtQ4CvjM9i2BMWTTXnFPbmHBb6pbQ56rq5cEEvm7-AHP3H-yjE6IrvU-2s/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577446999894627090" border="0" /></a><br />One note, I've seen more than a few times people advising against rototilling oxalis... I think I disagree. We went over a couple square yards of wonderful clovers without going deep into the soil, no more than an inch (very easy to do with a small rototiller). So we ripped up the green vegetation in a very short matter of time and the bulbs are still undisturbed underneath. Seems to me that the result is the same as handpicking but with sooo much time saved. It's also so much more thorough. Now, we'll just wait for the clovers to reappear and go over them again to weaken the bulbs. Hopefully in a few years the bulbs will about give up.<br /><br />Anyway, for some whimsy, I bought a bird feeder!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Na68PItz3-ZH7bwkAWHHyqSrxRW6vuQnPWyfElo8qkYNrXSvkO2Ws6Gd3wrC7oySLKMsZZYEUSE_B5AadmE4WS1EG4IZcrP-z9MVfUXxl5kZseNZ6WUpVcI6rZh_9DHKaun2OT6y_Ok/s1600/DSC_0129.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Na68PItz3-ZH7bwkAWHHyqSrxRW6vuQnPWyfElo8qkYNrXSvkO2Ws6Gd3wrC7oySLKMsZZYEUSE_B5AadmE4WS1EG4IZcrP-z9MVfUXxl5kZseNZ6WUpVcI6rZh_9DHKaun2OT6y_Ok/s400/DSC_0129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577447002461841266" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know why but growing up we never had a bird feeder at any of the places I lived. It's made me so giddy watching the birds fly around. I caught a squirrel hanging down from a branch and spinning the feeder to knock down the food. Mischievous, but so fun to watch. As soon as I have some free money, I'm getting an Adirondack chair to read and watch from.<br /><br />So, I have few wonderful photos of my back yard moving into spring. First, the most dramatic blossoms, our star magnolia.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84E3TDJwbJI5Jm6hJdeyWgZD5Nrxs_VXJgV0oo7EWzr8wvMlV6ZmKdPQkzMfqRqK_vROwxhdwRKn90CF4tTXaaQTV_2E5JHcZ0ZaHysdGhBZVQajLZAvmIMSrNPQjluFi9Ie67WqlDxA/s1600/2011Feb-00+220.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84E3TDJwbJI5Jm6hJdeyWgZD5Nrxs_VXJgV0oo7EWzr8wvMlV6ZmKdPQkzMfqRqK_vROwxhdwRKn90CF4tTXaaQTV_2E5JHcZ0ZaHysdGhBZVQajLZAvmIMSrNPQjluFi9Ie67WqlDxA/s400/2011Feb-00+220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577116913467950834" border="0" /></a><br />At first the magnolia flowers were looking pretty bad because of the occasional frosty weather, but now the blooms are better and with the leaves half emerged, I think it looks better than it ever will.<br /><br />Next, the tiny clusters of flowers on my new Manzanita (not sure what variety sadly). Not in the ground yet but blooming like it doesn't care.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuRJc5eJlRoj6_S1MkUwQSF55-sjgU832r6iLuu4BmaCU6wcqDnmY1EnqYMtfSa5IqFUiK6PZVkTz6m8gMgAyAAfhcEjxYLrWZA5WGgk3-8tJkQ84CbToAQIoXawogsTAjB3AAGvzBO4/s1600/2011Feb-00+171.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuRJc5eJlRoj6_S1MkUwQSF55-sjgU832r6iLuu4BmaCU6wcqDnmY1EnqYMtfSa5IqFUiK6PZVkTz6m8gMgAyAAfhcEjxYLrWZA5WGgk3-8tJkQ84CbToAQIoXawogsTAjB3AAGvzBO4/s400/2011Feb-00+171.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577116916314391090" border="0" /></a><br />I'm so happy with the Manzanita and the Ceanothus, just now bursting its buds, that I'm sure I'll buy at least one more of each.<br /><br />Next, no flowers yet, but I'm loving the leaves on the irises I moved to the back last fall. They're finally growing large enough that the blades are growing wavy and really quite beautiful.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSjjwSuooBjDNPiTrdbwb2MOQ5GKe9Rx5YMsi7kRmjfzDePI3BQdECS8jyM18JC5UE6QVSheLkhY4_m7EDNGLnizsLwWP01dtkJW9QZfaovqRzWEvxXYlECcm5qBnXwiqPdPoyzcIuIE/s1600/2011Feb-00+207.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSjjwSuooBjDNPiTrdbwb2MOQ5GKe9Rx5YMsi7kRmjfzDePI3BQdECS8jyM18JC5UE6QVSheLkhY4_m7EDNGLnizsLwWP01dtkJW9QZfaovqRzWEvxXYlECcm5qBnXwiqPdPoyzcIuIE/s400/2011Feb-00+207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577116923310022482" border="0" /></a><br />I've also started a majority of the seeds I ordered and collected last year. Before now, I'd never collected and planted seeds before; before last year, I had never started plants from seeds. But I bagged up a few seedheads from my plant pots last summer and a couple from plants I'd put in my parents backyard. I've also recently harvested over a hundred little black seeds from the penstemen gloxinoides I planted in the front this winter.<br /><br />This time around, I decided to go the slow and steady way and have had my seed plants growing outside from the beginning, avoiding the problem of my curious inside cats. My seedlings may be slightly small, but they are very strong. They even survived that surprise hail last week! No casualties.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jWNbC4B8gbOWCzkbk9tZKqJVLrq3TPb1Klex7bCSu69ApPbtyfJXGSiEmPHGFDnxVGU7j-mZisp5aUPQ9J6cnNFVMlAFmPhYdousTlB6LRoZZX92PL_t2u0xziq9pfT1mH3088Qf8Ts/s1600/2011Feb-00+262.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jWNbC4B8gbOWCzkbk9tZKqJVLrq3TPb1Klex7bCSu69ApPbtyfJXGSiEmPHGFDnxVGU7j-mZisp5aUPQ9J6cnNFVMlAFmPhYdousTlB6LRoZZX92PL_t2u0xziq9pfT1mH3088Qf8Ts/s400/2011Feb-00+262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577122534392149570" border="0" /></a><br />Columbines collected from a double pink and a double purple variety I bought for my parents (they actually reseeded at my parents house despite the poor soil). I have four or five pots of these.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhi1YfnFEgzEaemhEyUT3Fb9zRYxMGmU5rVWi1fk_FDDiLoKtD6Il5DWwYQGMuw_3SJbF2ojtHoRJA9wsup5TboxjM6tD_Aw5GGQ65SJgun0FARUKk_57OKvKoQd95INHW23cm-nnc-sc/s1600/2011Feb-00+242.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhi1YfnFEgzEaemhEyUT3Fb9zRYxMGmU5rVWi1fk_FDDiLoKtD6Il5DWwYQGMuw_3SJbF2ojtHoRJA9wsup5TboxjM6tD_Aw5GGQ65SJgun0FARUKk_57OKvKoQd95INHW23cm-nnc-sc/s400/2011Feb-00+242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577122543871882098" border="0" /></a><br />Dianthus 'Ideal Violet' from Parkseed.com<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVQAlUPBhoH-JmwsNEE09QoPm6FTa3UJVcqhvG26i25pJrIS_s5TrpnaiLqCZoPQUOznKyZKkCZ-Zjje01Oo4wq0bqRBLpM7L9ubf1oU1zM1beJU6AGcy09PErBRt0WifU8XcBoQvWyY/s1600/2011Feb-00+249.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwVQAlUPBhoH-JmwsNEE09QoPm6FTa3UJVcqhvG26i25pJrIS_s5TrpnaiLqCZoPQUOznKyZKkCZ-Zjje01Oo4wq0bqRBLpM7L9ubf1oU1zM1beJU6AGcy09PErBRt0WifU8XcBoQvWyY/s400/2011Feb-00+249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577122546888918930" border="0" /></a><br />Galliardia 'Mesa Yellow' and 'Arizona Sun'. Galliardia was what I meant to buy when I got Gazania last year, but oh well, I have dozens of them now.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yYtCn945Ie4OwYuob3-FcsMFJ8GxmYw2Zl1hPyqibgsBfDqJfclWbe_2cp5QFyfdrYhDCQy0KT3ggJ9hgzBq8xowTkrsRAqXoq9xMZQMwW8Qj1XevMgnzRTVEvyuZVKq_tuk0Xq9F30/s1600/DSC_0227.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yYtCn945Ie4OwYuob3-FcsMFJ8GxmYw2Zl1hPyqibgsBfDqJfclWbe_2cp5QFyfdrYhDCQy0KT3ggJ9hgzBq8xowTkrsRAqXoq9xMZQMwW8Qj1XevMgnzRTVEvyuZVKq_tuk0Xq9F30/s400/DSC_0227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577449162539122690" border="0" /></a><br />Here are some of the poppies. The long thin blades are regular California poppies from a seed packet, but the thicker leaved ones are Red horned poppies from the first seeds I ever harvested (hehe my babies). Click on the picture, the hairy leaves are so weird.<br /><br />Lastly, I haven't written about work on the house in some time because there hasn't been much that was picture worthy. Perhaps in another month, I'll be able to post pictures of our living room, painted and decorated for the first time. As of now, the paint has been scraped off the plaster and maybe a tenth of the wall space has gotten a skim coat of new plaster.<br /><br />More later.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-56437187486513760912011-01-21T19:42:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:38:59.206-07:00Finally EmergingI've been horribly negligent about the bulbs that I so badly needed to buy over the last few months. Not on the buying side, I bought lots of bulbs but never got to planting them. Not until past all the recommended planting dates. On either January 8th or 9th, can't remember, I planted the Muscari I bought back in November. While I've already seen pictures of other people's gardens with emerging Muscari flower buds, mine are just getting started. But I'm very very glad to say that I didn't plant them too late! It's been just under two weeks but the tops of the leaves are starting to emerge.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIV2ZC2g8UDPlnDfvQK341plV-79IGLezikKzgCn9CqDlWt59TA66VOfNXJko3s4iQzMxB796kM-HT3x28Iviwp4OwxPaz1AhYwx5Q8DWeQ_xkv_7oqq7k6p9ff61_qtqB53-g55gRyo/s1600/2011-01-21-0+021.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNIV2ZC2g8UDPlnDfvQK341plV-79IGLezikKzgCn9CqDlWt59TA66VOfNXJko3s4iQzMxB796kM-HT3x28Iviwp4OwxPaz1AhYwx5Q8DWeQ_xkv_7oqq7k6p9ff61_qtqB53-g55gRyo/s400/2011-01-21-0+021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564853520239633282" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5cAqNwK95lFP0pkbzroxGUO-sfiBtz-_hFy_UeksVaQHGWV6uTmJ3rURg9EQrSEiPCyggFGS35Kc__cc-CAnWYLsdrbP1PXUWl3mK7rAFwQTpOyrIbSjLqYVgnDQNcOuKSRrPH9-z9E/s1600/2011-01-21-0+019.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5cAqNwK95lFP0pkbzroxGUO-sfiBtz-_hFy_UeksVaQHGWV6uTmJ3rURg9EQrSEiPCyggFGS35Kc__cc-CAnWYLsdrbP1PXUWl3mK7rAFwQTpOyrIbSjLqYVgnDQNcOuKSRrPH9-z9E/s400/2011-01-21-0+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564853843516640834" border="0" /></a><br />I was trying to count up the emerging tips but kept getting lost and seeing more where I'd already counted. There are at least 30 already coming up.<br /><br />And on to the bulbs in the front yard, I discovered three days ago that my tulips are also starting to pop up. Does anyone have tulips coming up already? I thought I waited too long to plant these too but it was still in early December. Much better than my other bulbs. These are on either side of the steps to our front porch.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhkspQTxxAVe5JeOsEWMmf-Bcnuq4lS6r27sdyNBBnsvrW9J4k-mUHbualoQESN6xb2nkhza9QVytRxpXJfW4UhPC2OmZOjaQr206Rdl7Hu50vBXsm4Im1BRPWsM1SKYiKhkn4mETVgw/s1600/2011-01-21-0+006.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhkspQTxxAVe5JeOsEWMmf-Bcnuq4lS6r27sdyNBBnsvrW9J4k-mUHbualoQESN6xb2nkhza9QVytRxpXJfW4UhPC2OmZOjaQr206Rdl7Hu50vBXsm4Im1BRPWsM1SKYiKhkn4mETVgw/s400/2011-01-21-0+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856874963858770" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwdUHsyrnUTUYhHFI5hBoTjexu0kCF_pxggkWcntbdNWUN21y8I_-ezTg0BE9DgjMVgtUm4MHlA6hqd1F6AgXYtsq2ZcVoKgohn-9YULl-zZqCrhrEAtayiPE68T29_RWLP0t0ZhAoXE/s1600/2011-01-21-0+003.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGwdUHsyrnUTUYhHFI5hBoTjexu0kCF_pxggkWcntbdNWUN21y8I_-ezTg0BE9DgjMVgtUm4MHlA6hqd1F6AgXYtsq2ZcVoKgohn-9YULl-zZqCrhrEAtayiPE68T29_RWLP0t0ZhAoXE/s400/2011-01-21-0+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564856887707104242" border="0" /></a><br />You can probably tell that I didn't amend the soil as much (as well) with the tulips as I did with the Muscari. I think I'll work some more compost into the soil when the bulbs die back next year.<br /><br />Like the bulbs, everything else in our garden just now is in the development stage. There seem to be just two plants blooming just now, the breath of heaven shrub in the front and the ground cover Gazania next to the street tree.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuA5rl8ehbErP-ITVOQL3WvTRFst-jtXzUTT5dwa4P-6VE6SJQe3mhaAiKjtXecqae55nFAa32BHZGxQ0gFc-txi-Tmb9ilQA82VDFNkgos8GnlsBLY91EWIOXA3GTmt48qA9Ni46qSg/s1600/2011-01-20-00+009.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuA5rl8ehbErP-ITVOQL3WvTRFst-jtXzUTT5dwa4P-6VE6SJQe3mhaAiKjtXecqae55nFAa32BHZGxQ0gFc-txi-Tmb9ilQA82VDFNkgos8GnlsBLY91EWIOXA3GTmt48qA9Ni46qSg/s400/2011-01-20-00+009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564859850871618370" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXTH46gL2C_YyrB9R1XBpeuyTnN7wZKubAPCn4xdLO4A8ErlXl0t7qKYNMew_cIqCcN0Lua4W6SFP-d5GUfTGCmZz6kNnOEQEo_Seg2wJn8e8_RL34HFQl8ygh85eT7EYUdg9vnS2brc/s1600/2011-01-09-010.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXTH46gL2C_YyrB9R1XBpeuyTnN7wZKubAPCn4xdLO4A8ErlXl0t7qKYNMew_cIqCcN0Lua4W6SFP-d5GUfTGCmZz6kNnOEQEo_Seg2wJn8e8_RL34HFQl8ygh85eT7EYUdg9vnS2brc/s400/2011-01-09-010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564861450898917042" border="0" /></a><br />I'll just have to do my best to add more plants that will give winter interest before the next one comes around (shouldn't be difficult as I have so much to add). I've already taken one step in that direction by finally planting one of the barberry 'red glow' shrubs that I bought, again, ages ago. It looks small and pitiful with only a few leaves remaining but those leaves are gorgeous.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DVB8Lv54cIPGFvUzV9De6FXmVEQBmGieegsAFl19mZbEab_cM4f-6mr1sB6Cr7n9hulBoGg2bv77tzOS4Nu5P4cEllabjSdP3E2t6gT8Wi2NhiJ76S0Vp58IzlW2ByeIHyRscnTyqNw/s1600/2011-01-09-013.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DVB8Lv54cIPGFvUzV9De6FXmVEQBmGieegsAFl19mZbEab_cM4f-6mr1sB6Cr7n9hulBoGg2bv77tzOS4Nu5P4cEllabjSdP3E2t6gT8Wi2NhiJ76S0Vp58IzlW2ByeIHyRscnTyqNw/s400/2011-01-09-013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564861460466131666" border="0" /></a><br />Then there's the Dietes or fortnight lily that I planted a few weeks ago which is finally starting recover some of its darker green coloring. It had been going slightly yellow in its pot but this year will be a better one for it. (This is my baby of two and a half years now, I'm determined it will be happy this year and bloom abundantly).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNmafZy7cCpKPSAXZbNB6NBQw8HEV95nM0b3aEs4l1QeOL0DSvtk49OXNgeb6RcscFs8aA0NFDOOa56uiIO-DstYpIr67n3J5r7HQTlI12OIMproYfUCh01f9_WxVSsFleZTS0kT4ZEc/s1600/2011-01-20-00+013.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNmafZy7cCpKPSAXZbNB6NBQw8HEV95nM0b3aEs4l1QeOL0DSvtk49OXNgeb6RcscFs8aA0NFDOOa56uiIO-DstYpIr67n3J5r7HQTlI12OIMproYfUCh01f9_WxVSsFleZTS0kT4ZEc/s400/2011-01-20-00+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564859859098813602" border="0" /></a><br />Last, on the topic of my developing plants, the newly planted Ceanothus 'Dark Star' that I mentioned before has little buds meaning I can be sure that it's happily developing in its new home.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_0HuNhaybt_niQigl1-6lumGQhpDPfW-P4UC3d952qqKIThmKxAzN4Entcdd7bpVpR4ktFqfBsNEHJNApAvsgTMFhMVdf7L4NkPKOui9Yifr-z0UYjI8S1pBt3qjIZtGssCBS39Gi2g/s1600/2011-01-21-0+030.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_0HuNhaybt_niQigl1-6lumGQhpDPfW-P4UC3d952qqKIThmKxAzN4Entcdd7bpVpR4ktFqfBsNEHJNApAvsgTMFhMVdf7L4NkPKOui9Yifr-z0UYjI8S1pBt3qjIZtGssCBS39Gi2g/s400/2011-01-21-0+030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564863803983410018" border="0" /></a><br />Last of all, I just have to post a few pictures of the new exterior of the house. The better lighting in these pictures is just begging for me to post them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_IzLfXBH3mcuiG1V9VYK4_X1s7_oeADxfl-jazNVaYLQxANll2WRw4zbNwU2QuL7rmfKGMxJG-_yCwh9gSftwoyhWLmHtQdI2pYk5UkzneeBlBA5CPob3FF2uFJo1NiCPYY2lyNy-vg/s1600/2011-01-16-0+006.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_IzLfXBH3mcuiG1V9VYK4_X1s7_oeADxfl-jazNVaYLQxANll2WRw4zbNwU2QuL7rmfKGMxJG-_yCwh9gSftwoyhWLmHtQdI2pYk5UkzneeBlBA5CPob3FF2uFJo1NiCPYY2lyNy-vg/s400/2011-01-16-0+006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564864971115677170" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP1Ih6nKw5YiC3Eq2F4uarfhJnRqzk50uj-S_r0HBe9yrQ_DhSpc1W-KDI0a6Hl7iYmLOOfIMAHXsvi0vdTDrW2nX9-bT0C0xTlc3ZYfPX5duKFDcJqNg1jMvviuCjd30iE4aZSkBlL0/s1600/2011-01-16-0+003.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioP1Ih6nKw5YiC3Eq2F4uarfhJnRqzk50uj-S_r0HBe9yrQ_DhSpc1W-KDI0a6Hl7iYmLOOfIMAHXsvi0vdTDrW2nX9-bT0C0xTlc3ZYfPX5duKFDcJqNg1jMvviuCjd30iE4aZSkBlL0/s400/2011-01-16-0+003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564864979177349586" border="0" /></a><br />And I told you, see? The back porch, though still with ugly siding attached to it, is straight and level.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQVPe7JxPPijivYBCk4J852Vt6nk712Xd66sZPlIs_QiMx5Zwt3NhUX6zIi01AxB_HdYujoPDKyVspDn2MnRyppjj5HAuHyAT8-Dj99EfwS0ioO4UNbCfkzWXWNrXrwhp-auQnRh5K3Y/s1600/2011-01-16-0+013.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQVPe7JxPPijivYBCk4J852Vt6nk712Xd66sZPlIs_QiMx5Zwt3NhUX6zIi01AxB_HdYujoPDKyVspDn2MnRyppjj5HAuHyAT8-Dj99EfwS0ioO4UNbCfkzWXWNrXrwhp-auQnRh5K3Y/s400/2011-01-16-0+013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564864980141038946" border="0" /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-32337782151902751782011-01-13T08:27:00.001-08:002011-03-27T20:39:56.365-07:00Ours is the Most Beautiful House...at least, on the street, if not farther out. To say the least, that Robin's Egg blue isn't on our house anymore. The painter's finished the day yesterday sooo close to being completely finished with the house and for the first time this week, we came home before sunset and were actually able to see their work. Two days ago, we gathered up all the paint samples that I'd left out on the porch and put the one we'd chosen on the porch rail for the painters to see. But silly me, of course, even though I've been viewing the color choice as an extremely serious decision, I was less than serious when I was quickly moving the samples about before work on Monday morning. I believe I accidentally left the second choice color for the house on the porch. heh. heh. Luckily, choosing between those last two colors was very difficult and I really loved both of them.<br /><br />Soooo... It not like I'm narrating this in person and you haven't actually seen the final pictures yet but~~~ *drumroll* Ta~dah<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDRk997b_hM5LB7xEl80_-LiHKFVsX4-ZSh0zEjHdxrxiYGUceb8YYo87I08CJJfEifkWClIRkJYwE5-hkvZwe-MQuDru-_eI2TW3pzjbRco7Gd-tkIqi4CJ7NZugQr1CuWY2ld2aEhU/s1600/2011-01-12-006.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDRk997b_hM5LB7xEl80_-LiHKFVsX4-ZSh0zEjHdxrxiYGUceb8YYo87I08CJJfEifkWClIRkJYwE5-hkvZwe-MQuDru-_eI2TW3pzjbRco7Gd-tkIqi4CJ7NZugQr1CuWY2ld2aEhU/s400/2011-01-12-006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561712040010864594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdm5yt0L-XBQYFE3s7XwqF2hM2e5A2EM29G9i408SBgvy1-mKQCHXvBuzn3MTGKKP20fhvAVjXnPC_tsTQbW98hM0Sef0i5uJBK_9Z4ZIJmgukiPs5g8J0Q9l9Kd-HovWzVGwdWIsHYc/s1600/2011-01-12-005.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdm5yt0L-XBQYFE3s7XwqF2hM2e5A2EM29G9i408SBgvy1-mKQCHXvBuzn3MTGKKP20fhvAVjXnPC_tsTQbW98hM0Sef0i5uJBK_9Z4ZIJmgukiPs5g8J0Q9l9Kd-HovWzVGwdWIsHYc/s400/2011-01-12-005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561712059614772386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcPBjZidw4OG_qVdHwBM1qXleBz3daIts47t8xbINcQYpVkWQaD2NXChLxjTCeANPbW7AWRETNt2wbUlvMqNA-qI0ykW0KU3-qE066ur8te-EdF2Lhgfk4Qhef5Rvorq6PZ3_E1499SI/s1600/2011-01-12-004.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcPBjZidw4OG_qVdHwBM1qXleBz3daIts47t8xbINcQYpVkWQaD2NXChLxjTCeANPbW7AWRETNt2wbUlvMqNA-qI0ykW0KU3-qE066ur8te-EdF2Lhgfk4Qhef5Rvorq6PZ3_E1499SI/s400/2011-01-12-004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561712061473676786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5paqFLwdDuyTGa5UnGOHfSn-3LhzmkPgBnqWezXWRSK6zE-G1W7TERM9SVnKJ20lCtM434dm-jkilWkiKcSQW-1gzBjaQltsF9zmRWtPgTzXKBCyzq6tG7PHH2vuSR03UiQnU2dmFRk/s1600/2011-01-12-003.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5paqFLwdDuyTGa5UnGOHfSn-3LhzmkPgBnqWezXWRSK6zE-G1W7TERM9SVnKJ20lCtM434dm-jkilWkiKcSQW-1gzBjaQltsF9zmRWtPgTzXKBCyzq6tG7PHH2vuSR03UiQnU2dmFRk/s400/2011-01-12-003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561712074023794610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkmbrvl8AVNm26UjZamW3hZbV7tw4xLX6cID12RUrDph4J5rBAeCFGz_AdvJL-iY5AJ0pgoccNyoDjXrLMpAhlW9AGy2gM9iqEhsNuPfNwJzzC7y6aHO7-jC8gz2ZJI-QkA3qwDpjnxM/s1600/2011-01-12-001.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkmbrvl8AVNm26UjZamW3hZbV7tw4xLX6cID12RUrDph4J5rBAeCFGz_AdvJL-iY5AJ0pgoccNyoDjXrLMpAhlW9AGy2gM9iqEhsNuPfNwJzzC7y6aHO7-jC8gz2ZJI-QkA3qwDpjnxM/s400/2011-01-12-001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561712066063167970" border="0" /></a><br />Even our garage with its tiny little window looks beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiTtDfbTRfyiCfZgoYXOwrUXAA76HT-mJ38-_7LIUqlD26Z3NcjEYbVWVTAMPw5Iy6zjX5gSzUw_-gY3rHgFOlzjM0M95tNfmOHrEJpH-0p8q41eawe73eOFrJMOQvbJabRi9MmOJVE8/s1600/2011-01-12-002.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiTtDfbTRfyiCfZgoYXOwrUXAA76HT-mJ38-_7LIUqlD26Z3NcjEYbVWVTAMPw5Iy6zjX5gSzUw_-gY3rHgFOlzjM0M95tNfmOHrEJpH-0p8q41eawe73eOFrJMOQvbJabRi9MmOJVE8/s400/2011-01-12-002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561721318392249074" border="0" /></a><br />Maybe you can see (but probably not) that there are a few spots that need some corrective painting . We're not complaining though since it free and goooorgeous. We'll want to paint the trim white around the two back doors, and that small spot on the middle pillar blue. Then, just two harder ones, that we might not do anyway, the top of the chimney wasn't painted for some reason, it's still quite pink but we might be getting the chimney rebuilt anyway, and the rafters on the side of the porch and house would be better white, not that they stand out strangely for being blue. Then, that back porch, ick. But really, in person, you can see that once the siding is taken off it will be fine and it is straight and level, as well, though for some reason it doesn't look it in the picture. Probably because of that siding.<br /><br />The only thing lacking now is the landscaping and now that the painting is done I can finally plant around the foundations!! Not that I have any money hah.<br /><br />So to finish...<br />Come on Google Street View!! I'll let you retake the pictures for our street now.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-18142072278414217822011-01-10T13:24:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:41:31.593-07:00Paint-tasticSo wonderful news, we're getting a New Years Gift from our contractor! He's painting our house, completely, instead of just priming it like he's required to. So no more pink house! He told us this last Thursday when he came by in the evening and they started painting on Friday. We had already been thinking about the colors we wanted and had grabbed some paint samples from Home Depot probably over a month ago so we gave those to him since he wanted to use a tinted primer. Fine with us, though we did make sure to tell him that we don't know the final color yet. Good thing too cause the colors we pick out were UGH Ugly! Take a look:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRDESWepTIxXyNtykIp6gBaw0keZRkcWkgdlCn4Gr8Z1mq6I-fz9YXVDq3RZxWldrrsRBgsvnE81Jw5Bngia6__YPKonN6sw7evu_77ubukRk1_lmnT4c9QyOlZeQR-lSNHQls_bQi0Q/s1600/2011-01-09-002.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRDESWepTIxXyNtykIp6gBaw0keZRkcWkgdlCn4Gr8Z1mq6I-fz9YXVDq3RZxWldrrsRBgsvnE81Jw5Bngia6__YPKonN6sw7evu_77ubukRk1_lmnT4c9QyOlZeQR-lSNHQls_bQi0Q/s400/2011-01-09-002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560673748131372114" border="0" /></a><br />Easter candy blue, don't you think? Quite a shock to come home to. Apparently, choosing lighter colors than you would guess you like is something you do for inside paint colors, NOT outside. So over the weekend we went back and forth to Home Depot two times before we had all the paint colors you can see on the front of the porch. But I wasn't really satisfied yet, so I went back one more time Sunday afternoon and pick out three more (total 12 samples = about $48, I think worth it for an exterior color choice) and applied them to the other side of the porch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmcuxw1EyOcFndrf0if6kep6IVdDSCf9swBgn_gj62HipuzfLiIxoxbNr9BRmQWzrW8jkpsw856y0od9ttd3ubH3JgYpRh5DAbd0I2G3iA-KPkEwXVx23khrpSokE8SPS-G9WmqrI_go/s1600/2011-01-09-005.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmcuxw1EyOcFndrf0if6kep6IVdDSCf9swBgn_gj62HipuzfLiIxoxbNr9BRmQWzrW8jkpsw856y0od9ttd3ubH3JgYpRh5DAbd0I2G3iA-KPkEwXVx23khrpSokE8SPS-G9WmqrI_go/s400/2011-01-09-005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560674844931505890" border="0" /></a><br />Love, finally I'd found the right shade and saturation. I was crazy for both of these colors so spent a ton of time making large swatches to compare. And then, I just couldn't decide. I made Patrick, who was getting quite tired of the process and seemed a bit convinced that I was trying to get the house painted teal, go outside and look at the colors twice before he finally convincingly said that he would like either one of them. So.... I decided as I was going to sleep that the brighter blue that I do very much love might not be acceptable to enough people, or me after it was on the entire house so the one of the left it is.<br /><br />While I write this now, the men have probably finished spraying the correct color on the house and should be painting the rails and trim the whitish color we chose. Also, today, the men should be taking down the ugly metal awning over the front window. Seen here along with one other dramatic front yard change:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKrvK2MAUcenycavuui9gPsUv7nqTUeVl26OcAko-70n9CWabt0jqpxTXTkCJmMD7q2tM8g0lODfrcChLVyUMmN00K8drip3bC_EIAdIqSYyQr_ST1dbXSlgfKbJkyL-pTTYuLMesp_s/s1600/2011-01-09-003.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKrvK2MAUcenycavuui9gPsUv7nqTUeVl26OcAko-70n9CWabt0jqpxTXTkCJmMD7q2tM8g0lODfrcChLVyUMmN00K8drip3bC_EIAdIqSYyQr_ST1dbXSlgfKbJkyL-pTTYuLMesp_s/s400/2011-01-09-003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560676892017410418" border="0" /></a><br />Do you see it in the shadows? No?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxRItOG9yIefUVXgu8ShyphenhyphenEr2h4ZX5xt5iv-mkUSAjcOp4RAxHTBDovUYgaPa9VME5u1TIpuq5kj5OTGlMj8eDv4d3OInTw27C09FKYhC9MBvKBxzPFC01rrYulnm50PeOQa0RLspQ4mg/s1600/2011-01-09-008.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxRItOG9yIefUVXgu8ShyphenhyphenEr2h4ZX5xt5iv-mkUSAjcOp4RAxHTBDovUYgaPa9VME5u1TIpuq5kj5OTGlMj8eDv4d3OInTw27C09FKYhC9MBvKBxzPFC01rrYulnm50PeOQa0RLspQ4mg/s400/2011-01-09-008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560677539259568562" border="0" /></a><br />No more Port-a-Pottie!! That wonderful surprise greeted us about a week ago. Also, quite a few other things have been completed in the last few weeks. The regrading, new drainage, and concrete around the chimney is finished. It started out like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbHZkvUSdvc5AJd9vh9TgE3Dj22zyA3UKmfY79tLP5-dflBEZBjia1dbwsGt7tqtXKsn1sMherpS3vP8uoBmJL2o2FUG9ivwCKgvBe9-d_5aUA2DzWhLBEI2pnOa2_G1W93Qddf_COng/s1600/2010-11-18-003.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbHZkvUSdvc5AJd9vh9TgE3Dj22zyA3UKmfY79tLP5-dflBEZBjia1dbwsGt7tqtXKsn1sMherpS3vP8uoBmJL2o2FUG9ivwCKgvBe9-d_5aUA2DzWhLBEI2pnOa2_G1W93Qddf_COng/s400/2010-11-18-003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560679331341793506" border="0" /></a><br />This picture was clearly taken on a dryer week and the problem isn't so obvious but just out of the picture is our chimney - our water trap. One morning after a rain, we took a look at this area and saw puddled sludge, because the water was just collecting there, trapped two inches below the concrete drive, and over the past century slowly making the chimney sink along with the rest of the living room. But now the foundations are a bit taller and the downspouts lead into a buried pipe diverting all the water down past the chimney. And to block any other water from pooling there anymore, we have new sloped concrete over this area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhK6c18y6HZ_jE9PsiZ_5tdjuN3fytR2QsNw3kNlf8JwOLBHEZAOu6PHvulQL5H1EmWBrUjaCCHP3vg-q9AnbqNAdwcsrNxyItbMagDejfDRGuB7U0-iAbIg-38PA4yTO-l1yRUbMPBI/s1600/2011-01-09-014.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhK6c18y6HZ_jE9PsiZ_5tdjuN3fytR2QsNw3kNlf8JwOLBHEZAOu6PHvulQL5H1EmWBrUjaCCHP3vg-q9AnbqNAdwcsrNxyItbMagDejfDRGuB7U0-iAbIg-38PA4yTO-l1yRUbMPBI/s400/2011-01-09-014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560681830848541666" border="0" /></a><br />It doesn't look obvious from the picture but the new concrete is nicely sloped and water won't be collecting there anymore.<br /><br />Now walking up the drive in to the backyard, we finally have a back porch again!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC18mEGfIQTWHKC890-euyLXq9JjCjfxv9HXcpb2E9FFrBckF3ca54l9JHkabflk8d5MbHnB5-fJHyHf3Vdmaepsaw5LmEfe0chPFeYS3tf3SrkzLYPimUuzmUHQPTOVRo0cap5OmQ10c/s1600/2011-01-09-017.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC18mEGfIQTWHKC890-euyLXq9JjCjfxv9HXcpb2E9FFrBckF3ca54l9JHkabflk8d5MbHnB5-fJHyHf3Vdmaepsaw5LmEfe0chPFeYS3tf3SrkzLYPimUuzmUHQPTOVRo0cap5OmQ10c/s400/2011-01-09-017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560682918332169954" border="0" /></a><br />...it isn't quite what I was expecting... but this is my fault for not drawing up plans for what I wanted. I was pretty much thinking that a small back porch is a small back porch, there's nothing really to explain. Well except the landing, I wanted that to be brick so I did talk with Abel about that and the men built it to the pattern I wanted using the extra bricks that we'd found around the yard. I'm happy enough with that. We'll have two planting beds on either side of the landing so the rough concrete underneath won't be visible. Now the siding however... Don't know why they put that on there. But then I didn't specify that I expected the lower part of the porch to just be open. I thought that later I might add lattice to it the open porch but of all the problems that have come up due to bad communication, this is one of the smallest so I didn't complain. All the side pieces of the porch are just screwed on so we'll just take off the siding sometime on our own.<br /><br />So anyway, next, to the lemon tree at the back of the garage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAPhQhc5xxN5Vc5MA3nIAUmlganG3NmxtZQoTynQEcEcxEwITw47KMhFcRftWT4kQkhZwNo4y1m9hcmVHv0cUxOlEw33NMRrhvcRG2Aam0t6Tgv9J0f0Sw6UWngSd6iDziweBlmNT49w/s1600/2011-01-09-021.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAPhQhc5xxN5Vc5MA3nIAUmlganG3NmxtZQoTynQEcEcxEwITw47KMhFcRftWT4kQkhZwNo4y1m9hcmVHv0cUxOlEw33NMRrhvcRG2Aam0t6Tgv9J0f0Sw6UWngSd6iDziweBlmNT49w/s400/2011-01-09-021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560685789693507410" border="0" /></a><br />And yes, I know it looks like I just weeded a spot next to the tree but I actually finally planted some of my suffocating bulbs. This patch has about 50 little muscari all over and 5 lily of the valley towards the right side. Then I took my ailing chamomile from the tiny pots I should have removed them from months ago and put them on top for a pretty, mossy cover growth (eventually). Also, good to note is that the muddy pit just visible below isn't full of pooling water anymore, after the week of dry weather, all the standing water has finally drained away and even better, despite all the water clearly flowing down the trenches to the bottom of the yard, the bottom area was dry after only 2 days (not so for the top half of the yard, we still need to do a little digging but we can only do so much on our weekends).<br /><br />Our last bit of progress is in the back corner of the yard. Here's what the blackberry patch looked like in spring before we had the house, before we'd even been able to cut down the weeds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlrAykEFG_e_I3BzUtHfZqlq2fhutQnKJ4CppSyOaAA0H3_SilgLnjvGxkhF078sZmbHWnieGpRS9zra5B4lUe1Xnqb63MDajgDlK1FjqBM0mknUpzeAZFFcKPSzp0VgDa8IDmeowvaI/s1600/2010-05-21-010.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlrAykEFG_e_I3BzUtHfZqlq2fhutQnKJ4CppSyOaAA0H3_SilgLnjvGxkhF078sZmbHWnieGpRS9zra5B4lUe1Xnqb63MDajgDlK1FjqBM0mknUpzeAZFFcKPSzp0VgDa8IDmeowvaI/s400/2010-05-21-010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560690037311419202" border="0" /></a><br />You can just see a red spot from a rose buried inside it and an orange spot from a nasturtium. Well, we took down the pear tree the first weekend we had the place because it honestly had no roots and was obviously dieing. But it took until the weekend before last for us, that is to say me, to cut through the rest of the thicket. It took two weekends but now it's almost gone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCee83r55xy-93CgN4N30prAzD19nC46eTvt3uQubIaoZ0EqEGB7t82kgA_v15P8Uee-smwg7_VQr6lzAdxEyGXS2kUIU-5L91XVgtrhETQpQXSlE2KLxNp4jegT3LnRQ_RAH59cvSD0/s1600/2011-01-09-018.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCee83r55xy-93CgN4N30prAzD19nC46eTvt3uQubIaoZ0EqEGB7t82kgA_v15P8Uee-smwg7_VQr6lzAdxEyGXS2kUIU-5L91XVgtrhETQpQXSlE2KLxNp4jegT3LnRQ_RAH59cvSD0/s400/2011-01-09-018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560691503067354098" border="0" /></a><br />Sorry for the bad lighting but then the picture wouldn't be very pretty even in the best lighting. The lump towards the left side is apparently a bush that the blackberries engulfed and I assume, killed from keeping light off it for two or more years. Next to that is the pretty rose that had been throwing up reddish purple flowers during the summer and that now had bright orange hips, looking very healthy despite the brambles. Then, there are the three volunteer trees that I'll just have to get to later... when I've gotten over this cold.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-39505234022707760052010-12-29T08:11:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:42:18.201-07:00Even More WaterAs forecasted, Oakland received just over two inches of rain during the night. Did our newly dug trench survive the night, did it move the excess water away from the boggy top of the yard? Yes! And it still is!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZMiMtsUhH6C_7g-iaVxvGrGr5klSuTNlelzzfS2EIUbPAUCLRpZ0G33I1s1wnAo4mUuf8xqsqBXs8gPKvpr2ATs7PI61PQ0QIuCDVbsH7IPHYMZsGOGNyCAdFnNpHH4YDOzlpxsLwFs/s1600/DSC_0153.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZMiMtsUhH6C_7g-iaVxvGrGr5klSuTNlelzzfS2EIUbPAUCLRpZ0G33I1s1wnAo4mUuf8xqsqBXs8gPKvpr2ATs7PI61PQ0QIuCDVbsH7IPHYMZsGOGNyCAdFnNpHH4YDOzlpxsLwFs/s400/DSC_0153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556140424984438482" border="0" /></a><br />Looking just at the sky, one would think that the rain has stopped already but our property doesn't seem to understand that. There is so much runoff from the hill behind us that we have a proper creek of water running down our trenches. And it's so sweet! I was a bit mesmerized looking at the tiny babbling brook this morning, watching the light bounce off it as it swirled about to the end of the system where it then made it's own eddy across the flat mud where our patio used to be and curled toward the back gate at the side of the house, like it actually wanted to join the french drain buried just below.<br /><br />So these pictures show the rest of the system that I was too tired or lazy or muddy to take pictures of when we finished it on Sunday. After the trench drops down to the lower level of the yard, it goes down a bit and then we decided for a bit of whimsy, it splits in two and we have a little island. We will probably make a cute little bridge to go over it or maybe two. We will need to work a little bit on the leveling though so that the water flows more easily into the inner branch, right now the only water in there is the back up from the end of the trench. Also, can you see the silt (or debris left in the trench from our digging) that has traveled all the way down the yard to try and clog the lower branch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajjzGP3DjAqRGkKCurUrIXAkI-ADrLDr0TBRq-WNctnkxTER-MQA1UlsjsXlIJ4MZFzXldXx8ws2W2Ne1HUd1AmPBe9UCz3A22PhGkxP98AiOdOGV2x1qxzrJdF1ssfqG89n52GCwtes/s1600/DSC_0157.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajjzGP3DjAqRGkKCurUrIXAkI-ADrLDr0TBRq-WNctnkxTER-MQA1UlsjsXlIJ4MZFzXldXx8ws2W2Ne1HUd1AmPBe9UCz3A22PhGkxP98AiOdOGV2x1qxzrJdF1ssfqG89n52GCwtes/s400/DSC_0157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556140430226441954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15_Ht20OAe43kHgEKDLLcKZS0snDlm2MB2mJJW6VedN-7FTqOyjYE11h-05fW5ThnGze38c0wXowQ9JyFNQeKZhRL-b16SKfS7TQmgG1LK5j8YOZp4vcnYbraA8mST8hQrkZ_BHbdWrA/s1600/DSC_0154.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15_Ht20OAe43kHgEKDLLcKZS0snDlm2MB2mJJW6VedN-7FTqOyjYE11h-05fW5ThnGze38c0wXowQ9JyFNQeKZhRL-b16SKfS7TQmgG1LK5j8YOZp4vcnYbraA8mST8hQrkZ_BHbdWrA/s400/DSC_0154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556140437224254786" border="0" /></a><br />In the second picture, you can see the water edging ever higher in the trench till it overflows at the end flooding this new area of the yard! But this is what we were aiming for. Even without the rest of the trench dug out the water is continuing to flow down and is leaving the yard in the french drain put in by our contractor.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15_Ht20OAe43kHgEKDLLcKZS0snDlm2MB2mJJW6VedN-7FTqOyjYE11h-05fW5ThnGze38c0wXowQ9JyFNQeKZhRL-b16SKfS7TQmgG1LK5j8YOZp4vcnYbraA8mST8hQrkZ_BHbdWrA/s1600/DSC_0154.JPG"><br /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-38411907533751727632010-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:002011-03-27T20:43:16.188-07:00Far too Much WaterSo this weekend, I was finally set to stop procrastinating and fill our green bin with blackberry brambles. And I did, as much as could fit at least, which happened to be a bit less than half. In the process of pulling and separating the amazingly long canes (some twisting nearly a dozen feet), I found some oddly high tangles of grass, right in the middle of the brambles, surrounding flat depressions of grass... kind of like a bed... It was empty when I found it but this must have been a nest for something big - maybe raccoons or opossums?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_NEGbQRwp4paZYEQO3zqKmXIos7Us5LHL4Ae9PIV3pv9y2fBp70lofmDf85ZyMfUyGoQa9h_OLxDpW6G-S99vb2Pf1X_1sAqD-iDn_F0K5P0zC3o3KzBsB5sre1KzmC6MUCCazL4a18/s1600/12-28-+014.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_NEGbQRwp4paZYEQO3zqKmXIos7Us5LHL4Ae9PIV3pv9y2fBp70lofmDf85ZyMfUyGoQa9h_OLxDpW6G-S99vb2Pf1X_1sAqD-iDn_F0K5P0zC3o3KzBsB5sre1KzmC6MUCCazL4a18/s400/12-28-+014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555800619480058130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6D_4HjnjMHkLCH47V5Km1B-6L-y9uH4aR2KiyKHPS7EhArl04RYzGMjAclvJ6prFKl4a2xT8aI5cHYVWgHz99M6hHinSrljXp_JLy-2oR966IOm3gIetnjrNNaFHanaEEyzy5YBeJs0/s1600/12-28-+019.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6D_4HjnjMHkLCH47V5Km1B-6L-y9uH4aR2KiyKHPS7EhArl04RYzGMjAclvJ6prFKl4a2xT8aI5cHYVWgHz99M6hHinSrljXp_JLy-2oR966IOm3gIetnjrNNaFHanaEEyzy5YBeJs0/s400/12-28-+019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555800625776013778" border="0" /></a><br />Recently, we've found some rinded lemons sitting around the yard, like rodents have eaten the sweet skin and left the sour flesh - my coworker rents a place with garden full of rats that do a similar thing.... but luckily she said that they always leave a mess of lemon peel bits around the part they leave behind and my thieves are very clean, taking every piece with them so I'm crossing my fingers that it's just squirrels or raccoons. Anyway, I don't think they've been living in our blackberry stand for a while now or at least hopefully they won't be coming back now that I've open their nest up to the cold.<br /><br />So while I packed our bin with the thorny thorny canes, trying to not get pricked, I glanced over to our back planting bed and noticed (for the second or third time) that standing water had collected in the left side of the triangle. I wasn't happy the other times I'd noticed this but didn't have the time to deal with it, this time I decided that now that the bin was full, I should try to fix that problem, too. Here's the first picture I took, sadly after I'd taken a couple spadefuls out but the problem is still obvious:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjeI9m7a8UD54yDY90LlpaNq-1W4lqqa22na-iBsaNYcbejmKppwdQjeMF8kXKN69l68QKlQoPYgtVPtgNWJTg7pnKsrJeQ2A6M8r3hI5pRPrrcyvVCgSu1WwmcwQgfYSrQ_0ZUuReMw/s1600/12-28-+024.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjeI9m7a8UD54yDY90LlpaNq-1W4lqqa22na-iBsaNYcbejmKppwdQjeMF8kXKN69l68QKlQoPYgtVPtgNWJTg7pnKsrJeQ2A6M8r3hI5pRPrrcyvVCgSu1WwmcwQgfYSrQ_0ZUuReMw/s400/12-28-+024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555800634105911746" border="0" /></a><br />A few minutes shoveling didn't take care of the problem so I kept going, discovering more and more water just barely under the boggy ground I was standing on. At the least, you can see below that the standing water has moved away from the roses, pelargoniums, and lavender that were probably drowning a bit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUbo1jtGciXCU0NafH6HM2Q4QPyleWpT-Jr6SNglfC3mZam9ER85KKhkRZT4-kId71Auj-YcntjtiPA9Bl9q9iWewmSMI0q5gsDkATNgAWaojGxFzC7T21CpjAob_sf9T4ACqUxOrTk8/s1600/12-28-+037.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUbo1jtGciXCU0NafH6HM2Q4QPyleWpT-Jr6SNglfC3mZam9ER85KKhkRZT4-kId71Auj-YcntjtiPA9Bl9q9iWewmSMI0q5gsDkATNgAWaojGxFzC7T21CpjAob_sf9T4ACqUxOrTk8/s400/12-28-+037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555801721479013698" border="0" /></a><br />Now the other side didn't look bogged down but if I was making a drainage ditch for the one side I wanted it to do it's work on the other side as well. Also, I noticed that much more water came out and gathered in the areas I had dug already than one would think possible so I figured something would appear even in the dry looking side. And it did, but there's no good pictures to show off the digging I did for the rest of the night, well past sunset (I haven't been that enthusiastic digging ever, I think). And eager to get started on Sunday, I came out to take a picture of any continued flooding the next morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JMHmj5RsjJmHFht6c6WNpDS3JOmZeIcDlh2hk_p4jOF94MdQlVsHHYxGZzZ7-mcdojlC4Nu4w7cWWwecxrwrBtx-aysjnjTPaGusJqIJkChG0-ruhPZ0a2kql8Y6HHTYdU_jOv_9yXc/s1600/12-28-+066.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4JMHmj5RsjJmHFht6c6WNpDS3JOmZeIcDlh2hk_p4jOF94MdQlVsHHYxGZzZ7-mcdojlC4Nu4w7cWWwecxrwrBtx-aysjnjTPaGusJqIJkChG0-ruhPZ0a2kql8Y6HHTYdU_jOv_9yXc/s400/12-28-+066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555804581596551090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR998ZaXDyQUNSeXeyvHjJ9yrcBRsq8oQheehyr0VPhoYFmY5HX0W7EXmIcGM3Ax3gqKSMx8Lpc02sMm_tLNTMT8fm2lmprwaZLi_R_p17H2Rug2wwpg6-P-3xoOytRt-FMrtyb5J6_qM/s1600/12-28-+068.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR998ZaXDyQUNSeXeyvHjJ9yrcBRsq8oQheehyr0VPhoYFmY5HX0W7EXmIcGM3Ax3gqKSMx8Lpc02sMm_tLNTMT8fm2lmprwaZLi_R_p17H2Rug2wwpg6-P-3xoOytRt-FMrtyb5J6_qM/s400/12-28-+068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555804590707538738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbPOxBVIMtT7HZA8aaEgelMe9kV8h1t-3mw3Gd9_4KGawf2xbVepWSyBsK7jgiXlS-db7ug6DgguoAh8lLlQMwCEnOdVyEdT1nOoye3rOYzFu92h2l7nHzQcc7Nu9P57arVxn8S2qtj4/s1600/12-28-+069.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbPOxBVIMtT7HZA8aaEgelMe9kV8h1t-3mw3Gd9_4KGawf2xbVepWSyBsK7jgiXlS-db7ug6DgguoAh8lLlQMwCEnOdVyEdT1nOoye3rOYzFu92h2l7nHzQcc7Nu9P57arVxn8S2qtj4/s400/12-28-+069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555804592055598978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj5O4G-jRPCYmOxB9wB05Lm4fKdrwmt6VciINNuUrDn9massmr6Y4cEXsqeYFbmDvnJFiFn4u-b4f9vN0PysKVMFurN_Ffj72MnK7yFHpVH8myG-ZzTTP6Q5ywQ2qWPiv022Xd2xRUGs/s1600/12-28-+070.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrj5O4G-jRPCYmOxB9wB05Lm4fKdrwmt6VciINNuUrDn9massmr6Y4cEXsqeYFbmDvnJFiFn4u-b4f9vN0PysKVMFurN_Ffj72MnK7yFHpVH8myG-ZzTTP6Q5ywQ2qWPiv022Xd2xRUGs/s400/12-28-+070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555804601908345634" border="0" /></a><br />And yes, I did all this awesome trenching with my own girlishly weak arms. And all the horrible mucky, muddy mess, that's mine too. It was also all over me the night before and destroying the only pair of shoes I really wear, some little black flats, that I'm now wearing, even though they're still a bit caked. Feeling that after the night before, flats with no tread and very little waterproofing power weren't the best footwear to continue in, I went with Patrick and we both got some wellies (or galoshes if you prefer) to work in.<br /><br />This time, I dragged in Patrick to lend his more powerful, less sore muscles to the trenching. Together we were able to get the trench continued all the way to the end of the grass in the lower part of the back garden. Very proud of our weekend work, although it is true that I'd hoped that I'd finally get the rest of my bulbs buried and my maybe some of my new plants - Christmas Eve nursery trip, my present! - in the ground.<br /><br />Still, this means we're finally started and even halfway done on one of our many projects. Now that the trench is dug out, we just have to get gravel and rocks delivered so we can make our dry creek bed. In my original plans I didn't have the creek going up into the top garden but I think it will be better this way. Now our large decomposed granite flat space up top will be bisected by a cute little creek and we can place flat flagstones for steps across it. Also, any worry about bogginess in patio area up top will be taken care of.<br /><br />But anyway, one to two inches of rain is forecasted for tonight so I'll take more pictures tomorrow that include the second part of the trench and we'll see if it survives the night and serves its purpose.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-43082497982616097162010-12-16T10:07:00.001-08:002011-03-27T20:43:48.728-07:00Weeds and the Lemon TreeI don't have so much to add after my last post, just a couple pictures to post. I've mentioned before that I knew the top of my garden was weed infested and that I had even seen some of those nasty Oxalis clovers next to the fence when first viewing the house. Well... there is quite a bit more Oxalis than that. See:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFNHV7ZNogoGxyURxtiml4WMwTX0-6OA_6sYAP55huw53wJ-0E6lp6pnWsB9-4qlQxytfSfWc1krm5cs9EdFD1UMldPyrjsJPQuouKG9sQ2iQu47V24-skuY-VJBGC53ZYkPs53cXopA/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFNHV7ZNogoGxyURxtiml4WMwTX0-6OA_6sYAP55huw53wJ-0E6lp6pnWsB9-4qlQxytfSfWc1krm5cs9EdFD1UMldPyrjsJPQuouKG9sQ2iQu47V24-skuY-VJBGC53ZYkPs53cXopA/s400/DSC_0025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551345836407204114" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxovetjpS-vyxOSrmGKjUxtZCUvhA1XKfJhiD69M-Qli2EHTQAp1Q8AXjapuu5A3_h1bxHSYbKuMEqX2wBJXZ2P4UIZ6E81TTfkS0odE6ZvyFMR7KF1ZExaK4Ut-5zOFSIaQ7tR326PU/s1600/12-13--+035.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxovetjpS-vyxOSrmGKjUxtZCUvhA1XKfJhiD69M-Qli2EHTQAp1Q8AXjapuu5A3_h1bxHSYbKuMEqX2wBJXZ2P4UIZ6E81TTfkS0odE6ZvyFMR7KF1ZExaK4Ut-5zOFSIaQ7tR326PU/s400/12-13--+035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551343957702586930" border="0" /></a><br />It is all located in the top of the garden at least. The ugly retaining wall kept them all up top I guess. And, well, anticipating weed growth spurts (though not this much clover) and the inability to pull them all in good time over the winter wet season, I laid out some extra cardboard in the top left side of the garden that we had from moving. They're now nicely soaked, starting to breakdown and working wonderfully.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7YvK6Ecj2uDFANJIMjeauxI-hXHqUxi-eC086x7RTEzn8WXsjgkQYdIe08JHri8IzDT-UwOHhS9Dhco9OGpo8qmSMR6kyCy79yvuKywySk1mNDKSnys6UTDvJzY1CjZLPj1TGMpzwwI/s1600/12-13--+033.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7YvK6Ecj2uDFANJIMjeauxI-hXHqUxi-eC086x7RTEzn8WXsjgkQYdIe08JHri8IzDT-UwOHhS9Dhco9OGpo8qmSMR6kyCy79yvuKywySk1mNDKSnys6UTDvJzY1CjZLPj1TGMpzwwI/s400/12-13--+033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551344970938456962" border="0" /></a><br />I pulled some up last week to see what was underneath: dead yellow grass and spiders, of course, but also long yellow Oxalis that was obviously trying to find the sun and failing spectacularly. The uncovered clovers are very happy and green and I've pulled some of it - many buckets full but it's just too much for the dry time I have to devote to the chore. Luckily, we are planning on eventually having a large central gravel area in the back and a pergola with pavers underneath. Also, the one bed we have dug out is almost completely clover free. So digging helps remove the clovers. Go figure.<br /><br />The second thing, obviously has to do with the poor lemon tree I wrote about in the last post. Well, just to better illustrate why we must take the drastic action of topping the tree in order to help it recover, I want to post this picture that was hiding on my home computer of the very spot that is the tree's main problem.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NzKmbKWSL_81yhtw2kKlVK_Vk3Qhc-d8oZifRdVjPUcNJ5h0fOvfoGEaWa_MkWyk1vZAA64r0En5BVy3tPWsQBbvh25tnpUhEz36hQvVDD0dlABLCRYMCZExG3MYBxZ-t3kpXL4PE5E/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NzKmbKWSL_81yhtw2kKlVK_Vk3Qhc-d8oZifRdVjPUcNJ5h0fOvfoGEaWa_MkWyk1vZAA64r0En5BVy3tPWsQBbvh25tnpUhEz36hQvVDD0dlABLCRYMCZExG3MYBxZ-t3kpXL4PE5E/s400/DSC_0086.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551886826270607442" border="0" /></a><br />Enlarge this one if you doubt our reasoning. You can see that the previous owners topped the tree at the now enlarged spot. When the main leader of a tree is cut, or topped, the resulting sprouts fight to become the new leader growing oddly thick compared to normal lateral branches, and you can see on our lemon that there were branches that sprouted out in all directions from the beheaded trunk and the branch to the left sprouted a perpendicular branch which became the new leader. But topping a tree doesn't make pruning easier but more and more often necessary. These guys didn't follow up (and well, they never should have topped the tree in the first place) so all the side the branches from the topped spot grew bigger and more distorted, running into each other and warping. Eventually the one to the left cracked away from the replacement leader because it was too weak to support the weight of its canopy at the angle it had sprout from the trunk at.<br /><br />So, as I said in the last post, there are just a few options open to us:<br /><ol><li>Let well enough alone. The tree produces well over a hundred lemons a year, it seems. Downside, it's inevitable that other branches will eventually crack away and fall, hopefully on the ground, eventually killing the tree. Also, the tree would continue to be an eyesore.</li><li>Chop down the tree wholesale. Seems a pity though to waste such a well established and well producing tree.</li><li>Prune the tree to help keep the branches from becoming overburdened. Though, this will likely encourage growth and so might not prevent #1.</li><li>Drastically prune the weak members and joints away. And as the entire structure of our tree is terribly weak, this means topping the tree down to just below the previous top point. AND unlike the previous owners, we will properly prune after the cut, encouraging limited stable growth.<br /></li></ol>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-21855332714490971982010-12-13T14:21:00.000-08:002010-12-15T14:39:09.752-08:00Weekend GardeningI was so so happy that the weekend arrived and it was actually dry like they said it would be. I've had a great desire to be out working in the garden lately but by the time I get home on a weekday, the light is already going. I'm barely able to look around and see if work has been done on the house while I've been gone. But this weekend I was able to get out and do some work. Muddy work, but overall very satisfying.<br /><br />For the past month or so I've been telling myself every time I go out to the garden that I'm going to get my pruners and chop down the big strand of blackberry bushes in the back corner of the yard but easily distracted as I am, I haven't so much as touched one of the canes despite going out 5 or 6 times since my resolution. This time I distracted myself with the mound of grass, weeds, and clay that I had heaped up in mid-summer to dig our solitary flower bed in the back of the garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSREKZ4ZXgFoRnzu4680VYleWyOqHoZDfBVXDt6hFqpxmheKJJS767TfZU_aXPSawH04SEB7oBkgEZtXbFS8BtVBz0jeax-Uj1fkAFkLvBanUjbX6L4zeOJV7NHfE77BOtSdYdFD9y4M8/s1600/DSC02538.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSREKZ4ZXgFoRnzu4680VYleWyOqHoZDfBVXDt6hFqpxmheKJJS767TfZU_aXPSawH04SEB7oBkgEZtXbFS8BtVBz0jeax-Uj1fkAFkLvBanUjbX6L4zeOJV7NHfE77BOtSdYdFD9y4M8/s400/DSC02538.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550307742633651442" border="0" /></a>Our flower bed has since expanded in both directions but the heap has remained. I thought it might naturally form a small hill once the rains started to come. Instead, it stubbornly remained a lumpy heap, which I have to admit I was actually quite sure would happen. You can kind of see it, lazing there in the picture below from mid-October.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWtdhuUGxsQi7hbcZFpB10gMtvSB-sfEBdr4kaMT78XAmlV8XZCzaq2sCovScytOM_ah3hySH8CMvuHbDXyQzkMS-mqbfYLS8zgSfl9Wallg-o-37Jn_4H6tmjys7jQetqyR7iL8Wbz8/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPWtdhuUGxsQi7hbcZFpB10gMtvSB-sfEBdr4kaMT78XAmlV8XZCzaq2sCovScytOM_ah3hySH8CMvuHbDXyQzkMS-mqbfYLS8zgSfl9Wallg-o-37Jn_4H6tmjys7jQetqyR7iL8Wbz8/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550310299571605762" border="0" /></a><br />Since the rains started, it has also started to sprout a new growth of weedy geraniums and grasses (luckily no oxalis, the bulbs must be buried deep). And since there was also a couple inches of original grass between it and the finished bed that have been trying to spread into our precious, clean flower bed, I decided to procrastinate on the berries, by hacking at the heap this weekend. Also, it's the low impact, easy on the muscles kind of gardening I especially like. So here it is, after picking it apart for two hours or so, it was finally a nicely manicured little hill behind the flower bed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLCTW0N1LDHXb0jHe5OS1YQB835t-AUzS80xjWNVDrM65qR-1gNMPfLxvm4SnHr51YG2TvkfATHW0j5gRxiEEtE0k1A-dMSGjkdd7tahFEXUGB6Yp29UIkA35QtQbS-OgY5PiSLzHHkI/s1600/12-13--+047.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLCTW0N1LDHXb0jHe5OS1YQB835t-AUzS80xjWNVDrM65qR-1gNMPfLxvm4SnHr51YG2TvkfATHW0j5gRxiEEtE0k1A-dMSGjkdd7tahFEXUGB6Yp29UIkA35QtQbS-OgY5PiSLzHHkI/s400/12-13--+047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550313402455082194" border="0" /></a><br />The lump was kind of resting against the bottom few inches of the fence for these 5 months so you can see the dark soaked wood behind it... I know, very bad of me, very unneighborly... but looking at it again on Sunday, dried out, it looks like that area of the fence is in no worse condition than the rest of it.<br /><br />Also, sidenote - I cut out the two overgrown Coreopsis plants I had between the Agastache and Foxglove. I also cut down the Agastache and harvested the seeds a week ago. I don't know if the Coreopsis will come back, it might, the roots look very healthy, but if they do I'll move them to a new place. The Agastache and Foxgloves next year should be enough for that part of the bed.<br /><br />And so, Sunday! Having conquered the heap, I decided I must now use it like I originally planned to. Now, the lighting is pretty bad but here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBikzcfnyVGWEQLkuhrBsh88KE7t0UcOmTV9SPG-kV-dSnj5NwXK01Hq-d4tM-KHcbNKmdjtYu5fo3N3BtHk9jnFbrxSho65KlHYDRzBouVO2SBQVsHm5r5e7DRBMq2ccTYcwyUtINFQ/s1600/12-13--+069.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBikzcfnyVGWEQLkuhrBsh88KE7t0UcOmTV9SPG-kV-dSnj5NwXK01Hq-d4tM-KHcbNKmdjtYu5fo3N3BtHk9jnFbrxSho65KlHYDRzBouVO2SBQVsHm5r5e7DRBMq2ccTYcwyUtINFQ/s400/12-13--+069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550315398173897506" border="0" /></a><br />That's a very well shaped, at least I thought so, Ceanothus 'Dark Star' sitting on top of the heap. I've always wanted to plant one in the back garden, so this is what I was thinking when I originally made the heap. I've read that a little additional water in the summer can be good for it but that too much can kill it and that it needs to be in well drained soil, so I think it will do well there. Also once it expands into a small tree, it will go very well with the two roses in front and next to it. While the roses are cut down and resting for the winter, the Ceanothus should be in full bloom, winter to spring. Then as it turns into a normal evergreen shrub after the bloom, the roses will take over.<br /><br />And so the back flower bed is starting to take proper shape. I want most of the plants in the top of the yard to need little water: Agastache, Lavender, and Ceanothus. This next year, I plan to add native wildflowers and shrubs, a pergola and wisteria, a redbud, a Black Oak, and a large dry space in the middle with Decomposed granite or something similar.<br /><br />There are already two trees in the back of the garden: a deciduous magnolia and an ornamental lemon. While I was lazing about in between weeding this weekend, I stared off into space in the tree's general area and noticed that a few of the blossoms are starting to open!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDYKbnYT3kRjDCESdZ29vI23cxPGcblTVtrXDQZcrGxsfcj6MPPWr6IoOBU1SabXooE892iK5uoH1ZMZbjpQMbzeHTvXKTrKyjlenxJIzVkX8lK6PjM0aw5Hp8OJQbQNYAyOLfS5OW-c/s1600/12-13--+056.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDYKbnYT3kRjDCESdZ29vI23cxPGcblTVtrXDQZcrGxsfcj6MPPWr6IoOBU1SabXooE892iK5uoH1ZMZbjpQMbzeHTvXKTrKyjlenxJIzVkX8lK6PjM0aw5Hp8OJQbQNYAyOLfS5OW-c/s400/12-13--+056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550624794095561282" border="0" /></a><br />There are three or four buds nearly ready to open. In fact, I checked again briefly last night and this bud had open about 2 1/2 inches at the top. I'm glad to see that the drought stress inflicted on it during probably the last 5 years hasn't injured it too much. Last year, I saw beautiful blossoms in March, when I first saw the house, but forgot to take pictures so I still don't know what type of magnolia this is. Once I get some fully opened blossoms I'll probably be able to finally identify it. At first, we weren't sure if we'd want to keep the magnolia, as it isn't in the best of shape but I think if it survives our restorative pruning, we'll keep it. What do I mean? Well here are the biggest problems with the tree:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOjPPo2KdVmSyZwLWfvHw6ihm5ul-yhCW_lTSJdKltux5cNgSwa6TTXwfGSZN7DflTwwxCk7aE61j4TUUDFSC6JJzlfQSDTbxRjWYTQtrcrVNeLcVKv4R-DROGVxJJ5j79Ko3yPLVVNY/s1600/DSC02280.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOjPPo2KdVmSyZwLWfvHw6ihm5ul-yhCW_lTSJdKltux5cNgSwa6TTXwfGSZN7DflTwwxCk7aE61j4TUUDFSC6JJzlfQSDTbxRjWYTQtrcrVNeLcVKv4R-DROGVxJJ5j79Ko3yPLVVNY/s400/DSC02280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550629442062547826" border="0" /></a><br />One of these took care of itself (kinda?). The lower rotted limb just fell off when I touched it one time. It did leave a rotted hole in the trunk like the one in the middle of the picture though. Obviously there used to be a branch there, where it went nobody knows. Then, there's the crossing branch in between the two main trunks. We finally bought a reciprocating saw this weekend, via Craigslist ($50! At home depot, the exact same one for $149.99) so we took care of that and a couple of crossing branches above. What to do about the rotting holes, no clue...<br /><br />But on the subject of trees and pruning, we did something else this weekend that is probably... not so good... So our Lemon tree! Wonderful lemons, even last week we picked two for cooking, but the body of the tree is about beyond repair. Originally it looked like this from one angle:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHPNbZ9xxk9oDhDNHNzsAITxDoc3DGIcjcx2u5Wj2o4aKgKbzp0GQ0s_upgIIbxlu94mXFaBJ0FzLpOVVBla_kB5UzpOfZ4Rlmy9DMDTFbHPx4MZzYIxRUCwiCs9nTdMxCH-PmuiJkNc/s1600/DSC02283.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHPNbZ9xxk9oDhDNHNzsAITxDoc3DGIcjcx2u5Wj2o4aKgKbzp0GQ0s_upgIIbxlu94mXFaBJ0FzLpOVVBla_kB5UzpOfZ4Rlmy9DMDTFbHPx4MZzYIxRUCwiCs9nTdMxCH-PmuiJkNc/s400/DSC02283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550632206609454818" border="0" /></a><br />After some basic pruning, there was this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuwxDbTZLv_C81Sgjor_DMfld54P_R8JjO9yP0c-n9JXLWEEg7ObmsoX7bDbQHkFDxHnQNSjjaIcin8x1vB-zeUrahVQSENHGxyWdI_ircbKbzJegTMnUHKog8klvmJxb4NMjSCrZIT0/s1600/DSC02471.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuwxDbTZLv_C81Sgjor_DMfld54P_R8JjO9yP0c-n9JXLWEEg7ObmsoX7bDbQHkFDxHnQNSjjaIcin8x1vB-zeUrahVQSENHGxyWdI_ircbKbzJegTMnUHKog8klvmJxb4NMjSCrZIT0/s400/DSC02471.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550632794794848898" border="0" /></a><br />And as we didn't have a reciprocating saw yet, we left some stumps on the tree to clean up later. This Sunday, we started at it. Sawing off those bits first and the ends of some rather less stable look limbs and branches that shot off into the canopy 6 feet... and we kinda... didn't stop.... By the end of the day we had this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxdgoCxap-3i7rJt-37LqaVhDbqJ67mJfJRf_WmFn3r2J0bOocTsuxTG0fIxYVS2W5MWAtlP5NE1dCNiy6cltmapudLsqoYG58iK4BvmXZxWdhQF4onjIyixpNN7v4PE-iQmumXkfLY0/s1600/12-13--+087.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihxdgoCxap-3i7rJt-37LqaVhDbqJ67mJfJRf_WmFn3r2J0bOocTsuxTG0fIxYVS2W5MWAtlP5NE1dCNiy6cltmapudLsqoYG58iK4BvmXZxWdhQF4onjIyixpNN7v4PE-iQmumXkfLY0/s400/12-13--+087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550634020858785010" border="0" /></a><br />Now, we didn't just go crazy with saw rage. Patrick and I were talking it through, trying to find what was best for the tree... But all we could conclude is that no matter what cuts we make, if we thin out the canopy and cut the ends of branches to promote stronger growth, there would still be a very unstable base structure. For example, the front right branch we cut off extended another 4 feet out from the trunk at a very low angle and then had a very heavy canopy depending on it. If we cut back just the top growth of that limb, it would grow back and become thicker and heavier than before, eventually causing the limb to snap at the trunk. So we cut it to short enough a length that the limb, at that angle, should still be able to support new growth year after year. We had to do the same for two other limbs... obviously...<br /><br />The final step will be to commit the biggest pruning sin ever... topping the tree... We're planning on cutting it just below the horrible knot you can see if you look closely at the second picture I posted. As this is a citrus tree, something that is very often pruned hard, and it's already in very bad condition, I think this is the only way to help it. I can't be sure what the previous owners did to this tree over the years, but I think it was topped before right where that knot has formed. I think as long as I carefully thin the new growth, selecting the branches growing in the best directions, I think it will become better than before. It has to, heh.<br /><br />So, it will be topped.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-73848466886960042642010-11-29T09:41:00.000-08:002010-12-02T12:58:39.526-08:00ModernizingAlmost two weeks ago now, we finally got a kitchen floor. So simple and such a pain to be without. Although I've already had to get on my hands and knees to clean up dirty little footprints left by one of our new kittens.<br /><br />We've been in the house since July but the floor so far has been the bare floorboards left after the men took out the old grimy brown and orange linoleum.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9-8Ztb6sIBfrrV-HkS4QWSZOpgC_SyFoXdUyeySGruIIZG4-jb2L4ZGJwVN9nER1x9ZES4G4dZ9xA-sgY-CpeIYMsYuY9RPdNczlWhVhLBxwq8XZk9oPWquk3nb_zngZLcJCIBQYeHY/s1600/DSC02347.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9-8Ztb6sIBfrrV-HkS4QWSZOpgC_SyFoXdUyeySGruIIZG4-jb2L4ZGJwVN9nER1x9ZES4G4dZ9xA-sgY-CpeIYMsYuY9RPdNczlWhVhLBxwq8XZk9oPWquk3nb_zngZLcJCIBQYeHY/s400/DSC02347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545030356461601122" border="0" /></a><br />Imagine the loose plywood in the bottom bit of the picture removed and that has been our floor. The bare redwood planks wouldn't have been too bad but the men only removed about half of the papery substance stuck to the floor beneath the old linoleum (just one of many shortcomings I've found, sigh). But now we have shiny new linoleum floor in a much more pleasing, mostly white pattern with black accents. I asked for checkerboard black and white but it wasn't in stock Still, installed, this looks very nice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXggotgkiGm0FDTtcKBNPnajd_FiBaW_pou-RuOOM1PCdRkQFO0d_97FpV9MtRggPIxFDE3eqFPL1CKsEDHhKkiafAxal3nW8ZKQtnXgkNjIgGuFqYj4W-tgjRQJtL0NPRackzycpR8JQ/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXggotgkiGm0FDTtcKBNPnajd_FiBaW_pou-RuOOM1PCdRkQFO0d_97FpV9MtRggPIxFDE3eqFPL1CKsEDHhKkiafAxal3nW8ZKQtnXgkNjIgGuFqYj4W-tgjRQJtL0NPRackzycpR8JQ/s400/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545030863316874914" border="0" /></a><br />Try not to be critical of the mess, Patrick and I made separate dinners the night I took this - twice the mess. And I don't think I'll post the picture that shows the majority of the mess in the other corner of the kitchen.<br /><br />So the next step we took to modernize the house took about all of Friday. But first, we decided on a bit of a whim Wednesday night that we needed a proper workspace to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for ourselves and my brother so we went to Ikea to buy the kitchen island we've been craving for at least the last two months. However... after spending a good hour there, we go in the warehouse to claim the 3 boxes for it and find it's sold out (very angry...).<br /><br />And well, thwarted in our fun spending, we were considering going back to Ikea on Friday but with the nearly freezing temperatures we've woken up to <span style="font-style: italic;">inside</span> our house in the last two weeks, we thought... better idea! Insulation! I had told my coworker last week that we had absolutely no insulation and her incredulous stare and repeated "Really!?" got me thinking... maybe Abel didn't say <span style="font-style: italic;">no</span> insulation... so I asked Patrick to get on the ladder and look up there Wednesday night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXEpLkF3q7XxU8JUj9Q3xvxbarR7_JwEaR9bjUOvUrtfnhTPd7f7MTNkiSX3TlO8TUA2Yj_PMeicqYmmql3sJeuOmJZXZwi-s0FyTSZ-RQhjlI5ZSjmPm9UWDIc_XhvEbMgPT7EA4QI0/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXEpLkF3q7XxU8JUj9Q3xvxbarR7_JwEaR9bjUOvUrtfnhTPd7f7MTNkiSX3TlO8TUA2Yj_PMeicqYmmql3sJeuOmJZXZwi-s0FyTSZ-RQhjlI5ZSjmPm9UWDIc_XhvEbMgPT7EA4QI0/s400/DSC_0008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545036903993842386" border="0" /></a><br />On the plus side, don't our rafters look nice and strong. So on Friday we went to Home Depot, very glad to find out that the insulation blowing machine was available and we bought 10 bags of fluffy pink fiberglass blow-in. With 10, just enough for R25 to R30ish through our whole attic, we got the machine for free for 24 hours too! We had to rent the Home Depot truck to get the stuff to our house but we did it in one trip and it didn't even rain so that was nice. And about 5 hours later, at least an hour and a half of that as preparation, our attic looked like this!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gsvx23jtTE_ZHaSyzmP9M3-F3cnKSPvzYbFH_m3zl24SMNGJjOZ_eWpIv-Xx0m47HARiPzAlzXD7ExRyxwkYHtnkPF_BYz1B2otfNhTXlKVD36cp2pGrGBzmSw0htHT2vxxseT65o5I/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gsvx23jtTE_ZHaSyzmP9M3-F3cnKSPvzYbFH_m3zl24SMNGJjOZ_eWpIv-Xx0m47HARiPzAlzXD7ExRyxwkYHtnkPF_BYz1B2otfNhTXlKVD36cp2pGrGBzmSw0htHT2vxxseT65o5I/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545042687218411186" border="0" /></a><br />We put in barriers around all our pot lights and the shower vent and had to dig out the fluff that went in there anyway. Also, I was vacuuming bits of fluff that had traveled all around the house for the next two days to be sure that cats didn't try to eat anything but overall, between the two of us, it went smoothly and wasn't too difficult, only enough to make us quite sore. Patrick had the worse part of doing the blowing and crawling around the attic but my loading the machine and getting things for him was enough to make me hurt too, although maybe only half as much as him.<br /><br />But it was definitely worth it. A week and a half ago, I woke up and turned on the portable heater to see it tell me that it was 39 degrees in the room. But this morning when we found ice covering our poor car outside, the bedroom before I turned on the heater was 47. Doesn't sound great but I'll take those 10 extra degrees if I can have it! In a few months, with a bit of money saved up, maybe we'll hire some people to come blow insulation into the walls and spray the underside of the floors. Then, our house will be a cozy little oven.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-36413065705250421672010-11-22T08:36:00.000-08:002010-12-01T12:42:52.298-08:00Boring Little ThingsOver the last couple weeks, progress has slowly been made. The garage is still electric doorless since the door is a bit rich for our blood, at least until about new year, but there is now a side access door and Abel's part of the job is finished (except for them emptying it of their tools etc).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg30WDTX_GGK4xeQEm7zHAXQbL6vEYilWGucj8OKpoXZKwK7Oxm-s4RJXNgxzXmADXqxjg35sz51ICaxkxUWCplPvbbBFijE8FPjlox516fPCfVP92cJdTQo1ihrv701SDafxLgp-BqJ4/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg30WDTX_GGK4xeQEm7zHAXQbL6vEYilWGucj8OKpoXZKwK7Oxm-s4RJXNgxzXmADXqxjg35sz51ICaxkxUWCplPvbbBFijE8FPjlox516fPCfVP92cJdTQo1ihrv701SDafxLgp-BqJ4/s400/DSC_0031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542415373142434066" border="0" /></a><br />The french drain is working well, now with it's entire tubing buried and a let-out at the front of our property. Also, I noticed the other day that the drain pipe from the garage is properly connected to it now and so is the drain pipe on the side of the porch. The back porch is in progress now, the men poured the concrete supports about two weeks ago and built the frame about a week later.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuc9-5fHZ4FZZ2fX5CTH6uRX86ruUpgXyka0hlq2bFhwFahFce0ba-C9YwBoS6xz5FyLLoWsGi0rJcyjsEtpXhitnBcFPdiq_Mo5MdFhrlboZwseKc7Qym825q7ALU4d8rMc08bDWIWg/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYuc9-5fHZ4FZZ2fX5CTH6uRX86ruUpgXyka0hlq2bFhwFahFce0ba-C9YwBoS6xz5FyLLoWsGi0rJcyjsEtpXhitnBcFPdiq_Mo5MdFhrlboZwseKc7Qym825q7ALU4d8rMc08bDWIWg/s400/DSC_0021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542416573258336466" border="0" /></a><br />Also, you can see a bit from the picture above, but the guys have also been scraping and sanding our house all the way around over the past two weeks. You can see it more dramatically in these two pictures:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQkw1FLqiiQtYdh4wxZD50vdJNndGp131TGZLdNQdCw5R0bnM1TTELiX8t9o_xefzFI0ab234Th5RvC0FAfzBsOk0XLorJkCGLbWmdmdI0e5sz_rbcX_fwqvP64WZNMHJ27VWmaVXQI4/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQkw1FLqiiQtYdh4wxZD50vdJNndGp131TGZLdNQdCw5R0bnM1TTELiX8t9o_xefzFI0ab234Th5RvC0FAfzBsOk0XLorJkCGLbWmdmdI0e5sz_rbcX_fwqvP64WZNMHJ27VWmaVXQI4/s400/DSC_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542421071776536210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOmUg5z2XL-ab75TfDtTY39GvnQPItNcvMJCYwifALxDZ_Za8DnY4TI-DlS5XWdzLbU9tlQfKUMYbfVNvuME-4lCyXQ1T8Z4K4e3q2hjEcnv7LeFNsEYfbjb5hVLz3G5iSYcXh7qZkzs/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOmUg5z2XL-ab75TfDtTY39GvnQPItNcvMJCYwifALxDZ_Za8DnY4TI-DlS5XWdzLbU9tlQfKUMYbfVNvuME-4lCyXQ1T8Z4K4e3q2hjEcnv7LeFNsEYfbjb5hVLz3G5iSYcXh7qZkzs/s400/DSC_0016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542424886751325026" border="0" /></a><br />And you can also see that our window bars are off! I love the way it looks without them, so much brighter and friendlier. But Patrick insists that we'll have to have them put them back up after the painting because our windows are old easy-shatter ones. But they'll be off again some day once we get the windows updated. Also, on the lower picture, that large dirt plot next to the house isn't there just because the men cleaned up, they cut out a couple feet of concrete so they can repair and regrade. Before the foundation was practically at the same height as the small strip of dirt that was there before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAb-QXJR3MjlIpW26loj2gOMR65gQgInrVKLeAKI2AsnK4nf4UKItClEcPoPkJGG5SrL8b6j8oZXGzuf0oXb_gapR2xC7SxI8h7HwTdY4GsTOgXNy8dk9qBef6D6VjQMT_WkJMs2Eo7k/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAb-QXJR3MjlIpW26loj2gOMR65gQgInrVKLeAKI2AsnK4nf4UKItClEcPoPkJGG5SrL8b6j8oZXGzuf0oXb_gapR2xC7SxI8h7HwTdY4GsTOgXNy8dk9qBef6D6VjQMT_WkJMs2Eo7k/s400/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542423757481637250" border="0" /></a><br />Now, I was surprised to see the concrete gone in the first place, but not only were they preparing to repair the rotten sills and the grading issue, but I found yesterday that they had actually poured additional concrete on the lowest parts of the foundation on that side.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnrhRhEzDgM_UXAYp0lOvYtgXmR1stNQASgDXTkbqcpH5KEYXZ1EJ6XCf35qPap7jWJALpJKh97jBtPCI2dqgMIXEYTFQoM_5jbzoZfCqRygr2rgNyDTjA7zy-CpIMgcDQnrC6crHIlQ/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnrhRhEzDgM_UXAYp0lOvYtgXmR1stNQASgDXTkbqcpH5KEYXZ1EJ6XCf35qPap7jWJALpJKh97jBtPCI2dqgMIXEYTFQoM_5jbzoZfCqRygr2rgNyDTjA7zy-CpIMgcDQnrC6crHIlQ/s400/DSC_0017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542426786591043250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyXnQyQMrz-mpYL1lTAPnXmYW5p5vcAYw1OuddELrE4cqyym4sTpMPPUMmgPY9Yc7TjvEAzXTJPepoUQwniYuucIAWDc84VfVgVf8NuOmUkMk3Wv7b_melyyn2EHjIPRDFyxeh_hrdqc/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyXnQyQMrz-mpYL1lTAPnXmYW5p5vcAYw1OuddELrE4cqyym4sTpMPPUMmgPY9Yc7TjvEAzXTJPepoUQwniYuucIAWDc84VfVgVf8NuOmUkMk3Wv7b_melyyn2EHjIPRDFyxeh_hrdqc/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542435257667629058" border="0" /></a><br />After that, there are a few more things, but I'll post about them in a few days when I have pictures. In the meantime, so that I have a couple of pictures that aren't so brown and dull, here is how the front garden is doing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj5-eFlHA5bFMfipwfEmVDMgY0YBwcax9Mml03j9EndnYGHKwGFmLlVRLEhK2exFSEaHeubK8ScnQzND6-A8b4RCCRLU7WZO4Q1Vorkx1qQxzJltt0hAD4_xa9AkEv-kfz1Fstf75ZW0/s1600/DSC_0035.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkj5-eFlHA5bFMfipwfEmVDMgY0YBwcax9Mml03j9EndnYGHKwGFmLlVRLEhK2exFSEaHeubK8ScnQzND6-A8b4RCCRLU7WZO4Q1Vorkx1qQxzJltt0hAD4_xa9AkEv-kfz1Fstf75ZW0/s400/DSC_0035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542437624370242434" border="0" /></a><br />The plants are filling in nicely, it's been a bit more than a month and a half since I planted all these and they're not quite double in size yet but then everything has been slowing down now that it's getting colder.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzif3TEz0sVNV47QU9JkFxKrI8vOIkt6RIqVerUQ0AdqtN-Jp4eamCtPiFLXacPLQ8n-7B3RXoZTjZCR5pge0GqEpcSYvd0CBxpejMySiCB0w0-E4SxBPypwZdPaT6AyDLVUvU8qHlEbI/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzif3TEz0sVNV47QU9JkFxKrI8vOIkt6RIqVerUQ0AdqtN-Jp4eamCtPiFLXacPLQ8n-7B3RXoZTjZCR5pge0GqEpcSYvd0CBxpejMySiCB0w0-E4SxBPypwZdPaT6AyDLVUvU8qHlEbI/s400/DSC_0039.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542439009078055666" border="0" /></a><br />And in the larger beds, the seedlings are doing even better, only the Lantana is looking a bit scrawny, I think it's waiting for high heat again to burst into growth. I also finally got some of my larger plants in the ground, the Penstemon in the front and Coleonema 'Breathe of Heaven' in the back.<br /><br />Oh and just for fun - I caught my older grumpy cat being nice to one of our new kittens hehe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIF5ZjgJhLPX0zKU7zAtC9SyUWsd6dCVA3-FRh-1bH8fSV_MbWFZD-Ig_quDehTCkXIi3rrSQn7rwpCGWzaq-4kQfpHc-smMn4y0zuG79_AvOOQjvYtXglB9NTyKBTc4Kgf0Zpf4fZ7M/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIF5ZjgJhLPX0zKU7zAtC9SyUWsd6dCVA3-FRh-1bH8fSV_MbWFZD-Ig_quDehTCkXIi3rrSQn7rwpCGWzaq-4kQfpHc-smMn4y0zuG79_AvOOQjvYtXglB9NTyKBTc4Kgf0Zpf4fZ7M/s400/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542441886939039346" border="0" /></a>CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-88585706958009981192010-11-04T08:19:00.001-07:002010-12-01T12:43:14.020-08:00Why I was too busy......to work on the house this weekend<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AE8mHVCExB_ObVkVSUu1G7j8uM7P4aIDep25kVCY3_POlPtOjbwQLY8nUMwFPqd0dUe7mfRr6Chu0iu1TREOIr13mwKZsYVJZp8D5fknmXDuIzsc9XeWxvAuOiXQFH232GnyF0l8cAE/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AE8mHVCExB_ObVkVSUu1G7j8uM7P4aIDep25kVCY3_POlPtOjbwQLY8nUMwFPqd0dUe7mfRr6Chu0iu1TREOIr13mwKZsYVJZp8D5fknmXDuIzsc9XeWxvAuOiXQFH232GnyF0l8cAE/s400/DSC_0027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535715711919332626" border="0" /></a><br />Bluebell and Cookie snuggled up on Patrick. (He's the cause of all this! Not me!)CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7945637368240006461.post-21910824475344491432010-10-29T08:14:00.000-07:002010-12-01T12:43:43.596-08:00Confused...Now, yesterday, we came home to find that nothing had happened around the house, but two days ago we came home to find three things entirely unexpected. I haven't been able to talk to Abel yet about it, but as these are extras being done to the place and not negatives, I guess I'm okay... Just don't know what's going on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-7njChWzQnNJKU-bzA7T9KwpXX9M1P0TFG-0VWzgjPIF5UL5a5xRDieznmnW9YKzhLinoogNNxg9uMOPGFbgtmf-YXcnzYfllvrPfd0B8v7BDQXHd9TQ3BrThDvlRIZrfoQQ3Bz62mA/s1600/DSC_0028.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-7njChWzQnNJKU-bzA7T9KwpXX9M1P0TFG-0VWzgjPIF5UL5a5xRDieznmnW9YKzhLinoogNNxg9uMOPGFbgtmf-YXcnzYfllvrPfd0B8v7BDQXHd9TQ3BrThDvlRIZrfoQQ3Bz62mA/s400/DSC_0028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533489072240724498" border="0" /></a><br />1) Gutters - I already knew that we were getting one free gutter on the side of our garage that hangs over our neighbor's yard (because she has been nagging my contractor nonstop). However, I was not aware that I would be getting another one along the other side... And it's not like I can afford to pay for one or that Abel doesn't already know this so... Free gutters! Yay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cO7CLIAzc6rZlK41Zi2U79awAMm0NiTfUbJss4GtuPvn1y1hnf7mmK5hqD-SZjiN46us_76naPFd0F0sKO10p1fqhmuRcGPrHWarH0b9Pb6e58jJ1gIfqs9vvE93IBPAK884UGtvsKI/s1600/DSC_0022.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cO7CLIAzc6rZlK41Zi2U79awAMm0NiTfUbJss4GtuPvn1y1hnf7mmK5hqD-SZjiN46us_76naPFd0F0sKO10p1fqhmuRcGPrHWarH0b9Pb6e58jJ1gIfqs9vvE93IBPAK884UGtvsKI/s400/DSC_0022.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533487806930761586" border="0" /></a><br />2) Drain Pipe - Not the one coming out of the ground there, that's the unfinished end of our french drain which we were fully expecting and paying for. No, the white drain pipe curling its way around our porch. Now, Abel did say he'd give us one new drainpipe... but not here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A_9JikBWDdRXf2-pJt_kD6Iyb9Jjw6uuUWVY3NE4-9ad25v4lLOUZMzUPqn8R04JtLORGRzRSnSA0js4EnCUQRqAttH5c6q1NxL2pmop3fGi0Zr8H2Namgf6Su7deVK51Sl_x7aYgCI/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8A_9JikBWDdRXf2-pJt_kD6Iyb9Jjw6uuUWVY3NE4-9ad25v4lLOUZMzUPqn8R04JtLORGRzRSnSA0js4EnCUQRqAttH5c6q1NxL2pmop3fGi0Zr8H2Namgf6Su7deVK51Sl_x7aYgCI/s400/DSC_0025.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533490275447159234" border="0" /></a><br />Here, where the old one is still attached. He said he'd gift us this even though we don't have the money for full gutters right now, because this one drains water right into our chimney base, probably creating the conditions that made the chimney and front room sink 4 inches in the last hundred years. So... Perhaps there was a bit of miscommunication between Abel and his gutter people.<br /><br />3) Paint Scraping - Apparently, we paid for a good powerwashing of the exterior to remove the peeling paint. I'm not aware of paying for it but I don't think I'll complain, we were going to do it anyway when we painted the house ourselves next year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DVmwJaY2aRyUkEmRgrAHBexrB7yhszJz8N7ZdXqFTo1FdtiWlRaMGLfEvD_wvMv16drqFxkMWuwnKAq4j6NqVnkPRj1tqQla8H02pNH_lQ5ECyMXZb7NRxD_4IVPJIXNnRMScNXK8QE/s1600/DSC_0012.JPG" target="_blank"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7DVmwJaY2aRyUkEmRgrAHBexrB7yhszJz8N7ZdXqFTo1FdtiWlRaMGLfEvD_wvMv16drqFxkMWuwnKAq4j6NqVnkPRj1tqQla8H02pNH_lQ5ECyMXZb7NRxD_4IVPJIXNnRMScNXK8QE/s400/DSC_0012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533493188516479218" border="0" /></a><br />A little annoyed about all the lead paint chips on our soil... but I guess I'll just have to make sure they clean up.CrescentJoyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14854068740654011483noreply@blogger.com0