Mar 3, 2013 |
Last year I started My Housing Project: Blog posts directly related to the improvement of my property.
With yesterday being the first nice weekend day in months, Mom came over and the three of us started cleaning up the front yard.
Leaves at the Fence
Leafy Trail
While they raked and bagged piles and piles of leaves, I dug up root balls for two rose shrubs and one Euonymus. The second Euonymus shrub is only partly uprooted, as the roots grow like moss and grab into the soil for nearly a foot. Those are easy enough to break with the shovel but it’s the actual thick root I’m having trouble with. After all the other digging and uprooting, I just couldn’t continue in the hard desert sand to finish it yesterday.
I didn’t photograph my efforts. I wish I had, for the Before and After. From now on, I will.
We celebrated with a Shamrock shake from McDonald’s, and it was so pleasant to see the newly cleaned yard when we drove back home. It’s still dirt, but at least now it’s clean dirt.
There’s still a pile of leaves against the fence corner. With a few more black bags, they’ll be gone.
What really excites me is that the birds are returning. For the first time since September, I cleaned and filled the bird bath as well as set out seed, peanuts, and cracked corn. It took my birds all of one hour to rediscover their buffet.
That means they’re also flocking to the nearby Joshua Tree. Which I happily discovered, is about to bloom.
Joshua Tree Buds
Joshua Tree Buds Up Close
Look at those buds!
Another Bud!
The Whole Picture
Soon they’ll flower for a short time, then fall off and leave the beginning of a branch. Joshua Trees only bloom once every two or more years, and this is the first time mine has done so. It’s a quick process, as the bloom has grown and spread since my first seeing it yesterday. I know my Cactus Wrens will be thrilled as their home gets a new level or two!
Once I pull up the five half-dead Lilac bushes along the north fence, I hope to line it with Italian Cypress. Italian Cypress grow quite well in the desert, and they’re a wonderful shelter for birds as well as an attractive property divider. Some yards have them spaced intermittently; others plant them closely together. I love how they grow tall and thin. Some can reach as high as fifty feet! Some local nurseries have them available for less than $5 each, and my planning calls for eight or nine. These are the 3-gallon size. Sure, that’s small to start with, but since they grow so fast, I’m fine with watching them from the beginning!
I also hope to afford a raised bed gardening system for my tomatoes and herbs.
I may not be able to finance it all this summer; but the plan is the start.
And I can’t wait to get started. One plant at a time.
My birds are a little excited about it, too.
Bird Bathing
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 26, 2013 |
This
Hot Dog Casserole
Will soon be featured in This
The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition
Which makes This Girl pretty darn happy.
Thanks to MMR Photography for all your hard work! (And it tastes as good as it looks, too, right?!?!)
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 22, 2013 |
I can’t begin to express how I feel writing this post. It always feels good when I write. But this one… Because I’ve been fairly absent in the Blogosphere since January… it feels good to Blog.
TGIF says it all. February has gone by so fast for me. Although my Kickstarter Campaign wrapped up on February 1st, I can’t believe how very busy I’ve been with the post-campaign work.
Ordering product, final editing, and, this weekend, sending the Cookbook to the printer.
I feel as though I’ve three jobs. My day job, which helps pay the bills. My writing, which helps feed my soul. And taking care of my house, which means bills and budgets and meal plans and family time and everything else.
I’ve so much on my plate that right now my thoughts won’t settle down enough to be productive. How I miss the days of the writing and the typing and the photography and the planning… now I need to remember to catch my breath every few hours.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. I really do have a wonderful job. And I am working on the writing. And my home life is great. But my days are running together so often, that I have the hardest time keeping track of what day it is.
So I’m glad I know it’s Friday. For a slew of reasons, this one is going to be great. It’s payday. Always a great start. And through winter storms and a bout of sinusitis, I managed to work without taking time off.
Joshua Tree
I even drove to work over black ice and through storming snow! Bonus on the Confidence Scale!
Today is my co-worker’s birthday so the Boss is treating us to lunch. Can you say, delicioso?!
After work is Bible Study followed by our much needed Game Night with the Second Family. Have you ever played Hand-and-Foot? It’s a crazy card game that for some reason, my daughter tends to score very well on even when it looks like she’s losing. I, on the other hand, give the impression of being the Big Winner only to be, well, not.
Earlier this week I treated myself. The planets aligned with sales and discounts and after ordering supplies that I thought would cost much more, I had enough savings to allow me to finally purchase my own Kindle Fire.
I. Am. In. Love.
There are so many wonderful books on sale. My reading list holds Sherlock Holmes, the Oz collection, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austin, and others. I’m currently reading Silver Linings Playbook. Have you seen the movie yet? I highly recommend it. Highly.
And then of course there’s my newfound love of Kiefer Sutherland in 24. Netflix has opened up an entire new world for me, and I wonder how I ever could have resisted such glory.
My weekend is going to be full of family, fun, writing, and dreaming.
I’m waiting for my brain to settle down enough to write more than just a paragraph or two. But since that’s not happening any time soon, I guess I’ll just watch Jack Bauer save the day… again.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
