Bearing Witness

We were talking last night that it has been nine months into country living already.

It took work to set some boundaries for the house critters: spiders and mice and wasps that enjoyed a nice long stay when no one lived here and no one cared.  But we did it.  Sam has even become an occasional mouser, catching and playing (not eating), and no need for a cat.

Propane was easy - it's only for the stove and heater, so spring/summer/fall the use is negligible. It is reliable, just like natural gas has always been.

Electricity out here seems to go farther. Electric dryer, water heater and of course a/c and other household utilities - but we find there's less need to a/c with the open land absorbing and dissipating some of the heat of the day. The temps are the same, but it doesn't feel as hot. Miss the pool, though!

Septic was in good shape when we arrived and we treat it lovingly ... and monthly. Knock on wood.

For us the big unknown was well water, and we have come a long way. Now when that icky sulfur smell comes from the pipes, we take it in stride: just spritz a little foo-foo and change the filter, flush the system and get back on track. And when the water pressure drops, the Hubs expertly takes care of that, too.

For having no neighbors, we have found easy connections. We are two of 53 residents, but the workers wave from the fields, and there is constant activity all around. The farmer nearest to us stops by and he and the Hubs are friends, and also the Postmistress who, it turns out, is a good person to know. The rental house down the way has people moving in this weekend, and the right*right*right next door project house has an interesting owner who comes and goes a few times a week. He is digging a septic by hand at the moment.  (!!!)

Living here has been an awakening. We compost now, and build and repurpose and nurture things. It is a busier life. We understand the weeds and the bees are here to stay, and appreciate more the chance to tame a small piece for ourselves.

We find it fun to take drives at dusk. Recently we discovered miles and miles of vineyards that are tucked into the hills away from the main road. Sam hangs out the window staring at the cows and goats and horses.  One time we bonded with a little mocha colored lamb and decided If and When we become farm animal ready, we'd like one of those.

It has energized us into making sure there is room for all who live here. Last weekend, a Golden Eagle startled us by flying right beside us with a rabbit in its talons. We visit with a gorgeous Great Horned Owl pair that hangs out @ Mary's Chapel, or watch a Kit Fox track its dinner in the cornfield. We laugh at bats who fly haphazardly overhead and applaud their choice of dinner (mosquitos). Woodpeckers peek out from their perfectly round holes in the trunk of the Black Locust tree.

But my most favorite moment came last summer as I turned onto our road around dusk. There were thousands and thousands of Dragonflies feeding on bugs drawn to the crops all around. The air was thick with them, colors reflecting off  the setting sun as they darted in all directions. I stopped the car and just let them engulf me and live for a moment as one of them. Thank you, Lord, for letting me be here to witness this.

Birds of a Feather

At our request a list was compiled from our Guest the Birder during his 3 day stay. In the expanse of the fields around, the trees within eyeshot and earshot and those roosting nearby, plus side trips to the Dead End Duck Club and Mary's Chapel, there was an impressive variety of birds. This is his list, and web pictures I could find that match up with some of them.

@ the homestead: Brewer's Blackbird*Red-Winged Blackbird*Red-Tailed Hawk*Red-Shouldered Hawk*American Kestrel*American Robin*Ash-Throated Flycatcher*Black Phoebe*Common Raven Downey Woodpecker*Eurasian Collard Dove*Mourning Dove*European Starling*Great Egret*Loggerhead Shrike*Northern Harrier*Northern Mockingbird*Snowy Egret(s)*Great BLue Heron*Scrub Jay*Turkey Vulture*Western Kingbird*White-Faced Ibis*and a Yellow Warbler.

Out & About: All those, plus Great Horned Owl, Eagle, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Clay-colored Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Savannah Sparrow, Mallard, American Coot, American Goldfinch, House Finch, and a Western Kingbird.

American Robin

Downy Woodpecker

Mourning Doves

Red Winged Blackbird

Yellow Warbler

Turkey Vulture



Snowy Egret

Red Shouldered Hawk

Great Blue Heron

Barn Swallow

Good Times

Ideas are growing...

March 21st

 

March 11th

The land is taking shape.
 From this ... to this ... in two weeks.

The garden space is taking shape. Boxes are built, in place and level.  They look astonishingly small in the open land, but are plenty big enough.

Two - 4x8s, 10" deep;  Two - 4x4s, 10" deep. Newly added will be a 3' x 20' along the back just for herbs.



March 18th

April 21st

The first batch of compost is almost ready. The boxes are nearly full of soil from around the yard mixed with some organic nutrients.

As you can see, other ideas are also flourishing.




Rocks from around the yard
made an ideal edging

Making progress but it's a
very big bed

In an ignored and ugly part of the yard it was discovered there were large iris and Heavenly Bamboo struggling to thrive.


The last couple of weekends were devoted to helping them along. The bed is 6' x 30'. 

With Jeffery's help, we lightened the area of copious amounts of weeds, removed some saplings and ivy that were encroaching, transplanted two containerized Queen Palms brought over from the city, and added ground cover, lavendar and geraniums. As you see, it was quite a transformation.



Results of a well spent weekend 

We enjoyed good food and fellowship. And we also spent a good amount of the time actively Birding. Jeffery is a very knowledgeable and experienced birder and was an excellent guide.

The Great Horned Owl did not appear, so we migrated to where a pair reside near Mary's Chapel (CR97 at Road 15). We arrived just before dusk and lingered in the beautiful, simple country cemetery surrounded by majestic oaks, and walked among the grave markers some of which date back to 1837.


Time to Go In

It was an all-out Yarders weekend: we weeded and moved things, moved things and built things, built and schemed and planted things - and did I mention weed?

The Monday & Tuesday after were ibuprofin limparound days, with light meals, heating pads, and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the hurt away. I laughed at how surprised I was that I'm not 20 anymore.

You hear it all the time - people talking about how young they feel until they look in the mirror. I want to be the timeless Inside me and not the real time Outside me. And yet, like last weekend, we know who's in charge -- especially for an urban-soft city gardener learning her way through real yardwork.

We HAD this discussion already, me and the Hubs. We talked about slowing down and pacing ourselves, so we don't burn out. But there's something crazy fun about living inside your dream that makes it hard to wait. Impossible, really. 

So last weekend in spite of the 5+5 plan (5 hrs out in the garden and 5 hours in, resting up from the week), we dove off the wagon at the first hint of a perfect day.

It's hopeless, I'm afraid. Better stock up on SalonPas.

Basic Arithmetic

Some big bird reunion is going on.

START WITH A LOT OF THIS ...

ADD THIS

TO THIS

AND YOU GET THIS

 

 

AND THIS

 

 

 

AND THIS.

 

AND A LOT OF THIS

 

 

A Day in the Life

Syrah grapevine

Succulent flowers

Not sure what this will become - a table?
A planter? A way to conceal stereo speakers?

We inherited this with the house.

Redwood Rounds

Figs!

One happy farm dog

Cross traffic

I have been freaking out a little because the plum hasn't
leafed out - and then was relieved to see
at Home Depot theirs haven't leafed yet, either

The mandarins, nectarine, apricot & the blood red are leafing nicely!

The burn pile is piling up!

First chore using the scoop

The old Fig (Figaro)
This is the view from the workshop

 

Visiting Egret took the dog in stride

Making a planting bed with rocks from around the yard

Look what was under all those weeds -
(a lot of) Bearded Iris and 3 Heavenly Bamboo plants

The future garden site - past the break and in full sun.
4 planting beds levelled and graded - check!
Chicken wire and weedblock laid down and secured - check!
The compost is tumbling and the dirt and a perimiter
fence comes next -  the Hubs is making a gate out of
an old iron headboard. Can't wait to see.

Hardworking Hands

GardenSpeak

Today there was not much wind or heat or mosquitos, so we jumped on-board.

Workshop work

We discovered that in GardenSpeak, 'some assembly required' involves 27 separate parts that require 96 nuts* bolts* hex bolts* pins* and 9 different sized wrenches to put together.



Assembled at last

The Hubs devoted most of the day and did a great job assembling our front scoop. (I'd have paid the $100 for Sears to do it.)



On the job

Old Abe is all blinged up, and ready to go. The new scoop was already in use moments later.

We are constantly reminded that challenges and opportunities are different ways of looking at the same thing.



Senior Excavator

We discovered black birds have nested near the dog run and swoop menacingly around Sam when she goes in for her constitutional. Black birds are smart, family oriented and protective. Us, too.



Young Black Locust

We rounded up a bunch of rocks of all shapes and sizes to get them out of the way of the mower. Out by 'the swamp' (what we call the neighbor's pool that is partially full of black crud and Mosquito Fish), we discovered a whole bunch of Bearded Iris coming up in the weeds. We used the rocks as a border for the planter bed and I'll get to weeding.

Figs!

We have two Queen palms from the other place that didn't fit in,
but they will look good in that planter among the bulbs, on the olive tree side of the yard. 


Nevermore The Raven

We discovered the lone tree by the workshop is a young Black Locust. And Figaro is producing figs already. And the fig bushes along the south side aren't fruiting...need to check into different varieties there. 

Geraniums

Best bird moment: following a deep throated, crow-like call that was coming from one of the big trees along the drive, and finding an enormous bird about double the size of a crow -- it was a Raven.  Thinking we must be some unofficial Giant Birds Way-Station.  Cool.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary ..." - EA Poe