Today has been a productive day as we were blessed with good weather unlike what the Weather Channel predicted for the day. We finished putting in the last of the Privacy Fence Slats and we dug up and disposed of the rest of the Oleanders (except for the only hybrid “Peach Blossom” I owned). As soon as my husband builds a large planter, I will dig up the toxic beauty and move it toward the end of the fence, where I can still admire it without it being at close proximity to our living area. We are proud of ourselves for the progress we’ve made and we are relieved that everything’s coming together, one project at a time.
While out and about in Downtown Pomona yesterday, we stopped at the Pomona Indoor Swap Meet and bought three 24 inch whitewall Classic Cruiser Bike Tires for my tree wheeler. My dear husband changed the tires only to find out that I have two flat tubes. We might get lucky and buy them at our local Walmart or Target stores tomorrow. It would be nice to ride around with the kids before the Winter sets in.
For the past three days a murder of crows has been gathering on a tall pine tree across from my home. On the first day which was Thursday, they made so much noise that the tenants came out to see what the commotion was all about. They were at least thirty crows. Today, while working in the backyard, I couldn’t help but take a picture after my children noticed the flock flying around in circles above that same pine tree.
A Flock of Crows on a Pine Tree.
We had a wonderful time with the family as the kids enjoyed every single minute of their time outdoors. Tomorrow will be a new day with another opportunity to create memories.
Tending to the garden and backyard today was productive and fun. We achieved so much and will be moving forward with our design. I dug out one of my young Yucca Pendula from the backyard and moved it to the front yard. I dug out most of my Gladiola from the front garden and move them to the back, relocated my Star Jasmine and I was pleasantly surprise to find out that one of my mini Rose bush is blooming for the first time in at least 4 years! It has been growing in the front yard all this time until last month, when I moved it to the backyard. It has surprised me with beautiful white rose flowers. I guess it just needed a breath of fresh air.
I spotted a few interesting insects, one of which the Seaside Grasshopper below.
Seaside Grasshopper.
Four years ago, we harvested a couple of Mint Plants from a family friend. We brought them home and they took off as soon as we planted them. We knew little about growing this plant and we were so overwhelmed when they invaded pretty much everything around them. We thought we had removed all of it until last month when they began growing from the roots. I dug up one new shoot and planted it next to a mini rose bush. It has grown so much that I asked my husband to build a planter just for it. Growing up, my Mom used Mint in the kitchen all the time and I loved the smell. So, growing it not only remind me of the good times, but it also gives me an opportunity to introduce it to my children. Click here to learn about Mint benefits and here to find recipes.
Primitive Planter.
I found a Tan Brown Widow Spider on one of the birdhouses we built. It seemed to have appropriated the birdhouse. According to the Center for Invasive Species Research, University of California Riverside, the Brown Widow Spider, Latrodectus Geometricus, became established in Southern California in early 2000 and has become well entrenched as part of the local spider fauna in urban Los Angeles and San Diego. The brown widow spider is continuing its expansion in Southern California and could possibly move northward into Central California. Click here to read the complete article and click here to learn to identify this spider.
Late on Tuesday afternoon I found one of three baby birds on the ground in the backyard. My first thought was that the baby bird has fallen out of its nest; however, given the amount of feathers and noticing that both parents were keeping an eye from a close distance (probably teaching the baby to fly on its own). I came to the conclusion that the baby bird was simply attempting to fly. As soon as I gently picked it up to place it back into the cozy nest, the baby bird jumped back on the ground flapping its wings and hopping around. At that point I decided to leave it alone and allow Nature to follow its course.
As the evening got windier I decided to check up on the baby bird and realized that all three young birds fad fallen off the nest. I carefully picked them up, one at a time, and placed all three back on the nest and left them there. Came next morning, and all three baby birds were gone.
Baby Birds attempting to fly on their own.
This evening we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while having an awesome time outdoors. Come to think about it, it might be the third or fourth sunset I have seen since the start of the year.
American Flag at Sunset.
I am very thankful for a lovely day with my Family.
Today we decided to cross some items of our to-do list and ran some errands in the morning. Once done and with a full day ahead of us we took to sight seeing around the Victorville area. After much curiosity, we decided to stop by World Concrete Precast on Mariposa Rd in Victorville, CA to check out the beautiful concrete pieces we have only been able to see from the freeway while driving in the area.
The selection of cement/concrete creations is amazing to say the least. If you can think of it; they probably have it or know where to get it for you. I will let the picture gallery speak for itself as you can probably spend a whole day checking out each item. The detail on each piece is amazing and the items that come painted are done really well. I fell in love with the brown five tier water fountain.
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Once home, we decided to eat out in the patio and enjoy the beautiful weather and lack of wind that we were experiencing today. After a couple of minutes we heard the chirping of baby birds and decided to try our luck and try to catch them with the camera. As you can see below, we where successful. They are so small.
Baby Birds in Nest.Baby Birds in Nest.
They seemed to be in between meals and every time we step out of the patio the mama bird flies away to draw the attention off her babies. This is the second year she uses this nest since she put it up about a year or two ago. We can not wait until they start to fly around on their own.
It’s Spring, right? If you are like me, then you’ve been waiting for this time of year to sit back and watch those gorgeous bulbs you planted last Fall bloom. You’ve been looking forward to cutting a few Rose Stems and placing them in a Vase or Vintage Cruet. You’ve been busy planning a few Summer parties and having some friends over. While the pictures are perfect in your mind, reality suddenly sets in: those weeds growing all around your property are not setting the mood for festivities and worst, they are not inviting.
Weeding is a time consuming activity which no one really enjoys doing. Here in the High Desert, weeds are a nuisance and a year-round problem for Home and Business owners. Those of us with huge, open lands know exactly what I am talking about. I don’t mean the task of removing weeds on your Lawn or Garden/Garden beds. I am talking about weeding open fields with wild plants growing on them. No matter what we do and how we handle them, they simply won’t go away. Most weedkillers (especially Chemicals) are expensive, harmful and often ineffective. Let’s explore some temporary options to consider:
Gravel. You could spread a thick layer of gravel on top of a landscape fabric. This is good for a few years until the fabric start degrading and you have to remove all the gravel and replace the fabric. Keep in mind that weed can still grow over the fabric and other elements will get trapped and pile up since the landscape fabric prevents natural soil filtration to occur. When you look at it this way Mulch seems to be a better alternative.
Tractor. Use it to cut weeds and then level the ground. You will need to repeat the process the following year.
Herbicides. Keep in mind that just like people, plants too are different. So not all herbicides work on all plants.
Chemicals. These should be your last option and must be used cautiously. They are not Eco-friendly and could be harmful to other plants as well as animals.
Herbivorous. Animals such as Goats, Horses, Cows, Rabbits, Tortoises, Sheep, Donkeys, Kakapos, Geese and many others can help rid your property of weeds by eating them.
Grass is not an option. Aside from being costly (installation and maintenance) it doesn’t solve the weed issues.
YOU. You have to figure out what your desire is and then connect it to your determination.
Weeding Tools:
Your two hands
Hoes: long or short
CobraHead Weeder and Cultivator
Shears, Scissors, Pruners, Gardener’s knife
Garden Kneeling Pad/Bench
Weed Eater, Weed Eliminator, Weed Grubber
Spades, Shovels, Forks, Broadforks
Lawn and Leaf Rakes
Gloves (Synthetic, Latex, Heavy-duty, Arm Protectors)
Gardening Shoes
Our Approach: Divide and Conquer
If you can, remove weeds before they set seed to keep them from seeding and spreading.
Weeding Tip: Divide and Conquer.
When weeding, we only use three gardening tools: The Rake, Hand Shovel and the Draw Hoe.
We start weeding as early as the last two weeks of February (when the chances of a Snow Storm are minimal, the ground is still slightly wet from the rain/snow). At that time the weeds are a lot easier to pull since they have not yet established a strong root system. One advantage of starting early is that the weather is much cooler and we don’t feel as exhausted as we would have on a hot day.
Our ‘weeding trips’ are never planned. We only weed when we feel like doing it. By not focusing and obsessing too much about the weeds we are able to plan a strategy on getting the job done the best way we can.
Divide and Conquer! This is the key to getting the job done on time. We divide the job into small squares and then tackle one square at a time. It makes it easier to see your progress and will take you about a minute to do each square and another to rake the weeds out of it.
How many times have you made up you mind to go out there and weed just to get there, fully prepared and be paralyzed with an overwhelming feeling – not knowing where to begin?
By JM Perez
