OK...Wow.

Our weekend was productive, and fun. We didn't kill ourselves, but we accomplished a lot and the property is really starting to shape up. Then Monday showed up...



Saturday morning Andy and my Dad worked on the trampoline, installing the new parts and making it round again, instead of, you know...pretzel shape. It didn't take long and by noon the boys were bouncing away on it. SUCCESS!



After that, Andy took a nap.



Saturday afternoon we made our weekly trek to Home Depot, and picked up stepping stones. (Its comforting to know Mr. Homer Depot's children will be able to afford to go to college.) Actually we bought some clearance items and did not spend a whole lots of money. When we got home, Andy laid stones in one directions and I worked in the opposite direction. We had a silent competition to see who's stepping stone design would prosper. Mine, of course, was a little more complex...while Andy's was simple yet random, which is the look we were leaning toward...so I reset my stones to match his, and all was right in the Universe.



Sunday our friends Roger and Kathy arrived to help us pick up fan palms at ther local nursery. We all thought this was going to be a monsterous task, but it actually went off without a hitch. The palms look excellent, and I am especially excited about the giant bird of paradise we placed on the side of the house. This would be an EXCELLENT place for a Japanese style zen garden. My wheels are definitely spinning!



I know I posted about the clover coming up, but I am still not sure that's what it is. It might actually be weeds. At this point in time, I don't care...its green, which is better than brown.



OK, so here's the part you've all been waiting for. What happened Monday? All day Sunday a storm was brewing, the wind kicked up and by sunset it was freezing cold outside. It started raining right about bedtime. Monday morning we awoke and it was still partly cloudy and cold. The kids and ran a few errands at noon and came back a little after 1pm. The wind was starting to blow and we all kind of giggled looking at the trampoline as the netting was flapping in the breeze. Andy had tried many ways to anchor it down, but decided that cinder blocks were the best option...



At 1:15 Jenny cried at the door because the wind was really picking up and she was scared...so I let her in. At 1:35 the phone rang...it was my dad. "How's the trampoline holding up?" my son answered as he looked out the window..."oh its fine, we have it held down...by...some...OOOHHH NOOOOO!" All that was left were the cinder blocks. No trampoline to be found. ANYWHERE! We ran outside and looked in every direction, the trampoline had completely disappeared. No shit. My dad came over and drove around the neighborhood and still could not find it. Andy came home completely broken hearted and defeated, and set out to find what was sure to be the mangled mess. He drove up the dirt road to the neighbor's house behind us and he found the trampoline in a gulley, the two of us hiked back there with a screwdriver and a rubber mallet and disassembled the big blue giant, resembling a beached whale at this point, and dragged it home. The irony is...(and you know how much I love irony) although the wind carried it three times farther than last time, it was actually NOT in bad shape. Andy was able to hammer the pieces back into shape, all except one...and we actually had a left-over piece from the last repair to replace it. We might be short a few springs, but that remains to be seen when we start putting it back together.



The real question is...how do we anchor this sucker down so it doesn't fly off again? We bought stakes and wire at Home Depot, but the stakes easily pulled out of the ground when we tested it. Our next experiment is sand bags. The manufacturer wants you to take down the netting when high winds come, but that is easier said than done.



Hm. Anyway, it is now Tuesday and I am falling behind in my duties. I welcome any ideas readers might have about our trampoline issue.

Making Headway! We Have Clover!

This has been a productive week! Last weekend we had glorious weather which managed to spill over into the work week as well, so we have gotten a lot accomplished!!!

Friday and Saturday we had a few gigs, so we weren't really able to get to work until Sunday on our home improvement projects. It was Valentine's Day. I asked Andy not to spend money on flowers or anything, I just wanted to spend the day with him working on the house. He agreed...YAY! So we drove around to Home Depot and local nurseries and picked up our next round of supplies.

In my last post I wrote that the clover had not yet germinated, but immediately after that I took a look around the property and realized I was mistaken. We - have - clover! This week's amazing weather has really encouraged growth too, the combination of rain and sun has really worked its magic. Right now it is very subtle, it looks like a light film of green over the landscape, but up close you can see how many little clover-guys have taken hold, its AMAZING!

I looked for Lantana, Veronica or Verbena at the local nurseries and both places told me straight up, it has been too cold this winter and they don't have any on hand. Home Depot had some of the Lantana but it was kind of pricey and the local growers explained that when it is grown locally it dies out in the winter. I want a plant that will be year-round, AND rabbit-proof...I know, I know...I am asking the world, right? Well, one nursery grower showed me a plant I had never heard of, it is used for ground cover, produces tiny little flowers, grows year round and it MAKES RABBITS SICK. At that point, I didn't care what it was called, I just said, "Give it to me!" hahaha. All kidding aside, I love the cute little cottontails, I think they are adorable...and I invite them with great enthusiasm to graze on the open field of green grass right next door. I will gladly wave to them from a distance, but I am afraid my plantings will be much to bitter and toxic for their delicate systems.

ANYWHOOOOO...I have been planting these new greeneries all week in my "spare time" between teaching my eldest son Quadradic formulas, my youngest son about simple and compound interest, laundry, dinner and wedding organizational duties. Who needs a hobby?

This will be an exciting weekend coming up. Andy and I have the entire weekend off, NO GIGS. We won't have another weekend like this for awhile, so we are going to power out as much work as possible. We received the replacement parts for the trampoline, so my dad is gonna help Andy put that back together in the morning. THEN we are going to pick up river rock, stepping stones and fan palms and hopefully get those put in place on Sunday.

Wish us luck! More pics to follow!

Can Anyone Identify This Bloom?

OK, so no rain in the forecast for awhile. Andy and I have been miserable with sinus infections all week, but we are slowly recovering. So, it's time to regroup.




While taking a walk around the property, we noticed some of our fruit trees are starting to bloom. Most of them, we have NO IDEA what they are. This particular tree is putting out a pinkish/red bloom and it is just gorgeous! Can anyone tell me what it is?





My clover is not sprouting, and the rabbits have claimed my iceplant AND have started in on one of the birds of paradise plants as well. This is quite discouraging.


A friend told me about a ground cover called Lantana, it puts out some pretty flowers and apparently the rabbits hate it, so I guess I will give that a shot. There are a few others that are just GORGEOUS plants and not favorites of the cottontail rascals...check these out:


Veronica











Verbena









How terrible would it be to lace the property with these gorgeous flowers? I am thinking it would be pretty darned cool.


However, I am still scratching my head about the clover. It has not sprouted as of yet and our wedding date is closing in fast. What to do, what to do.


OK, I have much to do...today I am going to meet with an alterations lady to fix up my dress, and the house looks like a hurricane hit. Work, work, work!

Waiting for the rain to subside

We are still having some blustery days, plus we have all been fighting a bit of a cold around here, so it is a good excuse to sit home and rest. This last weekend was sort of wet and cold and although Andy was not feeling well, but he still managed to get out and trim some trees. Other than that, I guess we just let Mother Nature water our clover seed and new plantings. :)

Sunday we went to a Superbowl party at our friends' home in Orange County and we were bombarded with wedding questions. These friends are also hosting our Engagement Party, so they want our input as far as organizing, inviting certain people and coming up with photos and music. It is a challenge to not feel overwhelmed. So, this week (as long as it is raining) I am concentrating on wedding details. I have contacted the reverend about our vows, I found my wedding shoes and need to look for a corset for my dress so I can have it altered. I also need to go to a local craft store and pick up some bowls to make centerpieces for my tables.

There is so much to do, and our number of weekends are becoming fewer and fewer. We should receive the parts to repair our trampoline this week, plus I would really like to plant the fan palms this weekend, but this might be put off for one or two more weeks. We have two gigs this weekend which really only gives us Sunday to work. Luckily, we have a free weekend after that, I hope the weather holds up!

There will be much digging in your future...

Oh boy.

This weekend was kind of a bust (home improvement wise) but we expected that. We had a show Friday, I had a High School Reunion Saturday night and Andy had to fly out to Maryland Sunday morning, so we didn't get a lot accomplished. Saturday afternoon we did scoot over to Home Depot to pick up some solar lighting and a wheelbarrow, then to a sod/landscaping store to pick up our clover seed. We came home and lined the solar lighting up the driveway, raked the ground a bit and threw down the clover seed, watered it and that was about all we had time for.
I'm not sure if I mentioned the clover decision in earlier posts, but I have been researching inexpensive ground-cover that is drought resistant, doesn't need much mowing and won't die if the dog pees on it. The answer was...clover. Other good news, it grows fast and with very little encouragement. PERFECT! The above picture shows what the ground looks like now...barren. We want to green it up in time for the wedding. This weekend it is supposed to rain a little and then we should have some sunshine and it will germinate. I'll take more pictures in a few weeks to let you know how its going.



Much to my chagrin, the rabbits are finding their way in between garlic plants to get to the iceplant cuttings I put down, so...sigh...I am going to have to build a better barrier.



Since the garlic shoots come in pots, I have been moving them around the property as needed, BUT now I have decided I must take them out of the pots and just start lining the property with individual shoots. This is going to be time consuming.



More good-news/bad news...Jenny caught another rabbit, BUT she is digging holes all over the property, including where we have put down new plants. I'm not sure if she is digging out of boredom, to find more rabbits or to bury her treasures...but it is borderline destructive and I am hoping it doesn't become a huge issue. She was SO PROUD today to show off her kill...and I showered her with tons of love and gratitude. She is such a sweet dog...I just adore her.

So, wish me luck with my digging issues. I will be planting garlic until the cows come home, and refilling holes that Jenny has created. YAY! :)