Tenacious Color

The garden/yard looks frightful !  It's that time of year .

But , don't say that to the pansies .  Aren't they fabulous ?

Look how nice the Oleander Hedge on the outside of the fence is growing .  It will be nice to have a little more privacy when it is taller . However , it has been nice when all the people that walk by give me a "hello" shout out .

The pansies even weathered through a little snow fall a few weeks ago . Like I say "quite tenacious" .

In all this bleak and drab look at all those bright and shiny faces .  All I have to do to them is to periodically cut off the dead blossoms.  So easy and so nice .  And , the bonus is that I see them from my dining room window !!!

If all goes well , on Monday a worker is coming to clean up all of the leaves so that another worker can come on Wednesday to apply some weed control on the areas that produce dense weeds in the spring time .  Especially on the outside of the fence around the Oleanders and the pathway where people like to walk .  I am fully aware of environmental selective herbicides . The roof will also be cleaned of all the leaves .  The gutters are not an issue because years ago I had Leaf Guard gutters installed . Smart decision and worth every "penny" spent .

Not certain about how much or if any gardening I will be able to do in the future but this will help keep the garden maintained and tidy .

Expecting some (not much) rain which we severely need .  Hopefully it will have cleared before the workers come .

My car is home from The Car Doctor and running nicely . It is sure nice to have the service so close to home .

Have a Good Weekend and Stay Healthy .  The death toll is hard to comprehend as well as the insecurities of food , shelter , medical care and employment .  Help your local food bank if you can . 💚 Praying for better times !

Mary  

Power Washing Is Hard Work

About every three years the cement surfaces of the patio , driveway and sidewalks are so filthy that I can hardly stand to walk on them . It is such a constant reminder that they have to be power washed . The dirt has a way of clinging to the bottom of shoes and easily tracts into the house . I usually take my shoes off before entering the house but the cement also becomes very slippery when wet . I will do everything I can to avoid a fall .  I am about half done with this yucky job !  About an hour and a half is about all I can do at one time . It is looking so much better . Can't wait for it to be finished .

Probably about 8 more hours .  So , it will be a few more days .  And, then I can Hooray !  And , goodbye Power Washer - until next time .

This Daylily has at least 12 buds on it and it just started blooming . It is called Red Magic .

And . some more of my propped up Gladiolus . They still are nice and there are a lot of them .

And , this is Super Purple Daylily and this is the first to open on this scrawny plant . There are about three buds .

I am trying to add panting mix that has a lot of nutrients around all of the Daylilies with hopes that it will help my plants that are working so hard to give me flowers !

Stay safe . Are you following the guidelines ?  I hope you are !  We have to get past this and the only way we are going to do that is if we do our part .

Mary

It Is Happening

A few more days and my house will be painted the colors of my inspirational photo .

(google image)

The colors chosen are Chickadee (yellow) and Bodega Bay (blue) .  It is next to impossible to show you the real colors on the monitor .  But , this will give you the idea .  The house color is the yellow and there will be shutters and front door in blue .

The painter and his assistant have been wonderful workers . I can't say enough good things about them .  It is so refreshing to have quality service .  The assistant who is 18 years old is being trained and he is one of the nicest teenagers you could ever find .

We have had a lot of fun with the people who have walked by and commented .  I think I may have a name for my house even though I wasn't looking for one !  The talk has been that it is a happy color !  What about "The Happy House" ?  Can you see that on a little discreet sign at the front .  Many houses in the neighborhood have been named by the owners and have little signs !

Today the shutters and front door are being painted . 😊

It's getting pretty exciting around here ! I am really liking the color combination . What do you think?

 I have two large new blue flower pots for each side of the front of the garage .  And , they are planted with the 'Lemon Swirl' Bush Lantana that I recently purchased.  They like a lot of sun and the front of the garage certainly gets a lot of afternoon sun.

This is where some of the neighborhood noise is coming from .  I am not sure what their end goal is !  It looks like they are removing some of the existing rock that is natural for this area .

In this photo of the front of my house you can see the size of the boulders that were moved into their current location when the house was built 46 years ago . I think they are a nice border around the corner lot and they have been quite a "conversation piece !

And look at the size of those tree stumps they have already removed .  A few weeks ago they removed a lot of very large and old trees . Look at that equipment !  That has got to be the "Big Daddy" of all jack-hammers !

Hope your Weekend is a Good One .

Mary

Quick Update - It is SPRINGTIME

What a beautiful Harbinger of Spring !  I patiently wait for this Forsythia plant to bloom each and every spring and especially this year following the historic winter weather .  I was on my way out to the garden and got side tracked and decided it was a priority to write a brief post .  It has been a while since I have stopped and updated my blog .  THE GARDEN IS ALIVE !

White Hydrangea .

 White Hollyhocks .

White "New Dawn" Climbing Rose .

 Lavender Lilac .

Outdoor Maintenance continues with successfully unplugging blockage in drain pipe .

During the recent past heavy rains the water flowed briskly down and out this drain .  Hooray for me and my success !

And - - - some random cooking .  Honey-Mustard Brussels Sprouts. The mustard and soy sauce give it just the right amount of tang .

Old fashioned Scalloped Potatoes .  As usual, very good .

White Beans with Bacon and Herbs .  Really good, especially with Pork Chops .

Now - are you ready for this ?   A little repair-replacement of some CAR PARTS .   The rear view mirror on my 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible had become very blurry and difficult to see clearly and the support lifts for the trunk lid were no longer holding the lid open .  Not good to have the lid fall on my head !!!

 OLD PARTS

 NEW INSTALLATION OF PARTS

Can you see the buttons on my shirt popping off !!  I have to admit that I am quite proud of myself .      I guess it is true that "When there is a Will, there is a WAY .  Internet shopping and all for less than $150.00 .  Labor priceless !!!

If you are a blogger,  you know there is no such thing as a quick post .  Even after almost ten years I have not discovered a way to "quickly post" .

The sun is bright and I am on my way out to the garden .

Have yourself a Wonderful Day .

Mary

Cactus Blooming And A Little More

It is that time of year again . The cactus have started to bloom.  I would say Christmas Cactus but that would not be totally accurate because I have seen blooms on my plants at various times of the year .  But, whatever time of year I always get a little excited.

I know these two photos look like the same color flower .  However, the first photo is a salmon color and the other photo is a red color flower.

One of my potted cactus has four colors planted together which include pink, white, salmon and red.  It is just starting to show a little color .

There is not a lot happening in my garden or my life for that matter.  Lots of things that need to be taken care of but difficulty finding the motivation and I must monitor my activity based on what is best for me in relation to what is the best level of physical activity without causing an unwanted pain level .  I really dislike feeling so restricted !

But, I did take a little walk around the garden before going out to do a few errands .  This hardy White Chrysanthemum turns to a bi color with a lavender ring around the outside circumference after it has been open for a few weeks.  It was a nice surprise because I thought it was going to be all white.

And, here is another White Chrysanthemum with a little different shape and variety .

What a nice surprise to see the Flowering Cabbage opening to show the beautiful colors and pattern formation !

We are so blessed to have clear blue skies in this part of California.  But not to far from here schools and colleges have been closed due to the toxicity of the smoke .  Many aspects of life as we have known it in California have been severely altered .

Happy New Week .  Whatever your current weather conditions and life circumstances, I wish you a Beautiful Day with what is in your Heart !

Mary 

Are There Really More Acorns

They just keep a' dropping and they are noisy too, especially when they hit anything that is metal or hard plastic .

And, I have raked barrels and barrels of leaves .  And, this has been going on for a few weeks now .  The oak leaves are one thing but every acorn is potentially another seedling and tree .  I have enough trees - thank you very much ! !

There are buckets and buckets of acorns and it can be difficult to clean them up without taking a lot of soil at the same time .  So, I figured a way to salvage the soil and soil amendments by using a tray that I have had for a long time . The tray has a screen at the bottom to sift out the good soil that can be returned to the garden.  It really doesn't take long  because the acorns settle to the ground beneath most of the leaves and I coop them up and shake the tray . I raised it up to a height that doesn't strain my back and it is easy to do .

This is what I see every morning from my front door

Most mornings I rake leaves !  With the beautiful weather it is nice to spend a little early time outdoors .

My little garden shed looks so cheerful with the red blooming geraniums .

The White Cyclamen is starting to bloom as it does every year .

The Fountain Grass plants that I planted a few weeks ago have grown nicely since this photo was taken .

Since I have some large clumps of Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) in the yard I think I will transplant one plant between each Fountain Grass plant and a little higher on the slope .  As you know, the clay/rock is very difficult to plant anything in and I only was able to transplant one plant , so far .  But, I think I like the contrast of color and plant shape with the stately looking spikes next to the bronze Fountain Grass .  This year I have been able to add several 3 cubic bags of soil conditioner to the front gardens which should help a lot.  Hopefully in the spring, the Yellow Stella D'oro Daylilies will bloom that are planted along the front rock border .  At least that is my plan . We will wait and see .

And, the Purple Chrysanthemums in the front garden are looking very cheerful, healthy and full .  The Yellow Chrysanthemums bloomed earlier this year and every plant bloomed .

This photo was taken last year .  Maybe, next year the front garden will look finished and filled in to me !

I almost forgot to show you my Ornamental Pink Flowering Cabbage I recently planted along with some violas .  Won't they be pretty once they fill in and are larger ?

Let's end with this photo of this sweet Pink Penstemon that I planted in my garden years ago . It has bloomed every year and requires very little attention .  Not much more than me saying "thank you",

Precious Ivy sitting at my feet waiting for me to say "Good By" to you .

Until next time .  Hug your family, friends and pets !  And, remember to be Grateful .

Mary