circle of tree life

rest in peace, tree.

During the Great Horrible Snowstorms of last winter, one of the casualties of the yard was a big camellia tree. Normally they come in bush form but this one was so gigantic it could only be called a tree. I didn't witness it's demise, but I am assuming that an accumulation of ice and snow on top of an insufficient root system made the whole thing tip over. It's languished in the yard until now. Today I went at it with a hand saw and threw the pieces into the gully on the side of the house to fend for themselves. There is one large lonely part of the trunk sticking up. It is pretty solid when rocked, so I figured I would leave it there and do something interesting. Perhaps attach a bird feeder? A dragon head? Who knows.

ideas for trunk usage? Anyone?

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It did feel strange not to rake today.
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no, I have not yet played the game

The future has arrived. Charlie may make computer games, but does he make games that are good enough to represent the tastiest cherry tomatoes in the universe? Seriously, these tomatoes are like crack cocaine. Normally I have issues with eating cherry tomatoes whole because the pop in my mouth is a little too much like an eyeball. But I get past that pretty quickly with these little beauties. Three of the tomato plants in the garden are cherry this year, and I can't wait.

moss-stravaganza

a pile as big as my car

Did you think that I was exaggerating about the moss? After a solid week of raking, I finished clearing about 30% of the yard. It was all I could take. It is exhausting, raking all day every day. I had NPR and a whole lot of birds to keep me company. I also have more freckles and could possibly bench-press Charlie.

denuded of moss

Today I spread a huge amount of grass seed and then topped things off with luscious dirt to keep everything moist and happy. The sprinkler with a timer that Russel left when we bought the house (thanks!) is set up to go every day at 3pm for 10 minutes. Part of the torment of grass seed is that it needs to be kept moist. Things are a bit dreary around here, which is nice because most mornings are dewy and wet. With the help of the sprinkler my grass seed investment will pay off. Then I will continue to battle the moss and moles and whatever else comes into the yard. No more raking for a while though.

seeded, covered in dark dirt, and set up with the sprinkler

The garden is all set up and growing. Under the cloche are tomatoes, basil, and several different kinds of peppers. In the bed to the right of that are a few types of onions, beans, and squash. The front bed is mostly greens, hence the bamboo tripod covered with (invisible) bird netting. The lettuce and arugula are barely sprouting, and the carrots and parsnips are snug under plastic wrap to keep moist. In deer-sight are a row of brussel sprouts, two rows of broccoli, and a few random pumpkins. I kind of lost track of which kind are where, but among them should be a few jack o lanterns and a few cinderella pumpkins.

deer, fear my tibetan prayer flags

Now, with the exception of moss, everything GROW!

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uh, lady, I am just hanging out on the deck. Honestly.

nom nom nom nom nom

did you leave this catnip just for ME?

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 345

good morning

What do I love about Charlie's weekend breakfasts? Everything.

I sing the crush electric

He takes ownership of the house when he crosses the threshold. He doesn't take his shoes off. He smells horribly of chain-smoked cigarettes. He never, ever, turns off the breaker in the box before he works on something. He is Les. He is my electrician.

Les comes from Pop Electric. Mona recommended them to us when we bought this house. He has come to run new wire for the pool table lights. He has answered my call for help when I tried to swap out some fixtures and ended up rendering an entire breaker unusable. It doesn't matter if it is a big job or a small one. He doesn't make fun of me for wanting to do electrical work in the house myself. He lets me watch what he is doing and learn.

So far I have definitely learned that flipping the breaker before work is optional. That probably wasn't the best lesson but yes mom I still turn everything off and test it before fiddling. It's his confidence that is impressive. He is a force of electrical nature. He came by today to fix a three-wire line that had been nicked by the people who installed our replacement projector in the basement. They had the best of intentions but managed to give a fine spark-inducing slice into a wire downstairs. I didn't have the technical capabilities to install a box that would render the repair code-worthy, so I called Les. He fixed it perfectly (like he does every time) and went on his way.

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Images from the day include:

A planter on the front porch. Charlie's aunt and uncle gifted us with these neat metal chickens that I have finally found a home for.

After a week in cabo and subsequent working outside my summer crop of freckles has begun to come in. Luckily they look good against my apron.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 2
Eggs laid this year: 323

The new throne is ready, your majesty.

out with the old

There is precious little more daunting than going to a person's house and having them tell you that the guest powder room is "the dodgy one." Ever since we've moved in, the toilet on the main floor has been off. First it didn't reliably flush. Then it didn't reliably turn off after filling. It was a pit of despair. So we decided to replace it! With grand fanfare and much research I ordered a replacement from a local plumbing supplier.

Here it is! The new NO-FLUSH option. You just crouch over that appealing red funnel and do your duty. No water is wasted and your contribution to the environment is minimized!

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.
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Ok, the red funnel wasn't the final solution. The dual-fush concept is something that hasn't caught on completely in the states. But when we were in Australia it was clear that people who were interested in conserving water demanded a toilet that used applicable amounts with reference to their, ah, deposit.

in with the new

Today I picked up the new toilet and installed it. I wish that I could teach a new homeowner's seminar. I would entitle it "switching out your toilet is the easiest thing ever and will make you feel master of your domain. " There really are many things you can do to your house without professional help. Changing out a toilet, or even just the guts of the thing to improve flow and water conservation, is near the top of the list.

The new toilet is in. It is lovely and water conserving and so very discreet in it's function. Exactly what I wanted!

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welcome to the world, new baby for the Magal family. I was privileged to hold you a mere 4 hours after your birth. You are already a champion thumb-sucker.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 321

lawnian motion

lawn, mowed.

Today was the year's first lawn mowing adventure. My mower? Why yes, it started on the second pull. I then spent some quality time maneuvering it around the back and cutting down a few week's worth of enthusiastic moss growth. Oh yes the moss battle is on. Over the next few weeks I'll be trying to kill the existing moss and then replacing it with grass seed. To put things in perspective: the entire back yard is 65% moss. Out of control taking-over moss. It may feel soft on your feet but it acts like a water sponge and adds to the mole infiltration problem. So one of this year's projects is to win the battle against moss.

tomatoes, planted.

After the mowing and the beginning of moss-killing I got the tomatoes planted. They are cozy in their cloche sharing space with some jalapeno and bell pepper plants. I started making the long skeleton to hold the no-deer no-bunny no-bird netting but the sun set before I got that finished.

garden from afar

Tomorrow: hopefully I will finally get some lettuce and carrots planted.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 1
Eggs laid in the coop Sunday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop Saturday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Friday: 2
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 315

dirt frenzy

killing slugs with style

I have decided that spring is here. If it's not pouring rain, I am out in the yard trying to get things done. All of the dirt has been ferried (in an endless sequence of wheelbarrow loads) down to the raised garden beds. The tomato hoop house has been built. Today I bought a yeti-load-full of bark to try and finish the front of the house. The bark already looks pretty damn good, and it will be beautiful once the plants start to leaf out. Hopefully the hostas will start poking their heads up next week.

before the plastic was draped over the hoops

Yesterday I got the potatoes planted in their re-purposed bins. There are still many left over so I think I'll set up a few potato hillocks around the yard. If I keep mounding compost on top then perhaps I will get a bonus crop of spuds.



This afternoon, I celebrated a long day by planting some onion starts down in the raised beds. The bird netting isn't set up yet, and if I'm lucky the deer won't notice the little sprouts until I've got it in place. Fingers crossed.

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 2
Eggs laid in the coop Wednesday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Tuesday: 4
Eggs laid in the coop Monday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 305

Triumphant return.

fronds against the sky

cactus plus ocean = kind of like buttered toast on a falling cat's back

Why yes, we are back from Cabo! Was seeing the "books read" column grow by a few inches your clue? Or perhaps you actually heard me weeping into the constant cold rain that fell ceaselessly upon our return. Ahh, I know what it was. You heard my squeal of bliss when Charlie handed me a hot cup of coffee fixed exactly how I like it: sweet and strong and with a touch of cream and stirred by him in our kitchen.

another memorable dinner at Pancho's

We're back. It was a long week of relaxing. While Charlie busied himself frolicking in the pool, watching soccer games, and chasing Isaac about I made very good friends with the shade. The pool attendants raised a few eyebrows at me, covered in a long skirt and hat and sunscreen and a sarong sometimes over my shoulders, reclined in the shade and knitting. Most people were sporting bikinis and pina coladas and raising their bronzed faces to the sun. I was trying my best not to become sunburnt and having a glorious time working on a pair of opera-length fingerless gloves. When I wasn't knitting I was reading or chatting with friends or planning what to eat next.

gloves begin

What I ate next usually involved ceviche. I sampled it everywhere. Enough intense lime to make you squint like a pirate. Or perhaps a mix of delicately shredded lettuce wound around the fresh fish. The most memorable version was spiked throughout with strips of intense fresh habanero. Charlie found a delicious bottle of anejo tequila and we worked our way through the entire thing (while sharing with friends, of course) over the course of the week.

borrowing favored baby

Charlie engages in this year's entertainment: Hat Wars

We sat outside the hotel bar and played board games with friends. The moon hung fat and creamy and bursting, barely propped up on the ocean's horizon until it found the energy to rise. If you were quiet for just a moment, you would hear someone laugh. During the day it was one of the many many kids in our families enjoying the sunshine and water, and at night it was the lower confidential laugh of a parent out past their bedtime. When that many of us travel together, it turns into a sort of a tribe. Babies are passed from arm to arm and the kids end up in a coltish mass, roiling around the edges of any group.

In the past if someone told me that every year they went on a vacation with the people they work with, I would have winced and politely wished them the best. But now, with year after year passing by and watching friends grow and change and always having that week to look forward to where there is no work to do and games become fun again and there is a great exhalation of all of the tensions of the year, all against the susurration of the ocean, that is the best.

farewell dinner

rainus completus

I'm too sexy for my muck boots

It is raining. And raining and raining and snowing and raining and snowing and raining some more. It's pretty much sapped me completely. I managed to pull myself together enough to distribute most of the rest of the dirt into the garden beds and the entire pile of bark into the front yard. I still need more bark, but that can wait for another day.

driveway center, before

driveway center, after...can't wait for all of the hostas to leaf

On the other side of the window rain drips steadily from the moss-covered tree branches. Come on spring, with your catchy winds and scuttling clouds. I need some sunshine.

front yard friends

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Eggs laid in the coop Wednesday: 3
Eggs laid in the coop this year: 267