Photography Lessons

After seeing the phone picture on the blog earlier this week, I decided to spend some quality time with my Good Camera- I need some practice anyway. Here’s what happened:

Tasha is not impressed…severely. I did a photo study of her for a few minutes- just sat in the chair in the hallway and snapped pics of her as she tried to settle down for her daily morning nap. A few more weeks and she’ll be able to move to that puddle of sunlight you can almost see on the floor in front of her- it’s still too hot right now for sleeping in the sun, even early in the morning.

Yes, I should be working on the Camp Shirt, or my new knitting project (I picked up Knitting from the Center Out by Daniel Yuhas from the library yesterday, read 5 pages and whipped out my stash and started knitting furiously at 9 o’clock last night, much to the amusement and dismay of everyone else in the house- mama’s not turning those lights out anytime soon!), but I wanted to capture the progression from total alertness (what are you doing mama?!) to sleepy-contentedness that is a cat seduced by the warmth of Fall Sunshine…

I love that her foot hasn’t moved an iota as those eyes slowly succumb to the warmth and stillness of the morning around her…

It’s been too long since I’ve made her the focus of the day. My little sunshine girl.

Then I left her to get some much needed sleep (ha-ha, her second nap of the morning!) and turned my “eye” to the garden:

Um…oh, my. Goodness Gracious, that’s a dirty, lifeless, tired and worn-out little garden, isn’t it? Summer out here on the edge of East County really takes a toll on these little green souls. The camera is helping me really see the individual plants, rather than the overall greeness I usually see…

Not too mention all the fallen leaves, dirt, and spider webs…

There is one bright spot however- this little corner of lovelyness! The Aloe has definitely survived my hack-job of a repotting from last year, and that lovely fernyish plant, too! It’s a volunteer that I think came with the Aloe when it was but a teeny-tiny-itty-bitty 4 inch starter plant. It has been growing quite contentedly in this pot through transplants, moving locations, drought conditions (ahem) and over fertilization. (and under fertilization as well…found a chore for tonight!) and I love it’s delicate, leafy fronds and cool-green colour. Perfect for a Woodland Fall, too!

Now, as long as the Faeries don’t decide to chop it down for a Woodland Campfire, we’re golden…

It’s a beautiful morning

A corner of my garden this sunny spring morning:

Happy weekending everyone!

Geraniums

When my family moved back to California in the ‘80’s, my mom planted a small red geranium in the back yard, right on the edge of the back patio. By the time I had graduated high school, it had grown into a monster bush covering half of the patio and blocking the entire view of the yard from the patio door!. Ever since I’ve had geraniums in my various gardens, but until now I haven’t had the sun exposure they like to flourish.

Now I have a pink one- she started out quiet and small, kinda sickly honestly. Now she blooms all the time, and has the most beautiful flowers of the two that are in my garden right now.

My red geranium, from back in August. She hasn’t had very large blooms since I first brought her home last summer, but she has been plucking along, putting out blooms bravely despite the heat and the wind out there on that balcony.
So, I repotted both of them when I split my monster oregano earlier this month. I gave them both a good feeding at the time, too and make sure to give them both a good drink ever few days. The air out here is so dry, what with the drier climate, 3rd floor balcony and no shade. But they appear to like their Christmas present, late as it was, so we’ll see how they do this next month.
Most of my plants have grown so much since we moved in back in June. The tarragon didn’t make it, so I pulled that one out. Then I decided to try my hand at some lettuces, so I pulled everything out of the low round planter and gave them their own pots- the thyme is growing lush again, but the sage is spindly and refuses to raise her head. I let the Basil bolt, and am glad I did because his flowers are so pretty! I will just chop him down when it gets closer to a true spring out here, and buy another plant in the meantime- one plant didn’t give me near enough basil last summer any way, so another plant or two will supply us nicely this next year I think.
So, right now I have parsley and chives putting up their teeny little sprouts (yaay! fresh herbs are lovely), a new rosebush I got bareroot late last month that is refusing to green up- I am a little worried about it. I chose an Iceberg this time around, for a white flower, but it’s not looking good at the moment. The Faeries are camped out around her, giving her pep talks and extra love, so we’ll see how she does. My other rose, an Our lady of Guadalupe ever-blooming floribunda, is working on two rosehips at the moment- I’m so excited! She also had a sucker (? is that the right term) that I let go for a few weeks until it bloomed this last weekend that turned out to be true to her regular flower crop yaay! I hate trimming my roses, it rips my heart out to cut my plants, even the suckers (speaking of suckers, it turns out that the tomato plant from last year needed a lot more attention than I gave it- I have been reading a lot about gardening this winter and learned a lot about what I did wrong with that plant. Oh well. You live and learn, right?).
Anyway, roses and geraniums, herbs and lettuces. What else can I stuff onto my balcony this year? Ahhh. . . lots more, I’m hoping. So far, so good- I’m learning, and planting and fertilizing, pruning and harvesting- it gives me such joy and comfort to have my plants again! I’ve waited so long. Love my garden, and so does Tasha- she got a catnip plant this weekend, and is loving being about to go out and pick a leaf or two whenever she gets a craving! Kitties are good teachers, aren’t they?

Faerie Gardening

     The faeries have a new venture in the new place. They said since I wasn't going to finish the Lady Mage's house- anytime soon! - (they are very bitter ) I would just have to share the balcony garden with them. ahem. (they were very firm.) So, that actually gave me the perfect excuse to try out some ideas that had been percolating since our visit out to Summer's Past Farms earlier this summer...

 

ignore the dirt- faeries construction can be quite messy.

      Out next to the tomato, beneath the camellia, there used to be a plastic container full of very obliging herbs, just waiting patiently for the chance to be a real herb garden. So this weekend I gathered some pots, dirt, and rocks, and with a little help from the cat...

CAT! ( the faeries again. Just ignore them, they don't really mind the cat all that much, they just like making a fuss...)

     We all got happily messy, dirty and a little wet making a faerie herb garden! There is a path freshly set in using wee little white pebbles- they will settle in after it gets watered a few more time out there. A small patio area in the back paved with some darker, flat stones, and a few stone outcroppings that the faeries snuck in when I had my back turned. When I turned back around I saw this- 

 

Tasha fends off the faeries.

All it needs now is a few benches, arbors and maybe a pond...

How easy it is to breathe

when you’re outside in the fresh summer air? We went somewhere loverly this weekend…

 

Isn’t it pretty? A pretty little farm-gift shop-café kind of place called Summers Past Farms. I went with my sissy and the hubs played chauffeur/photographer. Bliss!

They grow lavender there- and lots of it! It’s everwhere outside, in the sweet pea maze, beside the café, next to the river, around the corner from the chicken coop…

There’s a trellis lined, viney covered arbor that lets you watch the river that waltzes past with utter comfort. Next to some lavender, of course.

Then there’s the moon river bridge- that’s prince charming himself over there beside the pool…

Such a lovely place! The perfect ending to this crazy summer- today everyone goes back to work. Ah well, at least I have our next visit to the Farm to perk things up this fall, right?

My favorite state park

I really enjoy visiting the Old Town San Diego State Historical Park. It is so much fun to look at the various building, shops and restaurants there. But lately, I’ve started going on a more regular basis, just to look at these:

Did you know there were gardens in Old Town? There are lots of plants, true, but go around the corners and follow the paths around the park and you will find these secret little gardens!

There is a faerie in that picture. Bet you can’t see it! I took that picture, and one after it, and then my camera went dead. pfft! It even closed itself and turned off with no warning what-so-ever. Done, finito, off! Faeries do that when they want some privacy.

The park is surrounded by many common areas, green belts, and lots of native plants gardens, which are just now starting to wake up from their long winters nap. On Wednesdays and Saturdays they have Living History Days, which is when you can find volunteers drifting through the walkways in their glorious historical gowns.

No, I don’t have a picture of one. yet. (insert stalker-ish gleeful rubbing of evil plotting hands here.)

But I do have more garden photos:

I think I shall go back next week for more!