Oppps!
While digging a ditch to relocate current electrical lines underground, we found a little surprise.
Long ago, someone had put lines under ground, but not very deeply and not where one would expect. At least they were dead so now harm done. I will be sure to mark the new lines although they will be much much deeper.
At least this was not totally unexpected as I had already found a pipe sticking up from the ground that I couldn't move. On closer examination, we spotted wires in it and determined that they were dead. Probably had been used before the line was put up on the fence the way it is today. Or the way it was before the new line was put in today.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Checking me out!
One of the most intriguing aspects of gardening is that it bring you into the closest proximity with all sorts of insects, spiders, birds and other tiny items you might otherwise miss.
This fellow is a great example...I must have gone by this bush 20 times yesterday, and when I finally decided to deadhead some of the spent blossoms on this buddlehia, I came face to face with this guy.
If I didn't have to do indoor work this afternoon, I would be near my insect book and look him up.
This fellow is a great example...I must have gone by this bush 20 times yesterday, and when I finally decided to deadhead some of the spent blossoms on this buddlehia, I came face to face with this guy.
If I didn't have to do indoor work this afternoon, I would be near my insect book and look him up.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A Real Custom Job!
The is where the electric line from the pump house ends up...from here it powers the creek pump and a hideous night sensor light. This "real custom job" as my electrician put it, is on it's way out...as soon as they can get here and start work!
Very by what we sometimes refer to as typical Lake County jobs, I think this one takes the cake.
It is vital that I be able to water my plants, but there must have been a different way to go about getting the power down to the pumps.
In the meantime, while trying to keep up with the original garden and all it's wants and needs, I am trying to undue two months of damage from sheer neglect, lack of watering and years of not taking care of plants properly.
Thursday we did a lot of summer pruning of the fruit trees, and I am trying to get up all the deadfall under the apples and pick the pears, which are ready right now for picking.
All the iris might be salvageable, and I will have to start work on those too.
The biggest job I have is deciding what kind of retaining wall for the pad that was left in the wake of the mobile home. It was completely protected from the weather but is just fill that has been sitting under the mobile for 30 years...one sloping side will really deteriorate this winter with rainfall, and just traffic from the dogs.
I am hoping to make contact with a distributor of Verdura, a cement wall block system that has space to plant small plants in each block. It sounds like a great green system. The website is Soilretention.com.
So now, by more than doubling my lot size, I have found that I have more than doubled my gardening workload, but oh, it is going to be fun, and the view from here makes it all worthwhile.
Very by what we sometimes refer to as typical Lake County jobs, I think this one takes the cake.
It is vital that I be able to water my plants, but there must have been a different way to go about getting the power down to the pumps.
In the meantime, while trying to keep up with the original garden and all it's wants and needs, I am trying to undue two months of damage from sheer neglect, lack of watering and years of not taking care of plants properly.
Thursday we did a lot of summer pruning of the fruit trees, and I am trying to get up all the deadfall under the apples and pick the pears, which are ready right now for picking.
All the iris might be salvageable, and I will have to start work on those too.
The biggest job I have is deciding what kind of retaining wall for the pad that was left in the wake of the mobile home. It was completely protected from the weather but is just fill that has been sitting under the mobile for 30 years...one sloping side will really deteriorate this winter with rainfall, and just traffic from the dogs.
I am hoping to make contact with a distributor of Verdura, a cement wall block system that has space to plant small plants in each block. It sounds like a great green system. The website is Soilretention.com.
So now, by more than doubling my lot size, I have found that I have more than doubled my gardening workload, but oh, it is going to be fun, and the view from here makes it all worthwhile.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Looking toward the pad from creekside
Finally the job was done...if you want to see all the deconstruction and devastation, you can go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/griswold64/, and look at the set titled Demolition.
The job it's self was so compelling to watch. Donald Epidendio was a real genius with that giant machine working almost entirely within the perimeter or footprint of the mobile. Everything was pulled inward where it was compacted before lifting up to the trucks. He was able to pluck out things like white appliances and steel frames that had to go to a different destination, and leave most of the concrete blocks intact. Really they did just a good jog.
The truck drivers, including Anthony Epidendio had to maneuver thru my narrow gate, around a giant oak tree and into position to be loaded. No easy task with those behemoths!
At one point, Donald put a chain onto Anthony's trailer and pulled the end of it sideways so it was just right. Amazing.
There was very minor to little damage to any existing plants, though one very old star jasmine which had been barely hanging onto an upright of the old awning, tumbled down last night all on it's own. I can't lift it but I am sure that Stuart and I will be able to get it into an upright position, or just grow it as a ground cover.
Again, the most amazing things are the things I never anticipate before moving something, whether it be a tree or a structure. I would think I would learn by now, but I am usually so focused on getting a scary job done that I don't think too far ahead about LIGHT!
There are some plants that might get too much light now, but in the case of my bay laurels, since it is all morning light, I won't worry. Other plants will probably benefit from the increased light, and for sure the Oak Tree will love having all that space cleared. I think I won't have to move out the asphalt to the north of the tree...those roots will be able to breath very well like this.
Now thanks to the Epidendio Construction Co., there is very little clean up to do...just a few random piece of glass. I had been worried about the fiberglass insulation but that is all gone. It was cleaned up so well. Sheer bliss.
When I look out my kitchen window there is a view that will take some getting used to...so I am not in any hurry to do much right now. Still have to wait for the power lines to be put underground out to the well and creek pump, then I can start on stairs down to the new yard from the high deck. Plenty of time for that.
The job it's self was so compelling to watch. Donald Epidendio was a real genius with that giant machine working almost entirely within the perimeter or footprint of the mobile. Everything was pulled inward where it was compacted before lifting up to the trucks. He was able to pluck out things like white appliances and steel frames that had to go to a different destination, and leave most of the concrete blocks intact. Really they did just a good jog.
The truck drivers, including Anthony Epidendio had to maneuver thru my narrow gate, around a giant oak tree and into position to be loaded. No easy task with those behemoths!
At one point, Donald put a chain onto Anthony's trailer and pulled the end of it sideways so it was just right. Amazing.
There was very minor to little damage to any existing plants, though one very old star jasmine which had been barely hanging onto an upright of the old awning, tumbled down last night all on it's own. I can't lift it but I am sure that Stuart and I will be able to get it into an upright position, or just grow it as a ground cover.
Again, the most amazing things are the things I never anticipate before moving something, whether it be a tree or a structure. I would think I would learn by now, but I am usually so focused on getting a scary job done that I don't think too far ahead about LIGHT!
There are some plants that might get too much light now, but in the case of my bay laurels, since it is all morning light, I won't worry. Other plants will probably benefit from the increased light, and for sure the Oak Tree will love having all that space cleared. I think I won't have to move out the asphalt to the north of the tree...those roots will be able to breath very well like this.
Now thanks to the Epidendio Construction Co., there is very little clean up to do...just a few random piece of glass. I had been worried about the fiberglass insulation but that is all gone. It was cleaned up so well. Sheer bliss.
When I look out my kitchen window there is a view that will take some getting used to...so I am not in any hurry to do much right now. Still have to wait for the power lines to be put underground out to the well and creek pump, then I can start on stairs down to the new yard from the high deck. Plenty of time for that.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Delicious tomatoes
Today is D-Day in the new addition to my yard and garden. I thought I would start the day with a photo of my tomatoes...it is rather awesome to consider that I am more than doubling the size of my gardening area though at this point, it is mostly lawn with a few trees, and a jungle on one side. Once the mobile home is demolished that is...
The tomatoes, esp. the Black Cherokees are small, nonstandard in size, slightly cracked, but amazingly delicious. The Costalutos are good, but not near as densely rich and wonderful as the Black Cherokee. Yum...I might have to buy a little package of peppered bacon so I can have a couple of bacon and tomato sandwiches before the summer is out.
The tomatoes, esp. the Black Cherokees are small, nonstandard in size, slightly cracked, but amazingly delicious. The Costalutos are good, but not near as densely rich and wonderful as the Black Cherokee. Yum...I might have to buy a little package of peppered bacon so I can have a couple of bacon and tomato sandwiches before the summer is out.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Moving the Excavator thru the gate!
Moving the Excavator into the new garden area prior to Monday's demolition of the existing structure. It barely squeaked thru the gate.
Since escrow closed almost two weeks ago, we have been cleaning up the lot and getting ready for the day that the old mobile home could be demolished.
That will happen on Monday morning, and then the rest of the day will be spent hauling out all of the debris. Should make for some interesting photo ops.
Then the entire lot will be a new project in the ongoing gardening sage rather than starting a new blog.
Since escrow closed almost two weeks ago, we have been cleaning up the lot and getting ready for the day that the old mobile home could be demolished.
That will happen on Monday morning, and then the rest of the day will be spent hauling out all of the debris. Should make for some interesting photo ops.
Then the entire lot will be a new project in the ongoing gardening sage rather than starting a new blog.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Turkey in Distress
Another thrill of living on the banks of Cache Creek are the wild turkeys who come through. Lately I have seen these two females on their own and they seem mighty disorganized.
I see them above my strip by the road, and think they might have been the ones to strip my hollyhocks of their seeds. I see them pecking around the new mailboxes, and I hear them landing in our very tall oaks at dusk for roosting.
This morning I could hear one calling and calling as she paced back and forth across from my window. She really was putting up quite a racket and later when I was down by the creek, I could hear another one responding from the other side of my place.
After about an hour, I happened to look up at my neighbor's roof and there was this turkey. Very nervous and distressed. My dogs didn't even see her, but they knew something was up and kept running back and forth from the gate to the creek, poking their noses in any place a turkey might be.
The hidden turkey began to call from across the creek, and when my back was turned, the roof turkey must have made the flight back to her companion. Whew! I was worried she might land in my yard and Koko is a known turkey killer. Weill, she killed one once. Only sign she was ever a hunting dog.
Aside from harm to the turkey, I was worried about the havoc a turkey could wreak in my veggie and flower gardens. And today of all days, I found what looks like the first of the zucchini at last. I am not one hundred percent sure, since I didn't see it when the blossom was open, but it looks likes. And I am sure she wouldn't have been able to pass up my ripening tomatoes and cukes.
So lots of reasons to be happy the turkey moved on today. Roosting in the oaks is messy, but they are usually only there overnight.
I see them above my strip by the road, and think they might have been the ones to strip my hollyhocks of their seeds. I see them pecking around the new mailboxes, and I hear them landing in our very tall oaks at dusk for roosting.
This morning I could hear one calling and calling as she paced back and forth across from my window. She really was putting up quite a racket and later when I was down by the creek, I could hear another one responding from the other side of my place.
After about an hour, I happened to look up at my neighbor's roof and there was this turkey. Very nervous and distressed. My dogs didn't even see her, but they knew something was up and kept running back and forth from the gate to the creek, poking their noses in any place a turkey might be.
The hidden turkey began to call from across the creek, and when my back was turned, the roof turkey must have made the flight back to her companion. Whew! I was worried she might land in my yard and Koko is a known turkey killer. Weill, she killed one once. Only sign she was ever a hunting dog.
Aside from harm to the turkey, I was worried about the havoc a turkey could wreak in my veggie and flower gardens. And today of all days, I found what looks like the first of the zucchini at last. I am not one hundred percent sure, since I didn't see it when the blossom was open, but it looks likes. And I am sure she wouldn't have been able to pass up my ripening tomatoes and cukes.
So lots of reasons to be happy the turkey moved on today. Roosting in the oaks is messy, but they are usually only there overnight.
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