Signed, Sealed, Delivered

We had the concrete walls and floor sealed so they don't get stained.

We wanted a semi-gloss finish, but only matte and gloss were available.  The contractor mixed a container of each and got exactly what we wanted.

Going Native

We took a class on native landscaping at Theodore Payne.

Our final project was to create a master plan for our entire garden.  Rob is going to do the bulk of the big stuff on his hiatus, but we did get started on the front yard.

To the left, is a pitcher sage.  It's supposed to be remarkably fragrant.

At the bottom is a western redbud.  It'll grow to be about 20 feet tall and is one of the most beautiful native trees I've seen.  Its leaves are getting a bit rusty, so I hope it's not going to crap out on use like the sycamore did last summer.

All Clear

I spent a ridiculous amount of time clipping dead leaves off of poppies and weeding out dandylions in the front yard.  I know this doesn't look impressive, but trust me, it's a HUGE improvement.

Digging Out

We have decided to excavate the ground on the side of the house with the leak.  Even though the foundation wall has been resealed, the contractor is concerned that water will slowly break through the new seal if there is wet ground next to it.

The plan is to level out the dirt and build a set of stairs from the front yard to the backyard out of the bricks from the old fireplace.

A Tree Grows on Sunset

On one of our wine-tasting trips, we were given a few Coast Live Oak samplings.  We planted two of them in neglected parkways, the others died before we could get them in the ground.

Unfortunately, the city decided to clean up one of the parkways and topped the tree to the left with a weed wacker.   It's starting to make a comeback, but I'm guessing it might end up with a pretty strange canopy.

Someone else in the neighborhood has figured out this is a tree and has been giving it some TLC.  The weeds in the bottom picture have been removed and the sapling has been make-shift staked.  This might be a bigger miracle then the tree surviving the weed-whack in the first place!

Follow the Red Brick Path

Rob reworked the path he did back in the spring because late spring rains had washed away some of the dirt.  He raised the bottom of the path so it was more level and got some grama grass to grow between the bricks.  

The grass is a HUGE help at holding the bricks in place, but back in August he had to give it a trim by hand with a pair of shears!

That's All I Got!

This summer our tomatoes ripened so that we had a steady supply -- and still do!

We did have one exuberant burst of productivity, so I did a little canning.  Hard to believe that 20 pounds of tomatoes could be reduced to just this!

It's a Match!

Last fall we bought a couple of half wine barrels at Zaca Masa, and over the summer Rob finished them with a light oak stain to match our wine barrel chairs.

We have a ficus in each of them.  This particular ficus we inherited when friends moved to Washington D.C.  I hope they're reading so they can see how healthy it is!

Summer in the City

August and September are brutal in Los Angeles, and when it heats up outside, work tends to slow down here at Goodin's folly.  This year it got so hot the lumber on our staircase bled little beads of sap.

We did manage to get a few things done, which I will post over the next week.  And work has started up again in earnest, so stay tuned for updates!

No Great Pumpkin Here, Charlie Brown

Eek!  It's already October and not a single fruit on my pumpkin vine.  We might have to resort to carving watermelon instead -- those we have in abundance!  How many can you spot in this picture?  (Yes, this is like those kooky puzzles you did in Highlights magazine when you were a kid!)