Back yard dreamings and plans

A blank palette. Just do it, just pick up things and put them Somewhere Else. Break up the scrap wood, stack it with the other wood. Take the broken bicycle and put it by the broken car. Finish reclaiming   the back porch and decorate it with magnificent cacti and succulents. Plant flowers to attract the bees. Gradually claim the yard as MINE. 

And so it goes. It's currently full of rocks. Growing needs to happen in containers, but I'm thinking if I put some good dirt by the fence and water and fertilize and plant them, they will grow. This spring the little corner was full of wild geraniums, mallow, marestail, and some unknown stuff. I let some grow, and it is blooming. Teensy not pretty blooms. Lovely green though. If I scatter some wildflower seeds, then it will be awesome, except for the foxtails that have been growing there for decades. I'll just keep pulling!

But there's a tiny praying mantis (or is it preying??) and some other flying bugs, a couple of caterpillars although are they good or bad don't know. Even though it has been up to 112 degrees here and full of smoke from the burning west coast, I've picked six zucchinis, we had them for breakfast. That was more than I thought we would get since the plants kept wilting in the heat, even though I covered them with shade cloth. 

Sometimes it's tough just to look at the positive. Today I got up early, so hoping to go to bed early and repeat getting up early. It was nice to be up before the television begins roaring. 

These are tough days. The political climate is alarming, there are many many fires here on the west coast, and oh yeah, there's still a pandemic going on, even though there are people who STILL think it's fake, how many people do you have to lose before you see? I don't know.

Didn't get many tomatoes this year, I think I must persuade the bees to be here at the right time. Some plants don't matter, like lettuce, carrots, potatoes... they don't need bees. But so many do. I watched many tiny zucchini fail because they weren't pollinated. I don't think I am good at it yet. 

As you can see, lots of good green leaves, very few yellow, lots of cherry tomatoes, only 1 Roma and 2 that are supposed to be yellow pear. Next year, only cherry tomatoes I think. I was successful just freezing them whole and throwing them in the crock pot whole and frozen, in the soup. Can't really make tomato sauce with them, but hubby doesn't like the thought of canned anything anyway....

Years ago, I did a bit of my garden the Ruth Stout method, which is basically mulch mulch mulch. I may be able to talk my husband into giving up some of the Potential Lawn Area. 

One day at a time as always.

I'm loving this succulent. I haven't tried to figure out what it is. It's very colorful, and made it through this hot hot summer in the sun. It has grown a LOT... it was a snippet last year, and this year it crowded out everything that was in that box. 

I do have quite a lot of cacti. I need another huge pot I think, and consolidate the small ones into one big pot. They never bloom as beautifully as my dad got them to. There again, I will enjoy whatever I get. My tiny paddle cactus is supposed to have a yellow bloom, eventually. It has one finger at the moment. It looks like it is gesturing.... well never mind.

I pray that we are still around to enjoy the spring, and to be able to see my family and friends. I hate the isolation, but I've been sending out cards and giving away sets of cards, that helps. I keep hoping that one day that wall hanging will finish itself, it isn't cooperating. 

so keep gesturing at these fires, little cactus, and at this pandemic. I'm hoping for a bloom someday, I will have to figure out where to let it grow however, and if I live long enough, to maybe eat one of those paddle when they are big. 

My gardening calendar told my hubby to dig up the freesia. Long story. We traded computers. I can't figure out how I can sign out of that computer without him losing access to a bunch of files he put on there before setting up his own profile. I may have to change my email address. 

My daughter in law gave me that freesia many years ago, and even though the rats ate most of them a couple years ago, a lot came back. Gorgeous and fragrant. The other plant that a different daughter in law gave me is going strong. 

I am indeed blessed with daughters in law, as well as sons and daughters and grandchildren. I miss our gatherings. It's hard to be patient. 

But there's gorgeous roses blooming. Yellow and this lovely orange and pink one. The yellow one was supposed to be a MINI ROSE but it's currently 6 feet tall before I prune it. The orange pink one was a slip from my mother in law's rose. She could just clip off a slip and stick it in the dirt and it would grow. There's a tiny yellow bush coming up under the other one, it needs to be dug out of that spot, but it has tiny blooms. I wonder what it's going to do.....