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Backyard Progress Report: May 2015

Spring has sprung and it shows in my sore back and dirty fingernails. Everything has been properly fertilized and fresh compost and mulch has been added to all the beds. After last Summer’s record heat wave and the on-going drought, I simply must be prepared for yet another year of gardening on the surface of the sun. A full check on all the micro-irrigation lines as well as a thick layer of mulch should help out.

I’ve also made an attempt to reduce the water usage for my evil lawn. The house-flippers added that before I bought the house and I’ve been cursing it ever since. Like a giant fattened screaming baby with a diaper rash, this lawn demands so much and just screams out for more. It goes against everything I stand for to have such a thirsty and needy thing. But then I see Sasha rolling around in it with a goofy smile and I melt.

Sasha in the Grass
Sasha in the Grass

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The Ocean View Growing Grounds Made the Paper!!

I’ve been a bit busy lately. Not only in the yard fighting the dreaded influx of weeds that had taken over almost every square inch, but also at the community garden up the street. We’ve been tidying up the space and surveying the area to layout the locations of the future greenhouse and the many beds so that my neighbors can finally begin sowing the seeds of change in our food desert.

The Saturday before last, I led the charge to have 12, 12 foot by 4 foot raised beds constructed on the lot. No small feat in the blazing sun and Santa Anna dry hot winds. It just so happened that we had a San Diego Union Tribune reporter and photographer on site that day as well.

Well, today they printed the article! And there’s even a quote from the babbling baboon that is yours truly! So, in lieu of all this hard work, it is my hope that you will find the means to forgive my lack of blog post writing as of late. It seems that the very moment I become sedentary, I immediately pass out. Sometimes before I can jump in the shower and sometimes with a full beer in my hand growing warm as I snore and bore my girlfriend and my dog. Apologies all around!

That said, check out the article! I hope I don’t get sued for posting an article from the Union Tribune?! Do they still have William Randolf Hearst like lawyers? Gulp! Rosebud… Continue reading “The Ocean View Growing Grounds Made the Paper!!”

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A Time-lapse of my Aloe Vera.

One of the many, and I mean many, benefits of living in a frost free land is that plants that are common around the world have the wiggle room to perform as they should in nature.

Like my Aloe Vera in the yard. Only in the right conditions will it annually flower. I keep a few around to handle scrapes, burns and cuts, but the yearly flower display is an additional benefit. The hummingbirds and bees love to get all up in it.

This year, I decided to take a photo every few days to just document the flowers development. While not a showy bloom, I still love to look upon it. So now I’ll force you to look upon it as well.
Continue reading “A Time-lapse of my Aloe Vera.”