The Downside

We've been very impressed with the prolific production rate of the tomatoes and eggplants Cindy planted in the three GrowBox containers this summer.  The plants have been large and the tomatoes have been numerous and delicious.  The Purple Bumblebee tomato planted in the GrowBox was double or even triple the size of the same variety planted in soil in the raised bed:   http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-tale-of-two-tomatoes.html

However, we've also been experiencing a lot more mosquitoes this summer than we've ever had in the past.  And two invasive, non-native mosquito species have recently been detected in San Diego County: the Egyptian Mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus.  These mosquitoes can transmit the viruses that cause Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya and Yellow fever.  Fortunately, these viruses are rare in San Diego, but this is definitely NOT an insect you want to encourage in your yard.  https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/deh/pests/aedes.html

So we've been scratching our heads trying to figure out why we're experiencing so many more of these lovely creatures this year and where there could be any standing water nearby, and this morning the light bulb went on:  they're probably breeding in the water reservoir in the base of the Grow Boxes.  The two boxes in front of the garage have been done and cleaned out for over a month now, but the one behind the water tank, the one with the gigantic Purple Bumblebee tomato plant in it, is still going and Cindy has been faithfully adding water to it every day.  

That plant is about done now, too, so that box will be cleaned and dried out soon.  But that leaves us with the dilemma of what to do about next year:  we love tomatoes, but definitely don't want to encourage the breeding of mosquitoes.  Any chemical added to the water to kill mosquitoes would probably be transmitted up through the root system into the plants and probably into the fruits as well, so that doesn't sound like an acceptable solution.  

San Diego County does encourage people to use Mosquito Fish, Gambusia affinis to control mosquito larvae, so that may be a solution for next year.  

As Nan Sterman says, "every garden is a science experiment", and our will probably be even more of one next year.  

Return of the Mystery Pruner?

We've had a volunteer rose bush that grows in the planter beside the garage.  Cindy periodically cuts it back and tries to dig out the roots, but it persists and eventually reappears, as it did this year.  It wasn't high on the gardening priority list, but this morning I noticed that most of the canes had been raggedly chopped back, most of them about 5 or 6 inches off the ground.  

Just A Couple of Sticks

And One Long One

One cane was still about a foot long, and one small one had been left completely alone.  None of the other plants showed any sign of damage at all.  I thought it might have been a skunk because I had noticed a kind of skunky smell in the area, but Cindy pointed out that the plant about two feet away is called Skunk Plant for a very good reason--that's what it smells like.  When the leaves are disturbed, it smells very much like a skunk has passed by recently.  

So what kind of critter eats rose canes?  And apparently nothing else.  The last time we had a critter "prune" some of our citrus plants, we eventually concluded it must have been a deer.  See http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-garden-mystery.html  Even though we live in a city of 1.3 million people, surrounded by freeways, deer do sometimes come down the San Diego River, sometime with startling results.   https://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2013/01/yes-deer.html

I'm finding it hard to believe that deer would be such selective eaters that they would prefer a few rose canes to whole garden beds full of tomatoes, green beans, eggplant and other veggie delights.  And although Cindy's anti-varmint panels have been very good protection against the ravages of the California Ground Squirrel population, I don't think they would stand up to a determined deer.

It's still a mystery.  

Mite Busters!

On June 5th, Cindy heard what she thought was a "nesting song" sung by the House Finches.  The next day, twigs started appearing on the beam over our front porch--the porch we had only reclaimed three weeks before from the previous nesting experience.  On June 7th, she saw two female finches apparently fighting over the nesting material on the beam.  Or maybe it was Mama and Papa Finch finishing the nest.  By June 8th, Mama seemed to have settled into the nest and begun to incubate the eggs.  

Location, Location, Location!

We sighed and resigned ourselves to using the back door and having our happy hour on the back patio instead of on the front porch in the afternoon for at least the next month while the birds incubated and hatched their eggs.  

Finally, after about two weeks, we saw Mama Finch poking around in the nest, and a couple of days later saw two little fuzzy heads poking up above the rim of the nest and both Mama and Papa feeding the two chicks.  

By July 1st we were seeing at least three heads and hearing cheeping, but it was several more days before any of them had real feathers.  We were never sure how many eggs and chicks there were in the nest, and they just seemed to keep coming.  Finally the chicks began to leave the nest one by one.  One of the adult birds would sit in the shrubbery across the driveway or on the porch railing chirping at them.  Then both adults would fly up to the beam, fly back down, back up, back down, back up, and eventually one of the chicks would fly off with both parents.  It took several days, but by Friday at dinnertime there was only one chick left, standing on the very edge of the nest looking a bit lonely.  By the time we got up in the morning, the last one had flown.  

So we were "empty nesters" again, but we were determined to not make the same mistake we made last time:  then we waited a couple of days before we took down the nest, wore masks and gloves but no other protective gear and didn't go in and take showers right away.  Bird mites live on birds, and when there are no birds around, they look for another host:  us.  Cindy got the worst of it, with about forty mite bites, and the remaining mites continued to bite us for about three weeks before they all died off.  This time we were ready for them.  We ordered some Tyvek suits with hoods and wore them with gloves and masks.  We looked like space aliens, or something out of Ghostbusters.

Who Was That Masked Woman?

Cindy climbed up the ladder and sprayed the nest with a miticide solution several times before we took the nest down.  Then we sprayed the porch and porch furniture to make sure we got them all.  Then we went in, threw our clothes in the washer and took showers.  

Space Aliens in the Neighborhood????

Our neighbor across the street took this picture of the two of us as we were cleaning up.    

We've always tried to live by Mr. Bennett's dictum in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, "For what do we live but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?"

They're Baaaaaaackkk. Again.

It's been three weeks since the last of the fledglings left the nest the House Finches built on the beam above our front porch.  http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2020/05/finches-leave-nest.html

Three weeks that we've been able to go in and out our front door and sit on our front porch without worrying about disturbing the birds.  And three weeks that it's taken us to get rid of the bird mites that started biting us after we took down the old nest.

We weren't very smart when we took down the old nest.  We wore masks and gloves, anticipating some debris and dried bird poop, but dislodging the nest from the plastic spikes that, far from discouraging the birds to nest there seem actually to have become a desirable design feature of their nests, created a cloud of airborne dust, debris and apparently a vast colony of hungry mites.  We have no idea which of the thousands of species of mites they were, but probably some type of bird mite, a parasite that feeds on the blood of birds.  Ravenous bird mites with no birds to feast on look for the nearest substitute, and we were it.  More about the bird mite.  And more:  http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/birdmite.html.

We should probably have gone inside and taken showers and washed our clothes immediately after we took down the nest, but we didn't do that and consequently have spent most of the last three weeks dealing with the itching and discomfort caused by the mite bites.  Bird mites don't survive long without birds to feed on, but it was long enough for us.

We're too soft hearted to take down the new nest before the birds lay a new set of eggs, but we're not happy they're back.

Next time we take a nest down:  full on hazmat suits.

We Will Rise Up

We noticed this yellow Alstroemeria blooming on the north side of the house the other day.

That's not unusual; there are lots of other Alstroemeria plants in that flower bed.  What made it unusual was that it wasn't in the flower bed, but on top of the four foot tall chain link fence running between our house and the neighbors' house.  These plants only grow to about 18 to 24 inches tall.   It appeared to be growing out of the the Thunbergia vine that is growing up and over the fence.

I don't know what this Alstromeria plant is living on, or where it'g getting water, but it is surviving.

Maybe it's a metaphor for our times, a sign that when our own survival seems improbable that we can still not only survive, but even rise up.

A Tale Of Two Tomatoes

Cindy decided to experiment with her tomatoes this year by trying a Grow Box for some of them, and planting others in several of the raised beds.

Grow Box

The Grow Box is basically a planter box that incorporates soil and fertilizer above a water reservoir.  Cindy bought three of them and put two in front of the garage door, where they will get maximum morning sunlight, and one on the west side of our 100 gallon water tank.

Then she started planting the tomatoes she had started from seed and been raising in the mini-greenhouse behind the garage.

Seedling Tomatoes Ready to Plant

And the tomatoes started to grow.

Garage Grow Boxes With Optional Supports

And grow.

All the seedlings, both those in the Grow Boxes and those in the raised beds were looking sturdy and healthy.  As part of the experiment, she planted pairs in different places, one of a pair in a grow box and one in a growing bag in a raised bed to see whether there was any noticeable difference in how they grew.  All the plants were started from seed at the same time, exposed to the same amount of sun in the mini-greenhouse and planted in the same soil in both the raised beds and the grow boxes.

So, approximately three weeks from planting the seedlings, there is indeed a noticeable difference in the pairs of plants.

These are the plants of the Purple Bumble Bee Tomato from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Purple Bumble Bee in Raised Bed

Purple Bumble Bee in Grow Box

The plant in the raised bed is about 18 inches tall; the one in the grow box is approximately 32 inches tall and much bushier.  Same variety of plant, same soil.  The two possible differences are that the plant in the bag in the raised bed is on a drip watering system, while the one in the grow box has constant access to the water in the reservoir at the bottom of the box.  Cindy fertilized the one in the bag with her usual fertilizer, but used the nutrient patch cover that comes with the Grow Box.

Both plants are looking very healthy and already have blossoms forming, so in a few weeks we may have actual tomatoes from them to compare.

Finches Leave The Nest

We think the second of the four House Finch fledglings left the nest this morning; the first one seems to have left yesterday afternoon.  There were only two heads visible in the nest this morning when Mama bird was feeding them, and they both look like they still have some growing to do.

Old House Finch Nest

This photo is from a nest from two years ago.  The House Finches love this location on the beam that runs above our front porch because it's close to the birdseed feeder and the fountain in the back yard, and it's well protected from predators.

We had some Mourning Doves nesting there years ago.  They were not very good parents; they would just throw a few twigs on the beam and call it a nest, and one day one of the parents turned around and its tail feathers swept the chick right off the beam.  So we decided to discourage them from coming back by installing some plastic spikes along the top of the beam.  That seemed to work--they kept coming back for a while, but apparently couldn't figure out the spikes.  My stern lecture to one of the doves sitting on the porch railing about the need for them to be better parents if they chose to nest there again may also have influenced their decision to go elsewhere ("The neighbors are crazy people, Gladys, they talk to birds, we'd better go somewhere else.")

The House Finches are a different story, though.  Far from discouraging them from nesting there, the plastic spikes provided them with a means to secure their nest by weaving their twigs, pine needles and Asparagus Fern in and around the spikes for better protection and stability.

They are very good parents, with both parents maintaining a regular feeding schedule for all their chicks.  They stick fairly close to the chicks for a while after they leave the nest, apparently teaching them how to navigate the big world.  Several years ago we saw a mother House Finch trying to show her chick how to get seed from the feeder.  Junior wanted Mama to keep feeding him, but she apparently felt it was time for him to move on.  http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2014/07/mama-bird-and-junior.html.  

Thursday In The Park

We've been wanting to check out the Kate Sessions Park for some time, but weren't sure exactly where it was located.  Turns out that if you stand in the parking lot of Gelson's Market in Pacific Beach, where we often shop, and look up the hill, you can probably see it from there.

So, since our options for our Thursday Play Days are pretty limited with the Covid-19 restrictions, we decided to go for a brief walk in the park named for San Diego's pioneering botanist, Kate Sessions.  https://sandiegohistory.org/archives/biographysubject/sessions/.   Known as the "Mother of Balboa Park", she apparently recommended that the city reserve this 79 acre space as a city park.

View of Mission Bay

We wore our masks, but very few of the people we saw in the park were wearing masks, although they were, mostly, observing the social distancing requirements.

Most People Were Staying Apart

Although These Dudes Weren't

The view from the top of the hill toward the ocean was spectacular.

And then we spotted this fearsome creature.  Was it Sasquatch?  A Yeti?  An angry Grizzly Bear?   No, but I'm starting to feel a bit like a Sasquatch two months after my last hair cut.

Yes, I Really, Really Do Need a Haircut

But there was also this magnificent Jacaranda tree.

It was a very nice day, and a welcome change of pace.  We were out of the house but also staying safe.

Ansel

Our handsome boy Ansel crossed the Rainbow Bridge this morning.

He had shown up in our shrubbery about fifteen years ago, a skinny, shy ragamuffin of a cat who we would see only fleetingly before he ducked out of sight again.  We and other neighbors fed him off and on for about 18 months.  We decided to call him Ansel because of his black and white coloring, naming him after one of our favorite photographers, Ansel Adams.

We had discussed trapping him, at least to have him neutered, but assumed we'd have to release him back to the shrubbery because he seemed to be feral.  We worried about him all the time, especially when it was cold and rainy, wondering if he had a warm hidey hole somewhere.  And when the coyotes in the canyon would start yipping and howling at night, we'd wonder if it was Ansel they were pursuing.

We hadn't seen him for a while, but on Labor Day weekend in 2007 he turned up again, skinnier and more ragged than ever, but this time he had a big, gaping wound over his right eye.  We knew then that we had to trap him because even if he didn't die from the infected wound, he would probably lose the sight in that eye and be more vulnerable to cars, dogs and coyotes.

Shy and Wounded Canyon Cat

So, with the advice of the Feral Cat Coalition, the  local trap, neuter and release group, we put the Tomahawk cat trap we had bought months earlier out with a dish of food in it to try to trap him.  He was very interested in the food, but kept trying to go through the side of the trap to get to the food instead of going in by the door.  I finally had to resort to using a long thin stick to push the food to the front of the trap, then move it back to the other end when he finally followed it in through to door, then manually spring the trap when he was far enough inside.  He was definitely NOT HAPPY to be in the trap, and disliked cages, carriers or confined spaces forever after that.

But we had caught him and were able to get him to the vet to get the wound cleaned and stitched up, and get him neutered, too.  Because we thought he was feral and would have to be returned to the canyon shrubbery once he had recovered from the wound, the vet also clipped off the tip of his right ear to signify that he had been neutered so he would not have to be trapped again.  Since we had to continue to treat the head wound, we set up a big cage in our family room with the help of our friend Val Miller.  We had to let Ansel out to clean the cage and the second time that happened he strolled out, came over to me and jumped up in my lap and made himself at home--clearly not feral.

Ansel At Home

We found out later from a neighbor who was also our USPS mail carrier that Ansel had belonged to a woman who had since died, so we adopted him and he became an indoor kitty.  He quickly established himself as the Alpha cat in the household; he had to overcome the objections of Chutzpaw and the other male cats, but although Chuzpaw was bigger than he, Ansel had muscles and street smarts from his days as a canyon cat that helped him get the upper paw.  Ansel and Chutzpaw would launch themselves at each other, fur flying as they rolled on the floor in their mock battles for household supremacy; then they would sit up, lick their fur back into place and go about their business.

When we adopted two five month old kittens, Bailey and Jenna, a few years later, Ansel became their nursemaid and nanny, and he continued to protect them for the rest of his life.  Anybody who messed with his girls would soon have to deal with Ansel.

Jenna, Bailey and Ansel

He wasn't pleased when Princess Fairweather Daintypaws arrived in the house about two years ago; her agenda of achieving world domination through intimidation and outright conquest didn't sit right with him and he set about the task of teaching her some good manners and civilized behavior.  Part of the "civilizing" process included us taking the two of them for twice daily walks in the garden on harnesses and leashes for the last six months.  Both Ansel and Princess enjoyed the walks, although they usually each went their separate ways--for a while.  Then Ansel would show up wherever she was to check up on her and make sure she wasn't up to mischief.  Then he would go on his way to secure the perimeter of the property and maybe take a dirt bath to reassert his macho credentials.

Warm Pavement

Ooohhh, Love That Dirt Bath

Where Did She Go?  

He was a good cat, one of the best we've ever been privileged to have.

 

Another Visitor To The Garden

When Princess and I emerged from the back door for our afternoon walk yesterday, she started pulling me toward the steps up to the driveway.  I stopped suddenly and pulled her back when I saw this:

I held her back long enough to get a good look at the big snake stretched out along the bottom of the steps and make sure it was our friend the gopher snake and not a rattlesnake.  Sure enough, its head was narrow, not triangular, the body was slender rather than thick, and the tail was long and pointed without any rattles, so I determined that it was a gopher snake and let the cat proceed with her walk.

Princess jumped up on the garden wall beside the garage to get her daily ration of the wheat grass we've planted there for the cats to nosh on.  I'm not sure she had even seen the snake snoozing there in the shade of the steps, but I kept looking back over my shoulder to see whether it had finished its nap and started moving toward us.  I knew it was harmless to humans and cats, certainly a cat as big as Princess would not interest this snake, but thought I'd better keep an eye on it anyway.

I also kept a tight grip on the leash because I didn't want the cat to decide to mess with the snake, either.  These snakes are beneficial; they eat the mice and rats that devastated Cindy's lettuce crop last year, so I was happy to see later in the afternoon that the snake had finished its nap and gone about its business.

Here's a link to my blog post from last summer with a description of the differences between harmless gopher snakes and poisonous rattlesnakes:  http://plantagarden-itllgrowonyou.blogspot.com/2019/07/good-snakebad-snake.html.

What's For Dinner?

Our weather turned from "Rainy Season" to "Full Blown Summer" in the space of about two days, which you might think would suit Princess Fairweather Daintypaws down to the ground, but she seems to think that flopping down in the shade is the thing to do.  It must be due to that fur coat she insists on wearing all the time.  

So we were flopped down in the shade yesterday afternoon, Princess on the pathway, me on the wall beside the garage, idly watching for lizards in the lavender bushes and observing the Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches and Nutmeg Mannikins on the bird feeders.  

Lesser Gold Finches and Nutmeg Mannikins

Suddenly, there was a rush of feathers and flapping of wings and the little birds were all gone.  The cause of the commotion soon became apparent--a Cooper's Hawk had been looking for dinner, but fortunately hadn't caught any of the smaller birds.  

The hawk took up residence in our Chinaberry Tree and waited for the other birds to return.  

Cooper's Hawk in the Chinaberry Tree

They were evidently too freaked out by the sudden appearance of the hawk and didn't return until well after it had decided to go elsewhere to look for its dinner.  Or maybe it was the presence of the large furry predator and attendant human in the immediate vicinity.  Eventually the hawk flew off into the canyon to continue its hunt for prey.   

Back View of Cooper's Hawk  

And what did the Princess think of the Cooper's Hawk?  I don't think she even noticed it--she was too busy looking for those elusive lizards in the shrubbery.  

Yesterday's Culprit

My brother suggested that the reddish tree squirrel caught in the act of raiding our suet and seed feeders in yesterday's post was likely a Fox Squirrel, Scirus niger.  Although they're not native to Southern California, they were introduced in the early 1900s and are apparently thriving here.  The article in the link suggests that this may be so because they have adapted to an environment interrupted by human habitation, and will eat things that the native Western Gray Squirrels won't.  Here's the link again:  https://baynature.org/2019/05/28/are-fox-squirrels-replacing-gray-squirrels-in-california/.

Fox Squirrel

This is the time of year that Big Mama, the matriarch of the local California Ground Squirrel population, usually produces her latest litter, but we haven't seen her yet this year.  She may have reached the end of her normal life span, or the very handsome Gopher Snake that inhabits our canyon may have taken her out. Or they might just be late this year.

Ground Squirrel 

This was Big Mama in her heyday several years ago with some of her brood.  The Ground Squirrels are more gray than the Fox Squirrel and the juveniles have white spots on their backs.  Their tails are also skinnier than the fluffy plume the Fox Squirrel sports.

The Ground Squirrels are the main reason Cindy built the panel system around the raised beds; they like tomatoes and blue berries as well as bird seed.  The panel system has worked very well at keeping them away from the veggies, and we're hoping it will keep the Fox Squirrel out, too.

Mystery of the Disappearing Suet

We noticed that the cake of suet in the suet feeder on our bird feeder pole was disappearing at a rapid clip, but thought it was due to the combined efforts of the California Thrasher and the Scrub Jay that often visit the feeder.  The crows seem to have given up on it since we stopped putting a pillar with seeds, nuts and bugs embedded in it, but we know the Thrasher in particular likes the suet.  

But this morning I looked out and saw another prime suspect at work on the suet.  Yep, it's a squirrel.  

Caught In The Act!

This one doesn't seem to be the usual California Ground Squirrel; this one looks more like a tree squirrel of some sort, with a bigger, fluffier tail than the Ground Squirrels have.  

You Lookin' At Me?

And, not satisfied with plundering the suet block, the furry acrobat moved on to investigate the seed feeder and the Nyger seed, too.  We had fun watching him getting to the goodies.

Squirrel Acrobatics

So how did the squirrel get past the baffle?  Easy--the Grevillea next to the feeder pole has grown to the size that any self-respecting tree squirrel can easily use as a stairway to paradise, or at least as a launching pad to get to the goodies.  

Overgrown Grevillea

I'm guessing there may be some pruning in the future of that shrub.  

Providing Sport For The Neighbors

Since "walking" cats involves prolonged periods of stopping to stare into the shrubbery waiting for invisible lizards to appear, I've been doing my Tai Chi Chih movements while I'm waiting for Princess to move on to something else.

I'm sure this has provided great amusement for our neighbors; we know they're already entertained by seeing cats walking around our yard on leashes, but seeing me doing the slow arm movements of Tai Chi Chih probably has them wondering about our sanity, too.

But I don't care what anyone thinks.  Since we've been walking the cats, both my back and my knees have been feeling much better, so I'm happy about that.

As Mr. Bennett says in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, "For what do we live but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn."

Cat Walking

It may sound like a strange thing to do, but we've been taking two of our five cats for walks in the garden every day.

Ansel is our only male cat, and at about 15 years old, he's also our most senior cat.  When our newest female cat, Princess Fairweather Daintypaws, came into the household about two years ago, Ansel took decided exception to her presence, and began "marking" things with his own special scent.  Many things--furniture, rugs, walls, floors, doors, you name it, it was all HIS, and he wanted Princess, and the rest of the world to know it.  Princess, not one to shrink from a challenge, began her own counter marking campaign to let Ansel, and the rest of the world, know it was really all HERS.

We did the best we could with the situation, instantly deploying paper towels and solutions designed to eliminate the stains and distinctive odors of cat pee throughout the house, but it certainly didn't make life any fun.  We also made sure the Feliway Multicat dispenser was filled up and tried various other potions that were supposed to reduce tensions between competing felines, but those didn't seem to have much effect.

Several months ago Cindy proposed that we try taking them for walks outside and see if that would help.  I was reluctant to do that because my prior experience with attempting to walk cats with harnesses and leashes was not good; usually the cat would just hunker down and refuse to budge at all.  The best I could hope for was to drag the cat a couple of steps.  The only time it seemed to succeed was once when I was stationed in Berlin and took my cat Bilbo out to try to walk him.  Unlike the other times we had tried it, this time he took off running across the parking lot, practically dragging me behind him.  I thought this was a good sign that he was finally getting the idea, until I realized that what he was actually doing was chasing a rabbit into the Grunewald forest .  Whoa, Nellie, not going in there.

But this time, even if we had to drag them along, it seemed like just about the only thing that might make a difference to the situation, so we got a Come With Me Kitty harness and leash for each of them and started walking them twice a day for half an hour each time.  That is, it's half an hour unless it's raining (Princess Fairweather does NOT like to get her dainty paws wet), or the big scary garbage truck is rampaging up and down the street, or the neighbor is mowing the lawn, or the human boredom limits have been exceeded.

On the whole, though, it's gone fairly well.  Ansel loves to roll in the dirt and pretend he's a young macho dude again.

Love That Dirt Bath!

The Warm Driveway Is Great, Too!

Princess loves to hunt lizards and birds.  Fortunately, the harness and leash prevent her from getting too close to them--mostly.  She actually got her paws on one of the lizards the other day, but I managed to get it away from her before she did any real damage to it.  We saw it several times after that, so it apparently survived its close encounter with the large furry predator.

Is There A Lizard In the Raised Bed?

Or Behind The Trash Can?

Or In The Hedge?

Several good things have come from this:  first, the indoor potty contest has calmed down considerably; second, the cats aren't fighting as much inside; and third, it gets us outside and into the garden twice a day, so Cindy can plan her future garden projects and I can gather fodder for the blog.

Perfect Location To Watch Birds

Three Years Ago

Three years ago, while Cindy was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, some of our friends from the San Diego County Garden Guild invaded our front yard and weeded, pruned and planted new plants to cheer her up.  I thought I had written about that visit on this blog, but found that the post was on the Caring Bridge website instead.  She's feeling great now and able to garden again, but seeing how good the front garden still looks three years later reminded me of that difficult and very stressful period in our lives, and how a random act of caring and kindness by our friends meant so much to us at that time.  So here's that original post, and, thank you again, Garden Elves.  

A Visit From The Garden Elves 

Journal entry by Kay Teeters — Jan 26, 2017

Cindy had her third infusion of the Red Devil chemo on Tuesday, and while we were gone some of her gardening friends (with a little collusion from me) descended on our house to spruce up the bee and butterfly garden in our front yard, which was very much in need of some attention.  With all the rain we have been having the weeds had begun to spring up through the mulch; the roses always need pruning at this time of year and the Bougainvillea was so overgrown that it was threatening to take over the entire side of the house.  We knew all this needed to be done, but it seemed like such an overwhelming job that we just couldn't face it.

So the Garden Elves arrived, weeded, pruned, planted, raked and disappeared before we got home. I was debating whether to tell Cindy about it, but while we were on our way home a neighbor sent her a text telling her how nice the garden looked, so I had to explain what was going on--I had been biting my tongue for weeks to avoid spilling the beans and spoiling the surprise.  As it was, she had to wait until the next morning to see it in the daylight--she was like a kid on Christmas eve waiting to see the surprise.  It was a huge job, but it looks great, Cindy loves it and so do the birds, bees and butterflies.  See the photos by Jodi Bay in the Gallery section.  Thank you, Garden Elves! 

And here are some photos of how the bee and butterfly garden looks three years later.

Bee & Butterfly Garden

I Love Lavender, And So Do The Bees

Succulents Spilling Out

Grevillea?  Or Maybe Cousin It?  

Aaron's Beard

Lantana Looking Good