Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Something other than chickens

When I started this blog, I had no idea I would be writing about a beautiful hen who took up residence (uninvited) and then became a focal point of my day for weeks on end. We are now in a routine that works for both of us, though I am thinking ahead to the winter and how I can get her to be in a covered safe location. But all things in due time.

No, this is about other projects that make me happy and some that are just tedious. Hours spent trying to remove some cactus from the infamous thicket in the corner of the property -- and most importantly trying not to be impaled upon the truly nasty spikes -- falls in the tedious, but necessary category. Ditto for pulling out the miles of aloe that no longer grace the parkway, but at this point just look sad, burnt, and frankly nasty. But enough about that.

You may remember the rusty hoops in a previous post. They are currently undergoing a transformation with paint. Halfway done with those. As I was painting, I remembered the rusty lanterns hanging on my porch posts and thought how nice it would be to spruce them up. I didn't want garish colors, and the hammered copper paint seemed to be the ticket. Still make them look like old lanterns (which they are -- from a monastery), but give them a bit of shine. From one of the lanterns I had hung a completely rusted and rather sad looking Tinkerbell, that judging from the small remnants was once enameled in bright colors. While I am thinking of adding a bit more bling at some point, I'm happy with the hammered copper and red at the moment. Just perks up some formerly drab decorations. So from this rusted piece:


To these painted ones:


Subtle difference to be sure, but it makes me happy.

In other news, there are some truly magnificent blossoms coming out now:


The next blossom is on a plant that requires a bit of a back story. A neighbor in my building in Northern California gave me a single leaf of this plant. I put it in a small vase with water and it grew some roots, but never got planted. It thrived for years as a single leaf in water. When I moved to SoCal, it came along for the ride, and now having a yard, I planted it. That single leaf grew into a jungle of exotic leaves and blooms. It was just waiting for the right environment.


It's one of the few plants Ninja has yet to destroy.

And for the final word on all subjects, my little terminator would like to add:




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