Wind, Rain and Fire -- sounds like a song...

Yup. I think the universe is trying to tell us something. The Santa Ana winds are starting up and though we've managed, so far, to escape the worst winds, it's enough to play mild havoc with garden, trees, and other things about the place. My greatest worry is, of course, that crazy hen we love yet cannot tame. Well, that's not entirely true. She allows me to get within 3-5 feet of her now, especially if I have her fruit and veggie treats. I've been adding bits of cheese on the advice of a chicken whisperer (you know who you are), and that's made her a bit more forgiving for trespassing on her territory. 

Yesterday, in preparation for what we were assured were devastating winds, I made the bold decision to move her house from the spot we set it up (where she chose to so completely ignore it I figured it was a wash) over to her favorite hangout. We didn't place it there initially because it's by the wall where predators can easily sneak up (we have two feral kitties that have taken to hanging out with naughty intentions in spite of multiple conversations about appropriate behavior). But with devastating winds predicted, it seemed a more protected place. The other plus is that, theoretically at least, we would be better able to lure her inside. Yeah, right. But, we'll keep trying. And trying.

So here's her new home:

And here is her highness scooting right by it:

Now, you may wonder what the toilet tank is doing there. I use those for planters (along with stray toilet bowls for that matter) and will start planting things chickens are supposed to like in there. It goes without saying that if all the chickens in the world like something, Ninja will put up her cute little nose at it, but hope springs eternal...sure, we'll go with that.

Spooky and yet apprapos in these times: Halloween

So we have this neighbor -- well several blocks away and we really don't know her -- but every Halloween she outdoes herself with decorations. One year it was very creepy clowns. This year the theme is loads of skeletons, ghosts and creepy babies right near disemboweled bodies. I think she's channeling the year's pandemic craziness. I had to share some photos, though I'm afraid that without actually trespassing, I couldn't get the full gruesomeness of her efforts. Make sure to click on the photos to enlarge them, especially on the one with the tent. The babies will give you nightmares. 

Really? Who needs more boxes...

Turns out, I'm always finding projects that have nothing at all to do with what I should be focusing on. I'm sure there's a fancy medical term for keeping busy doing all the minor stuff and none of the important stuff, but I'll leave that to you to figure out. 

You may recall at the beginning of the whole chicken-adopting-me series that I referred to an area of my front yard as "The Thicket." Triangle of doom would be more accurate. Cactus, aloe and agave abound. They are all pointy and nasty. That's actually not bad as it prevents people from tromping through my yard as a shortcut to the sidewalk. However, to soften the look, I planted rows of jade to line said sidewalk. For several years that was a great move. The jade grew tall and lush. Then this year came along. Much of the jade just flopped over, creating a hazard for anyone trying to push a stroller or walk a dog. One area was particularly problematic for us trying to get the waste bin out. While hacking away I noticed that a particular cactus I absolutely hate was growing out of control and closer to people than was polite. So it had to go. With jade, there are no tears at their demise as they never really go away. If you throw them willy nilly into the thicket, they magically take root and grow. If you wish to be more precise, just wait one day for them to heal over and then plunk them into the ground or a pot of your choice. This was the aftermath.

So not pretty. As I'm digging out roots and attracting more cactus spines than the law of physics should allow, my mind was going round and round to figure what to do next. And then the notion dawned: build a huge planter box. Sure, that's the most important thing that needs to be done around the house. Forget the entire notebook of important tasks that have been put off for close to a year (or much, much longer). Go ahead and do something that could wait for a very loooooong time and no one would notice. Well....

It's 5' L x 22" D x 22" H. and made completely with reclaimed materials that have been languishing in the backyard forever. At the moment, it's not pretty at all. Since this photo, the area has been cleaned up a bit more, the box is now level, and it sparked another non-priority task which will use up a bit more of the mess in the back and make me feel very smug all at the same time. But back to the box. Two choices: paint or mosaic. I'm heading toward mosaic, but it depends on how lazy I want to be. And as for what gets planted in it -- I'm a little over jade and would prefer something...else. What though is a toss-up. Stay tuned.

I bought a new house yesterday...

After much hemming and hawing, indecision and hand-wringing, I broke down and bought a new house. Well, not exactly new -- it does need a bit of fixing up (as all homes do), but it might be a better fit for a certain member of the family -- if and only if she chooses to use it as a refuge from the rains that are going to come sometime, even in drought-stricken SoCal. That's right, you guessed it, the house is for Ninja. 

Her behavior of late has been a bit concerning. She's not scratching as she has, her appetite is diminished, and she's molting more than seems necessary. I did call a vet -- well several vets -- and the first thing on their list was we have to catch her. If it were that easy, she'd be back home with her original flock! Of course I also went to Dr. Google to find out potential problems for what might be ailing her. One of the first items on the list is she might be egg bound. Who knew that was even a thing? If that is indeed the case, it's a fairly easy fix. But like all fixes, it requires the patient to actually be available for treatment. So far, no luck. I do confess I've not tried rounding up a posse to chase her down, partly because of COVID and partly because I'm so afraid we'll still not catch her and we'll end up freaking her out so much she will move on to far more dangerous territory.

Now back to the house. I cleaned it out and I'm thinking of taking off the door altogether so it might be more tempting for her (giving her a sense of freedom or escape depending on how she feels at the moment). And though I genuinely feel this will be all for naught as she has very definite opinions on anything that appears to be a prison, we have to give it the old college try. After all, she had a choice of so many yards and neighbors, and decided we were it. We cannot break that trust.

 

 

Smoke and heat make for lazy days

Though the major SoCal fires near us are reaching acceptable containment levels -- meaning they are not in imminent danger of burning down more towns and destroying acres of wildlife habitats (not to mention wildlife) -- they are continuing to smolder and burn. Plumes of smoke rise above the hills, smoke awakens us from restless slumber, and the heatwave continues to add to the misery. Projects that should take one day outside are put off in hopes of better air and cooler temps. Always lazy, my go to excuse now is heat and unhealthy air quality which is confirmed by TV meteorologists only to happy to be complicit in my goofing off. 

I should be doing indoor projects at the very least, and I have managed to start the very tedious task of backing up photos and actually labeling them (for a change). This was partially inspired by the very fires that are making it impossible to be motivated to go outdoors. With evacuation warnings in place, suddenly saving things seemed to be important. So yes, putting together a bug out kit made me think of all the things that should go in it. Important documents, check. Clothes for a week, check. Dog items/food, check. Electronics, check. But did I REALLY want to lug around a huge desktop in addition to other devices. Probably not. Hence the backing up. Not to mention the desktop is very old and probably going to die soon anyway. 

Now backing up and labeling photos isn't all bad. Going through the pictures of my month long trip to Japan was a real treat. Reminded me of all the fun I had getting hopelessly lost going down intriguing alleys or the wonder I felt at the magnificent art and architecture. A sample:

 

Then there are the photos of the garden that prove how much work has gone into it after every disaster (wind storm damage/tree removals) or change of heart about the direction of the plan. It's rather fun and encouraging to realize that, though the work will never be done, so much has gone into the look of it so far. 

The devastation of 2011:

The replacements:

 

And if you're wondering, most of my non-garden photos are of cute dogs and (now) a chicken.

When not pretending to being faithfully backing up photos, fortunately my library cards allow me to enjoy digital copies of books and I'm back on the mystery books kick. I prefer English type mysteries with a wry tone, though I'm also partial to almost any mystery where helpful dogs or cats are involved. 

Reading has made me even more conscious of words and how they affect thinking. For instance, authors who are true animal lovers often refer to a dog or cat as "it." People are referred to as "owners" even though "guardian" would be more apropos. And before you go there, I am aware that animals are property under the law. It makes me wonder, though, how much of our language shapes our thinking about how things work in our society and how they should work. 

See what being trapped indoors and reading too much does to one? It hurts your brain!