A little art, a little cutie

It's been raining for two days which has been a blessing in our drought-stricken area. In between storms, however, Nellie and I still brave the deep puddles and go on our walks. Today was special. Being Christmas Day meant little to no traffic in the neighborhood and a quiet calm soothed the spirit as we ambled around streets we've not been on in a while. Though I'm a Bah Humbug! type, I do enjoy seeing the sparkling lights and interesting decorations people come up with for the season. But what catches my eye? Why a spectacular long-leaf pine tree and a Maine Coon cat.

The tree canopy is just a perfect shape and is so majestic, I couldn't resist a snap of it.

And now for the little, well actually quite large, cat named Fluffy. Fluffy is a neighbor and he's one of only two cats who have ever approached me, especially while walking a dog. Fluffy not only approaches, he will willingly come when called, and then he headbutts me for pets. Of course, I do have a reputation for awesome ear and butt rubs in our walking area (four-leggeds only), so I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. He is so cuddly he practically jumps in your arms to snuggle. Since having a cat companion at home is not possible, I confess I rather look forward to our meet and greet time. And of course, he is gorgeous.

 Hope everyone had a lovely and bright day. 🎄

Flying Santa Dogs, round two

Well, Nellie and I walked by the flying Santa dog again, and clearly, this is how he's supposed to be seen -- fully lit up. Yup, makes more sense when you see him in the evening rather than the day time. So here we go again:

 

Flying Santa Dogs?

Gotta say that my neighborhood has gone all out this year with the Christmas decorations. All the sparkly lights and candy canes and beautiful poinsettias are a joy. But I'm willing to bet you've never seen a flying Santa dog. Made of chicken wire and a great sense of humor, this dog took me by surprise. You really have to click on the pictures to be able to see detail, since it has no solid background to give it substance. Enjoy:

 Ho, ho, ho.

Cuteness overload

Yes, it's been awhile. I've not only been busy with mundane house and yard stuff, I just haven't had anything fun or creative to write about. The other day though, Nellie solved a mystery in the cutest possible way and it's too funny not to share.

I have posted photos of this spectacular ice plant in bloom with the bright pink flowers. It's not blooming at the moment, and I noticed a brown spot in an otherwise thriving plant. Not enough water? Too much water? I couldn't figure out what was causing this area to go brown and thin in otherwise plump vegetation. Until yesterday. The culprit:

Apparently Nellie has decided it makes a nice place to hang out while she supervises us working on various projects. When I asked her what she was doing and suggested that might not be the best place for her, her response was classic doggie attitude (click on the picture to see what I mean):

Good thing she's sooooo cute!

Halloween has taken an interesting turn

Walking around the neighborhood, especially at night, there seems to be an abundance of Halloween decorations adorning yards that was missing last year. Of course there are the modest pumpkins adorning stairs or porches. Then there are the seriously over-the-top huge spider webs and multiple skeletons and ghouls hanging from trees. Ghosts and goblins abound. But what caught my eye was something so unexpected, so amusing, and so wonderful, I had to share.

What you can't tell from the photo is that the dinosaur is actually made of metal, so I suspect it is there to stay. The hapless victim appears to be a clown.

Wonderful wall mosaic

There's a little shopping center on a corner near my house. It consists of a tiny grocery store, a barber shop, and a couple of mom and pop eateries. The best part is a giant wall mosaic in the outdoor table area. It makes me smile.

Dave the Animal Guy...

Dave is the animal whisperer who helped us introduce Nellie to our other furry resident, Kuma. Since Kuma isn't the most well-mannered dog when it comes to other dogs (cats, skunks, or anything else that moves), having Dave around to ease the meet and greet made all the difference for getting our two rescues to unite. He also trained Nellie not to leave the house or run through our garden gates without a direct command. That is something that can save a dog's life.

Well, Dave has set up a YouTube channel with all sorts of good insights and advice on living with wildlife and your furred, feathered and scaled friends. I don't always agree 100% with what he espouses, but I do think he has some very interesting insights. Thus, I wanted to share the link to his channel. For those who are as nuts about creatures other than human beings as I am, it's worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVWQB8fBKvkx_0hUGw5D_Yw

Quilt artistry

I am very fortunate to be acquainted with Romany McNamara, who is an extraordinary quilt artist. Her choice of fabrics and colors is just outstanding. Below are pictures of a quilt top she's currently working on. Take a long look at the unicorn: her mastery of creating shapes and subtle shading to capture the texture and feel of the face is just WOW. It's a pleasure to be able to share her work.

I can hardly wait to see the final product. And here's hoping Romany is willing to continue sharing her artistic vision.

Fungi are truly beautiful

Before you go ewwww,  check out the beauty of the tree fungus. Though I believe these two different trees on two different streets have the same fungus, the color variation, while subtle, is really amazing. The shapes are just incredible. And yes, I probably need to get a hobby.

And the variation:

My latest insanity

Once again, I've been thinking about our water situation (or lack thereof) and realized the brick border along the three mile strip of hedges and parkway is not enough. Yes, the border keeps the water where it's supposed to be, but there is one more thing that would help. Looking around the property, I realized the leaves from the native oaks would serve admirably. One tiny problem though, they are too hard and large to allow water to pass through easily. So here's where it gets crazy:  I pour some leaves into a big tub and then hand scrunch them up into tiny bits. Those bits go into rain water to soak. Rinse, lather, repeat. Once I have a large tubful, the saturated leaves go under the hedges in a thick layer. One tub does approximately 3 feet. I can do 2 tubs a session (which basically means in a day). And my poor hands look like claws at the end of the day. 

Now before all you fixers out there go "but you shoulda/coulda done...," please allow me to answer your suggestions.

1.  Just get chips from a landscaper. We even have free chip drops of tree wood chips in our town. But they are too twiggy and woody for the area I need them for, and the chip drops are HUGE loads. Too much to deal with.

2.  Take the leaves, dump them somewhere and run over them repeatedly with your car. That actually IS a terrific way to crush the leaves but nope. No place to safely do that and it actually adds too many steps to get the same result (or close enough).

3.  Use a hedge trimmer to break them up. Good idea IF I had a hedge trimmer and a container to withstand the torture. Or if I knew how to actually use a hedge trimmer. Or liked them (hint -- don't like them).

4.  Just dump the leaves whole and call it a day. As noted, they are too thick and large for the job. Also, I've discovered that whole leaves don't pack as well to give the depth required to do a good job of retaining moisture and keeping weeds at bay. They leave bare spots in no time, as evidenced here:

So -- from bare dirt to deep crushed leaf mulch:

 And only two more miles to go....

Wondering how this is a thing...

Have no idea how or why this came to be in a front yard, but it was too good to resist getting a snap. Why yes, it's a 15 or 20 foot crane. It's taller than the house behind it. And it's purpose, other than to make passersby wonder what the Sam Hill it's there for, is not apparent. Just had to share....

Though that was not the only wondrous thing on our walk today. There was a perfect magnolia blossom -- the only one on the entire tree -- and its unblemished beauty had to be shared:

When it should take 5 minutes...

So...have you ever had that project that should take five minutes and it ends up becoming a thing that drives you slightly nuts? Well, that was today's adventure. I needed to hang something on my backyard wall and on the wall leading up to the front door. Started with with backyard project as a test for the more important hanging in front. And thank Steve, the God of Amiable Fuck Ups, I did. Drilling into stucco or cinder block is a bit different than drilling into good old wood. It took a couple of tries to get the right angle and size screw and...well, you get the idea. Finally success. 

So on to the the main project. I've had this wonderful frog welcome tile, purchased 15 years ago at the Adamson House in Malibu (if you haven't been, look it up -- it's amazing). The day I bought it, I knew exactly where it was going to go and and what would go around it. Yeah, that didn't happen. Then I had the bright idea of hanging it on the way up the front stairs. Et, voilá:

 Makes you smile doesn't she?

The Divine Ms. M strikes again...

My post about lightweight, kink-free hoses that don't work caught The Divine Ms. M's attention and she solved it. Doing her Christmas in July thing (at the same time she gave Kuma his new monkey), she gave me a hose to try. It actually works! The water pressure is a smidgen less forceful than the awful hoses I've been using, but close enough. For the icing on the cake, the nozzle that comes with it is truly wonderful. Those who want to give it a try -- it's TheFitLife Flexible Metal Garden Hose. She also mentioned that if you order through smile.amazon.com, charities of your choice will get a small donation without affecting your purchase price. Win-win.

But The Divine Ms. M didn't stop there to solve an even peskier problem than kinking, heavy hoses. This problem is far more grave. 

I'm a new convert to Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mystery series. Totally and completely hooked. I also really like reading on my tablet through the Libby app libraries use. Especially during lock-down, with closed libraries, Libby circumvents the problem very neatly. A series as popular as it is, even with hold times being ridiculously long, I had hopes it would be easy to access. Imagine my surprise and dismay when I realized the entire series was not online! How could that be? My go-to library is ENORMOUS. Surely they would be well-stocked. NO. Of the 16 and counting books in the series, they only have around six. Others are audio-books, but I prefer reading. So naturally I complained. Loudly. And naturally, Ms. M came through. She is letting me borrow her hard-copies so I don't have a fit. It is always good to have friends, but even better to have friends who understand reading obsessions. As she wisely says, "it's not hoarding if it's books."

Well said Ms. M, well said.

Now we have a monkey baby...

The Divine Ms. M really knows how to make a dog (and a person happy). I guess Christmas in July is actually a thing, because she gave a stuffed monkey to Nellie as a nice-to-meet-you-gift. Nellie wasn't all that impressed, but I figured when we got home and she was in more familiar surroundings (it was her first outing at a café), she'd be more receptive. Well, once we were home, I placed the monkey on the bed while I did a couple of things, and Kuma, my big bear, came over and rested his head on the bed, very near the toy, but resisted taking it. So I offered it to Nellie again. She walked away. Kuma looked wistful, and knowing his propensity to tear things apart, I was a bit reluctant to let him have it. 

Just when you think you know your dogs, the unexpected happens. Kuma very gently took the monkey and wandered around as if he were tending to a baby. He even fell asleep with the monkey by his side. When it was time to go for his afternoon walk, he wanted to stay with his new friend. He hasn't let it out of his sight all afternoon and evening. My fear is that this forebodes a meteor strike in the next day or two because I can't think of any other reason for this completely new behavior. But he is so darn cute with it:

And thus endeth a perfect day. Next up, The Divine Ms. M strikes again with a gift that has put one of my pet peeves to rest. That will be the subject of another post.

Entitled neighbors

As an animal lover (or fanatic if you talk to neighbors), and especially a dog connoisseur, one of the things I appreciate about my neighborhood are the amazing people (and dogs) I get to meet. Turns out, some of them are very particular in their preferences. You remember Nick (who is the cutest thing on four legs anywhere):

Well Nick's Mom is not only a wonderful all-round person, but she is also very droll. This is a text exchange we had not long ago:

I noticed the absence of a basket for Nick to ride with you on your bike. What does he have to say about that?!?      

Nick objects anytime I leave the house without him, so the lack of a basket has been a source of contention between us. I'm thinking I need one of those doggie bike trailers with a big flag on the back so I can chauffeur him around in style.           

Ah. Great idea. Oh, Nick just texted me to tell you the trailer needs to be air-conditioned for the summer and heated for winter.       

Noted! Nick has also informed me the bike trailer is to be crafted from South Indian sandalwood by Amish artisans in eastern Ohio using only dovetail and mortise and tenon joinery. Working on it!

Nobody ever accused him of having bad taste. The boy is a true aristocrat. 

Somehow, knowing my incredible neighbor, I fully expect to see Nick riding in style soon. Or not. But Nellie and I will still see them walking around from time to time and we always look forward to our conversations. 

    

Mundane but necessary

I'm seriously big on recycle, reuse, and re-purpose. Just a bit, I confess, to the point where it would be safe to accuse me of a mild brand of insanity. My latest project involves bricks. Naturally I scrounge from any source that is free, which is surprisingly not that hard to find. But as we know, there is really nothing free, and brick is no exception. It's often covered in the mortar that needs to be removed before the brick can be used. This is a messy, dusty, hard job, but it has paid off. To give you an idea:

And here's all the dust from said bricks:

Now if you are curious why I need all this brick, it's to border the 3 mile long strip that runs along the street. OK - it's not really 3 miles - it just feels that way. This gives you an idea:

 

And of course you want to know WHY this needs to be done at all (other than it looks neat). It's all about water. We seriously cannot afford one drop of waste during this drought. To keep the water where it belongs and not spreading across the sidewalk, we needed a barrier. Hence the border of tree limbs and brick and whatever else I can recycle to not only make it look somewhat presentable, but eco-friendly as well. Depending on area and the number of bricks, logs or whatever, not to mention the amount of patience I have on any given day, I either go for fancy (on the right), or quick and plain. Saw-tooth borders are my favorite, but they take up so many bricks so quickly, I can only do small areas.

And to those of you who have sussed out that I'm using this never-ending project as an excuse to put off doing my mosaic wall -- well done.

A plea to stop Nestle from stealing more water...

Nestle is responsible for taking water from public land in California and then bottling it in plastic and SELLING it back to people. And they have permission from the State to do so. First of all -- who was the bright person who thought that was a great idea? And then, when Nestle took millions of gallons more than they were permitted to do, who was the bright person who said that was OK? Now Nestle wants another permit to raid the water supply under a new label.

Given our very serious, some might even say catastrophic, drought in the West right now, companies taking public water to make a profit has to stop.

Please consider adding your name to the petition to end this blatant form of wanton capitalism over the public good.

	https://act.couragecampaign.org/sign/no-new-water-permit-nestle/

Street of fairy gardens

On a street a mere two blocks away, the neighbors got together and decided to have fun making fairy house scenes. This is the same street that was highlighted in a previous post with the gnomes in a tree. At the time, I didn't realize the extent of the project. Some of the displays are not exactly in the true fairy house genre, but the decorations are fun nonetheless. Alas, the shadows from the trees made it difficult to get the kind of clear pictures to truly show off some of the work, but if you enlarge the photo by clicking on it, it will show you more detail.

These first two intrigued me because they are made from twigs and small pebbles: 

Apparently, even fairies shop at country stores:

I think the old man is a gnome, but don't quote me:

Gotta love the frogs:

A mushroom house is a wonderful idea:

Not sure what's supposed to be going on here, but it's colorful:

A charming fairy inn:

And last, but definitely going for the gold, an entire village: