backyard guardian

Every once in a while my husband brings me home a present...

Deer skull found in the park - now guards our backyard. I had hoped it would help prevent my plants from being eaten by ground squirrels, but alas, my tomato plant got chomped on yesterday anyways.

Ah well. I have this guy looking out for me anyway.

lizards and firemen and ground squirrels, oh my!

A few weeks ago I went with my book club to a coffeeshop in Claremont village to discuss the novel we'd just read. It just so happened to be the weekend of Earth Day, and Claremont was having a street fair! We walked through, enjoying the demos and all the people dressed in their finest hippie-wear, and one booth was giving away free tomato plants!

I may have forgotten to mention that the garden I so delightfully planted a few months ago...got eaten. Super de duper destroyed. Ground squirrels came in and ate everything, down to the stems (except the basil. Note: ground squirrels are anti-basil.) And they did it really fast. Suspiciously fast... ahem. What is having a giant German Shepherd good for unless they are scaring the squirrels out of your garden? (the dog is snoring right now. I feel bad talking about him this way when he is asleep and can't defend himself). 

Anyways - so I was glad to be gifted this tomato plant, but felt a little guilty, fairly certain I was taking it home to be the amuse bouche for a tree rodent's meal.

My solution: put it in a movable container, and move it around, a lot. I figure the squirrels won't catch on, and I might get to eat a tomato by the end of the summer. It has actually been working! No squirrel teeth marks, and the plant is growing! Maybe one tomato plant (oh and the basil plant, can't forget about that one) is all this newbie gardener can handle for the time being. Caprese salad garden it is!

This dude lives on our front porch, with a couple others. There's a really big one, with the stump of a tail that I see a couple times a day in the backyard. Lizards are awesome. 

I spent the sunniest portion of the day in my backyard doing this. I'm crocheting little granny squares to make earrings for a few upcoming craft fairs. There is something so insanely satisfying about granny squares. Oh, see those plastic water bottles? I've got 3 loquat seeds in those, cross your fingers that in 8-10 years I'll be reaping the rewards......

So here I am. Netflix is on, my shoulders feel nice and warm and toasty from being out in the sun, I feel all good and virtuous cuz I did chores too, I had a visit from a bunch of firemen who thought our house was a nature center (it happens), I mentioned the dog snoring loudly on the floor, and it is time to switch to a project suitable for a warm spring evening in my little house in the big park.

Caught in the headlights

Husband just called me outside, there was a deer in the back. He shined a flashlight and the deer came down the hill towards us. I didn't want to move to get my phone and take a picture, and pretty soon it ran away.

backyard yoga

Doing yoga in the backyard.

Peaceful, warm, sun-shiny day. I can hear cars drive up to the Trails Cafe and to the Observatory, people walking their dogs past our house. There are so many squirrels messing around on the trees behind our yard. 

I have never been huge into yoga, but spreading the yoga mat in the backyard and doing some deep out-side breathing seemed very right for today.

dog pilates

Went out to do some pilates in the backyard and the dog decided to join me. He is so happy we have grass.

baby greens

Now that I have a new backyard, I thought that it's time for some gardening! My dad has always had a huge, beautiful garden, and I always wanted one too. The last few years have been gardening disasters -- we had a dog who loved to dig, and who I could not successfully keep out of the garden. But without that dog, and in a new place.... maybe I'll be enjoying some backyard squash and tomatoes this year! Planted zuchinni, yellow squash, jalapenos, tomatoes, basil, and mint. Keeping it small and do-able for now.