Advent calendars

(Xandie's German advent calendar)
When I was a little girl, my English aunt would send my sister and me an advent calendar every year. It was a letter-sized, full color paper one, with glitter sprinkled about and we would take turns each day in December before Christmas opening the doors to see the little pictures inside. When we spent our sabbatical year in Germany, the advent season was widely celebrated and so Xandie wound up with a Playmobil toy version which made its way back to the U.S. when we had to return home. Then we somehow began to buy advent wall calendars with chocolates inside to hang up in the kitchen. For the past few years now Xandie gets up early each December morn to see what her chocolate surprise will be. Just a few months ago, she happened to find another Playmobil "royal princess version" calendar on sale at our village toyshop. Since I sometimes find it hard to say "no" to a good deal we now have two advent calendar play sets, one on each side of the fireplace. This morning I just bought a new 2009 advent calendar for the kitchen but, unfortunately for me, Xandie doesn't share her chocolates :~)

Holidays

Well, now that Thanksgiving has ended, December is creeping right up on us. We managed to get the "twinkie" lights up on the house last evening and our block of 9 families is starting to look very festive. I also noticed a dusting of snow on the highest of the San Gabriel mountains today; a sure sign that winter is on its way.



I look forward most to our family traditions and time spent with one another during the holidays but we're not sure where we'll be at this point, which is a little unsettling. Geoff's mom (Xandie's "Grandma Cherie") is now 87 and it would be nice to get up north to see her over Christmastime or just afterward. So the big question as of now is whether to go get a real tree, which we buy at the local Xmas tree farm every year, or to put up the fake one in case we'll be away... not really a compromise that any of us want to make.

After the rain

(old plow outside cabin in Placerita Canyon on our day after T-day hike)

I was worried that after the sudden rainfall last night, my little garden box would be drenched and become a giant mud puddle. When I went outside this a.m. (after my coffee and morning paper, of course) I was very happily surprised to find that the spongy rich soil performed exactly as promised and that many tiny sprouts had appeared while we were away for Thanksgiving!
So we now have kale, peas, greens (trying to get that "oats, peas, beans" rhythm going there), basil, onions and radishes vigorously growing in my little box :~)

(one week after planting seeds and starter plants)

Thanksgiving Toasts

"To all our families far and near,
To all our friends throughout the year;
Be thankful for that which comes your way,
So many are in need each and every day.
Embrace both your health and your time spent together,
As one can't predict when change comes in the weather." ~ me

"May you live all the years of your life." – Jonathan Swift

"Friendship is the wine of life; Let's drink of it, and to it." – Anon.

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. " - W.T. Purkiser

"May your belly never grumble
May your heart never ache.
May your horse never stumble,
May your cinch never break." — Traditional

“Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.”— Anonymous

With wine and cake we make a toast,
And bring a blessing to our host. ~ Anon.

“Blest be that spot, where cheerful guests retire
To pause from toil, and trim their evening fire;
Blest that abode, where want and pain repair,
And every stranger finds a ready chair;
Blest be those feasts with simple plenty crowned,
Where all the ruddy family around
Laugh at the jests or pranks that never fail,
Or sigh with pity at some mournful tale;
Or press the bashful stranger to his food,
And learn the luxury of doing good.” — Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveler

Manzanitas

(botanical name, Arctostaphylos, "Arcto" for short)
I've been having an ongoing relationship with this plant all my life. As a native Californian (born in San Francisco and now living in So. Cal.) I have many childhood memories of this plant from weekend hikes around the bay area and summer camping trips through out California. When deciding about which plants to include for my re-landscaping project, manzanitas naturally came to mind. What I didn't realize is how super site-specific they are and how they are not the fool-proof dry climate plant I expected them to be. The bushier "Sunset" hybrid variety and the creepers are all doing fine but the larger tree-sized, beautifully branched ideal specimen has been highly elusive. (I've sadly lost two beauties in the first growing season). If you're tempted to plant these natives, be sure to choose the variety that is endemic to your locale. This really should have been very obvious to me, but somehow I equated all manzanitas with "the perfect plant" for the dry and gravelly strip alongside our driveway. Now that I have blooms on one and see growth tips on the other I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the other two tree-like specimens are going to make it :~)

Also, just one year ago

... Geoff was in the hospital recovering from a sudden heart attack. While at work he had some chest pain and shortness of breath and so he walked up to his office to "Google' heart attack symptoms! He quickly decided to call 911 and then me. By the time I got to his office (5 minutes away) the EMT team was working on him and prepping him for transport to the ER. We will forever be thankful at Thanksgiving time for the great cardio-care he received and his quick thinking. So that you or your loved one don't waste any time "googling" see below.

Heart Attack Warning Signs:
* Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
* Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
* Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
* Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness

Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out. Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1. Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.

One year later...the front garden

Metamorphosis:

Last fall I started my long awaited front garden project : out with the old lawn and in with the drought tolerant natives and compatibles! It had taken a long time to convince both my husband and daughter that this was a really good idea. All Geoff could imagine was a desert landscape and Xandie thought she would miss the peanut-shaped lawn with a lone juvenile crape myrtle sticking out the middle of it. I'm happy to say that one year later, all three of us enjoy our new space and find it a welcome retreat when the weather is pleasant (which is most of the year here).

Almost avocado season

We live on a 1/4 acre lot that used to be an old avocado ranch before our tract was built in the mid-60's. Luckily, our property borders the old ranch house and we have 3 of the original trees in our back yard. Every year Xandie and I (Geoff doesn't like them) eagerly await avocado season, along with our friends "in the know". I did a test-pick about a week ago and, though they're not quite at prime picking ripeness, they produced a reasonable quality batch of guacamole. I'm thinking I should hand out blank index cards with every bag I give away this year in return for my friends' favorite avocado recipe. (One of my east Indian students said her mom makes avacado chutney!)

Acorn festival

"Tongva in native regalia will gather to celebrate harvest season with song, dance and storytelling. "

I guess it's OK to blog out of chronological order. Last weekend we went to the Acorn Festival, a favorite annual event at the local botanic garden. It's a very non-commercial affair centered around educating children (and adults) about the ways of the our local native Americans. We always enjoy going to this event and Xandie brings a different friend each year to share the experience.

Covey of Quail

Just before I left to teach a cello sectional this a.m. Geoff and I heard some very strange squawking noises. We looked out our front window and spied a rather large covey of California quail! (mother with plume and 6-8 big "chicks") Little visitors like these totally validate my decision to tear out the front lawn last year and replace it with native chaparral and less thirsty plants.

Fall (shorter to write than autumn)

Mostly thought I'd keep track of my gardening attempts, music making (at school and out in the community), and generally other mundane stuff that perhaps a few people might be interested in.

Last fall my front garden went to native and other drought tolerant plants. Now I want to try and make the back garden a more efficiently watered zone. We still have a large lawn because an 11 year old lives here and we use it for croquet, badminton and the occasional baseball game. There was a funny shaped area that I thought could be reclaimed for a better use and so I began to consider a raised bed. Now that summer is gone, I wondered what I could still grow with some success and discovered there are tons of veggies that will grow into and though our so. cal. winters!

In went the box frame, about 14 cu. ft. of planting mix and various salad ingredient seedlings interspersed with seeds. A few kale plants were added for good luck and my own curiosity. I'll report on weekly progress but in the meanwhile it's been a very fulfilling project; one day no veggies and the next a promising salad garden!

Autumn 09: salad garden

My new garden plan this fall is to utilize yard space within the auto sprinkler zone and so a raised bed is born...

Trying to navigate Blogger and trying to add a photo of said bed...

Hmm... page crashing every time I try to upload photo, so that will have to wait until I get some expert advice. This would be a much more interesting site if it had visuals!

... oh, Voila!