Photos
A New Member of the Family
Walked out into the yard today and saw that one of the girl ducks has hatched a new duckling. First of the season. Welcome little duckling!
Romaine Lettuce with Freckles
One of the early spring veggies to make it through last week's torrential rain is this cute little Romaine lettuce called Freckles. Assuming they make it through my current gopher scourge, these guys should color up the veggie garden's "greens and onions" bed.
Yellow Rose With a Leaf Umbrella
I lost track of why type of rose this one is a long time ago, so we just call it "the yellow one." As I was snapping shots of the plant after the rain this morning, I noticed this bloom peeking out from the shelter of a leaf umbrella.
Ducks Gone Rogue (Video)
Some of my ducks have figured out how to climb fences and wander up where they shouldn't be. Multiple times a day now I'll pass through my bedroom and be surprised by a band of the feathered rogues not two feet away. Here's a video of what it looks like.
Red Ripe Ruby Perfection Cabbage
Coming to the last of the winter veggies in the keyhole garden. This sexy beast is a ruby perfection red cabbage. Absolutely gorgeous, full-sized plant with a nice tight purple ball in the center. Ruby Perfection red ball cabbage - a full-sized red cabbage It's supposed to be sunny and warm all week, so this is going to make some great coleslaw this weekend.
The Four Ducksketeers
Mamma hatched these four and their sister two years ago this month. Mamma is a Swedish Blue duck and dad's a mallard. Together they made these fashionably gray-tonal boys (their sister looks like mamma). They still hang out together but they don't do much other than eat, hangout and get into trouble, so we call them the "Ducksketeers". Clockwise from top left, that's Athos, Aramis, Porthos and D'Artagnen.
Natives and Newcomers
Wildflowers, some native, some not, growing among the weeds in spring 2020 The wildflowers are a mixed bag, but they're better than weeds There's a strip of The Acre that borders chaparral and oak surrounding the pond. Technically, it's "defensible space" mandated by the fire department, so it's supposed to be cleared of weeds and growth in the fire season, which is roughly June to October when things are dry and hot. But during the winter and early spring it doesn't have to be kept clear, so rather than just letting it be a weed bank, I seeded it each [keep reading...]
Rainbow for St Patrick’s Day
Walked out to the front yard first thing this morning and was greeted by a rainbow. Since it's St Patrick's Day I'm sure there's a leprechaun and a pot of gold to be had at one end or the other. If it weren't for this whole "stay at home, Coronavirus" thing, I'm might actually go look for it. Might be able to trade gold for toilet paper.
Hummingbird Sage Colony
I started with two small Hummingbird sages (Salvia spathacea) in March of last year, planting them in my native garden on the south side of the house. This particular spot happens to be in the shade of a pine and a large blue gum eucalyptus, two tress notorious for their ability to keep other things from growing under them. Fortunately, Hummingbird sage is a California native that thrives on the floor of oak forests, so the pine and eucalyptus were no problem. Over the winter the sages have taken the opportunity to colonize the whole area and are now producing [keep reading...]
Lavender Rose Texas Sage
One of the many Texas sage (Savlia coccinea) varieties I have planted in random spots around the Acre. I can't remember the name of this one, but I really like it because it's a lavender-rose color (instead of the usual red or pink) and has these unusually long, tendrils that grow at the end of the flowers like a big curved horn. Makes it seem more dramatic for some reason.