Say hello to my little friend
And then I came across this....
For comparison
(yes, the ruler was superimposed. I forgot to grab one when I took the picture. As you can tell, it is to scale)
That's one big mamma jamma!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
It was an Alaskan Bull Worm!
As I began making the great clover transplant, I kept coming across earthworms which made me very happy as earthworms are great for gardening.
Say hello to my little friend
And then I came across this....
For comparison
(yes, the ruler was superimposed. I forgot to grab one when I took the picture. As you can tell, it is to scale)
That's one big mamma jamma!
Say hello to my little friend
And then I came across this....
For comparison
(yes, the ruler was superimposed. I forgot to grab one when I took the picture. As you can tell, it is to scale)
That's one big mamma jamma!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Audrey II - Oh please.... grow for me!
I meant to update sooner but alas, I had a sick kid. It's amazing how much time you don't have when taking care of and trying to entertain a sick 5 year old. He was down for 3 days and immediately bounced back to his old self. However his brother is now sniffling.... (did I mention I have twin boys?) We've been loving the rain, but oh the havoc the change of weather always brings.
Anyhoo, Mr Postman has delivered my spoils!
And I immediately put the mini Ph tester to work.
Test 1
Test2
Test3
The soil is what I thought, on the acidic side. I've been trying to figure out what ground cover to use and finally decided that I am not going to stop the clover invasion taking over our yard.
Can you see the few blades futilely resisting. Well, I too have decided to live in harmony with what was formerly a weed. And besides, I like the idea of having a backyard covered in clovers. It's.... different and looks more lush. Kind of reminds me of the green rolling hills of Europe. Plus, clovers don't grow vertically like grass does so we can go longer between mowing during non-drought years.
So I have begun the great clover transplant. I've got this part of my yard where I want to remove the clover
And here is a better view of their new home
Oh by the way, my house has been in a state of constant renovation for well over a decade. It will also be getting a new external paint job.
I've also decided that since I'm going with movie quotes for blog titles, might as well rec the movie for all to enjoy!
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) remake.
Anyhoo, Mr Postman has delivered my spoils!
And I immediately put the mini Ph tester to work.
Test 1
Test2
Test3
The soil is what I thought, on the acidic side. I've been trying to figure out what ground cover to use and finally decided that I am not going to stop the clover invasion taking over our yard.
Can you see the few blades futilely resisting. Well, I too have decided to live in harmony with what was formerly a weed. And besides, I like the idea of having a backyard covered in clovers. It's.... different and looks more lush. Kind of reminds me of the green rolling hills of Europe. Plus, clovers don't grow vertically like grass does so we can go longer between mowing during non-drought years.
So I have begun the great clover transplant. I've got this part of my yard where I want to remove the clover
And here is a better view of their new home
Oh by the way, my house has been in a state of constant renovation for well over a decade. It will also be getting a new external paint job.
I've also decided that since I'm going with movie quotes for blog titles, might as well rec the movie for all to enjoy!
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) remake.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It'll last a thousand years. Forever.
I'm trying to get in the habit of updating on a regular basis and my intention is that each update will be one foot in front of the other. Mind you putting one foot in front of the other maybe baby steps but as the saying goes, Soon I'll be heading out the door! But alas, there will be times that my update will be a, "Hi checking in!" kind of post and here is one. Wouldn't you know it. Monsoon week has hit Central Texas. Rain Rain Rain she's a coming down! It has been nice to enjoy the overcast days and cooler weather but can't do much outside with the rain. The corner where I started however is reacting exactly as I hoped it would. I was able to pull out what remaining grass was there and it is nothing but sweet mud. I even dug a little trench between the tree and the house to divert water away from the house. The tree actually sits a little bit higher than the most bottom siding panel causing water to collect in the very corner of the house. I dug a little trench between the tree and the house and angled it away from the corner. When the rain started it made it's little path away from the house and towards the fence. Yay! my first experiment as a civil engineer worked! Whether it lasts or not, I'm just glad it worked!
What the heck, I decided to brave the rain and take some pictures. This is the corner. That's our bedroom window, the tree in question and that gray long box is the battery backup from our solar panels.
The a/c units are over here as well
Here is my trench doing it's job!
but it does need improvement.
I did not account for water collecting between the backup battery and the house. I'll have to go back and make sure to include that area in The Trench. In that corner, I'm thinking of putting a decorative rain gutter like this. This corner doesn't get a lot of sun and it's kind of tucked away from the rest of the yard so we've decided to use it to dry our scuba gear or if anything needs to be washed outside. I'm looking at various ground covers to start in this area and eventually spread to the yard. I've also ordered my soil testing kit and am just waiting patiently for Mr. Postman to deliver.
What the heck, I decided to brave the rain and take some pictures. This is the corner. That's our bedroom window, the tree in question and that gray long box is the battery backup from our solar panels.
The a/c units are over here as well
Here is my trench doing it's job!
but it does need improvement.
I did not account for water collecting between the backup battery and the house. I'll have to go back and make sure to include that area in The Trench. In that corner, I'm thinking of putting a decorative rain gutter like this. This corner doesn't get a lot of sun and it's kind of tucked away from the rest of the yard so we've decided to use it to dry our scuba gear or if anything needs to be washed outside. I'm looking at various ground covers to start in this area and eventually spread to the yard. I've also ordered my soil testing kit and am just waiting patiently for Mr. Postman to deliver.
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