Browsed by
Author: meiling

Berm

Berm

We live on a hill.  We planted this berm to slow down the water.  Slowing down the water should put more water in our well.  It should lessen erosion.  Also, our neighbors behind us experience flooding over their driveway during large rain storms, so we hope it will help with this as well.  An added benefit is noise reduction and privacy.

…and here it is.  It is not too impressive yet!  lol.  But it will grow…

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

With some of his cousins, we took cuttings of my husband’s great grandmother’s fig tree.  This one is one year old and ready to go in the ground.  Live long and prosper little feller!

Life’s little tests

Life’s little tests

So in the month of December, right before the holidays, my husband decides to bull doze our front yard.  I had no idea! After holidays full of orange mud tracked in by the dogs, and about 8 months of not knowing how things would turn out, the wall is finished!  It was a ton of work, a lot of it in the heat of the summer.  It looks great and we are still married!  lol.  Here is the before and after:

 

Green peppers and melons

Green peppers and melons

Never have had much luck with green peppers.  They look beautiful, but taste a bit bitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lamkin melon grows well here.  Like the Crimson Sweet watermelon, it is a bit smaller than the cantelope, but delicious and well adapted to the climate here.

Hummingbird hawk-moth

Hummingbird hawk-moth

This little guy scared me when I first saw it.  It is the biggest moth that I have seen in my life.  Not that there are not bigger ones.  I once saw a fly in Kansas that was huuuuge!

Anyway, here he is:

Starting Seeds in February

Starting Seeds in February

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought writing on plastic knives was a great way of recycling the plastic cutlery that we get with takeout.  But, it did not work out well.  Although, I wrote on them with a sharpie, the writing faded quickly and I had to identify the veggies based on the leaf.  Writing the varieties on a sheet of paper still works best.

Painted Bunting

Painted Bunting

I do not see Painted Buntings as much as I used to…In the foreground is a flowering Pomegranate.  I have had it for about 3 years and still no fruit.  Not sure if it is bred to only produce flowers.  Why would anyone want a fruit tree that does not fruit?

Rat snakes are not bad snakes

Rat snakes are not bad snakes

Rat snakes are not poisonous, but when one came to visit us on our back deck, it was a little too close for comfort.  I tried scaring it away by throwing ice on the ground near it, hoping it would think I was throwing a rock at it…but it liked the ice.  lol.  It eventually slithered away once I lost interest.