Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden

Just a couple pictures from this weekend's class at RSABG.  Fields of douglasiana, heuchera, and dudleya and trees full of life, including this petite hummingbird nest. 

Enrage my waters, tame my shore

The LA River, before and after.  I must admit, although the river today is a far cry from its former natural beauty, the Glendale Narrows are lovely to walk beside, and I wish I had been around for The River Road era.

Top photo: A view of a gentleman sitting next to the Los Angeles River. Charles C. Pierce (1861-1946), Griffith Park and Los Angeles River at Source, 1900. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Bottom photo: “Dick” Whittington Studio, Concrete mixer at Los Angeles River bed, 1940. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Earth Day Resolution

This Earth Day I am resolving to eat more produce from my own garden, or at least from the farmers market.  I am definitely done with bagged lettuce from the supermarket.  What are you doing for Earth Day?

Time off

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I used to hate people who lamented that there's just not enough time in the day.  I thought, what are you doing that is so important it cannot wait until tomorrow?

Now I am that person.  Between school, work, and life, I cannot seem to keep on top of things.  Last night as I drove home from class at 10:30, stuck in downtown traffic, I was debating whether or not I should go to Kinkos then, or get up and go before work, to make scans of my projects.

I am applying for a small scholarship, but despite its size, it's the first time I've had to put together a portfolio, write an essay about why I want to be a landscape architect, and gather letters.  I thought, no big deal, but when I sat down to get it all together, I panicked.  I'd never put into words how important greenspace is to me, or how I want to build wildlife habitats for people who've never held a caterpillar.  The process has given me some clarity, and some confidence in my goals.  I'm still working on the time management side of things.

Then I remembered that I have the world's best husband, and put in a request for his assistance.   The sweet man that he is, S. agreed to drive it down to Torrance for me on Monday so I didn't have to rush to meet today's FedEx deadline.

Being busy is good, but I miss those days when I could come home from work and do nothing.  My version of doing nothing involves a snack, maybe a cocktail, a stack of catalogs, and a place outside to sit.  Any of the grand esacpes below will do.  
 

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These guys

The green Klingons in my garden are making things hard for the pepper plant.

Hooded Oriole's Nest (RIP)

 

I came upon this sad scene yesterday in the yard.  I wasn't sure who it had belonged to, but after a quick look online, it was clear it was built by the industrious Hooded Oriole, who I have never actually seen in our yard. 

The ants were making quick work of the abandoned, tiny eggs, and I let them do their thing while I poked and prodded at the incredibly well built sock nest.  Upon peering in deeper, I could see more eggs inside. From what I've seen online, it looks like these nests usually hang vertically, but the placement of the eggs and the structure of the nest make me wonder if it rested horizontally.  

 While this abode and family is no longer, I hope the birds try again, perhaps in a tree less infested with squirrels prone to knocking things around.