Iris and daffodils

I managed to plant all but my historical iris today...a big feat. I then spread bird netting over them to deter the rabbits, squirrels, racoons and possium.

Tomorrow I have a dumpster arriving to get rid of junk in the garage and clean up the side yard. I'm thinking of plantng the historical iris in the side yard. The half-bushel of daffodils was supposed to be delivered today per Fed-x's website but they didn't arrive. Maybe tomorrow.

Mom and I are getting out hair done tomorrow then if she has the strength we plan to see Puss 'n Boots. After dropping Mom at home I need to pick up the turkey (Deistel) and get the rest of T-Day shopping done. It will be a busy day tomorrow. Ugg.

Daffodil hill

Well I've just been notified that my shipment of a half-bushel of daffodils has shipped. I know what I'll be doing over Thanksgiving holiday! I plan to put them on the front hillside, spread evenly in groups of 5-6. That's a whole lot of 6"-8" holes to dig but come Spring, what a display it will make!

I also got 50 dutch iris to plant in the same order...not sure where they are going yet.

Entered National Geographic's photo contest!

There's no way I'll win anything but it's a good photo and I wanted to share it along with the other 11,000 entries. What was I thinking? ;-)
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/2011/entries/107364/view/
Sue

Newest Obsession

Before my obsession with quilting, before my obsession with figs there was my obsession with iris. Last year when I first moved to my new place I planted a few iris thinned from Mom's yard. My sis also gave me some pretty iris as well. They bloomed and were beautiful, rekindling my love of them. See previous posts for pictures of last year's blooms.

Well I went a little crazy this year. I found HIPS, Historical Iris Preservation Society. I was hoping to ID some of the old iris from my grandmother's ranch. Well they had their annual iris sale last month. I didn't buy any at first but when last call came and they were only a buck, I said send me one of each variety...they did, 28 new iris added to the landscape. On their forum one of the members offered rhizomes for postage as he was thinning them out (done every 3-5 years). He sent me another 20 or so historical iris.Well this started a roll...eBay was my next stop...that was a mistake!

I like the historicals but I really love the newer hybridized iris. Some  are just stunning. Between eBay and direct ordering from the likes of the Iris Patch and Iris Farmer, another 50 named iris were aquired.

Thought I was done but no...I heard my local nursery had iris on sale...they were potted, not bare root and were only a buck each...another 20 picked up. Names are unknow but they are a 'named' iris so should be pretty...peach, purple, deep yellow, bronze...

I joined the San Diego Iris Society. They had a member's iris sale today at Balboa Park...no I didn't go! I actually skipped it. I had to start planting what I have! I did get one large box planted, maybe 40 iris but these were from Mom's yard again. I still have over 100 to plant. I need to figure out an ID system so I don't loose track of the iris names. The San Diego Iris Society has a second plant sale next Sunday...

I think I am going to plant a historical iris garden seperate from the fancy, dancy iris. The fancy ones will be in the front yard, historicals in the back. I'm thinking of planting a Dykes Metal garden too...that's the award for the top iris of the year. I have several of them.

OK, so I thought I was done but I'm not. I found the reblooming iris group on facebook. I just ordered a dozen or so of them. Then there are the Spuria I want to get...someone stop me! ;-)

...and on top of the iris there's the half-bushel of daffodil bulbs I bought that are due to arrive in October. My garden next Spring should be quite spectacular...if I can keep the rabbits, squirrels and golphers at bay.

Sue

My Owls

My nesting owls had a second clutch this summer! I didn't see how many were in the second clutch but three were in the first. Here's a pick of Daddy Owl on the box with either Momma or a baby peaking out from inside.

Photos taken in Aug, 2011

Bought me a man-tool!

Well the weeds have finally won out. I can't keep up with the ones in front much less in the back so I bought me a 'man tool', a high wheel trimmer from Craftsman. I hate motorized tools, except my drill, but I had to bite the bullet and try this monster out. After reading the directions and familiarizing myself with the many parts, I added the oil. Went to the gas station and bought some gas too. It's a 4-cycle engine so no 2-cycle oil needs to be added to the gas.

OK I chickened out and didn't put gas in the tank. Figured if I did that, I'd have no excuse but to try to start it. Then I'd actually have to USE it....ugg. Right now, it's looking new and pretty sitting on my back porch. Maybe tonight? Definitely by this weekend as I have guests coming to dinner on Saturday. First BBQ of the summer!

Baby owls take flight

I was out last evening and saw 2-3 owls fluttering around near the ground. In addition 2 larger owls were flying around them calling out. I have to assume these are baby owls that fledged from my nest box! I'm so excited. I tried to take some video of the one baby flapping it's wings probably trying to strengthen them for flight. He/she is hopping from tree to bush to ground to tree, etc. Fun to watch. the video is bad and you need to enlarge to fuill screen to see anything and it's well into dusk but you can see the owl in the lower center of the video as it flaps its wings and hops from tree to post.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=1791555192408&comments

I'll try to get a better video tonight if they are still around.

Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer. One of the enlightening moments I've had living in my home was experiencing the sun as it moves across the sky during the year. I knew it did but never realized how wide an arc it made. Actually it's the Earth that's moving, I know.

Starting today I plan to take a photograph of the setting sun every day possible for the next year. At the end of a year I will combine them into a movie so anyone can watch this event. Now I just have to learn how to make a movie from photographs! I think I can do this in Flash, just need to brush up on it's software.

Baby owls have fledged!

I'm a proud momma of 3 newly fledged baby owls! Last night there was a flurry of owls swooping from tree to tree. I realized these babies learning to fly must be from my nest box! I saw the big daddy owl and momma owl swooping around them, keeping an eye on the three tree jumping babies. One would get ambitious and fly from the neighbor's Eucs to my Oak then back a few minutes later. The other two would fly to the ground then back up into the Euc. but mostly stayed in the Euc. They were so cool to watch! After an hour or so, one flew back into the nest, calling up a storm. I think it was either the Mom or Dad. Sweet!

Cliff Swallows

I'm sure you've heard of the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano returning every March 19 to the Mission. These are Cliff Swallows. They make a very pretty mud nest that are like cement when completed. How do I know...I have my own Swallows...nesting in the entry way of my front door. I didn't even notice them until a couple days ago! I get home late, usually after dark so that my explain why I didn't notice them before...now what to do about it?

Since they start laying eggs before the nest is finished I'm sure there are eggs so I can't destroy the nest at this point. From what I've read, the eggs incubate for a couple weeks then it's another 6-8 weeks before flying off. Once they migrate back to Mexico for the Winter, I'll be able to destroy the nest and hopefully get all the mud off the stucco. I'll just have to stay vigilent next year since they 'return' to the same nesting spot! Until then, they are pretty to watch as they fly around the front yard.
Here are some pics of the nest and the birdie inside...

and of course, last night's sunset...

Sue

After the rains...

Today I woke to a blustery rainy morning. It was quite nice. I put a fire in the fireplace then read for a couple hours. It was a nice Sunday morning. Around 4pm the sun broke and all the flowers, few that there are, looked quite pretty. My newly planted hillside is just starting to bloom. I don't expect much this year but next year should be quite pretty! The Pride of Madeira I started from a cutting last winter even has a few bright blue blooms on it! Can't see it in the pic but it's at the top of the hill.

My kitties

Tina, this is for you! Below are my two 'new' kitty's enjoying their new home...I think?

This is Pasha...formally known as Desire, Desi or Miss Kitty...finally settled on a name for her. She is a Seal-point Himalayan according to the shelter's docs but I don't think she's a himy. Maybe a Bermese or other Siamese-colored breed. She is a big, hefty cat. She's really put on the weight since I got her...it may be diet time. Shes a beauty though!



This is Smokey, aka Smoke, Mokie, or Squeeker. He's a Blue-point Himalayan so the shelter docs claim. He is a tiny-boned, delicate cat but quite the hunter...and quick! He loves to play, is shy about being petted but loves to be brushed. He too has put on the weight. They were both underweight when I got them but I took care of that!

Mokie sleeping in my sewing room next to me (while I'm on the computer...did I say sewing room?)



Well I'm off to go play in the garden...summer flowers are starting to bloom, day lilies and agapanthas, geraniums, et al. I leave you with last night's sunset...

I hate spiders!

I like to think of myself as a tough old broad...respectful of rattlesnakes, lizards and frogs but when this HUGE and I mean HUGE black widow spider pops out of nowhere in the dark garage dangling too close to my hand I squeel like a little girl! Ewww! Instant goose bumps. Yes, it's now part of my garage wall...and I'm back inside the house...shutter...

It was too near my longarm too! Now I'm going to have to quilt with one eye open above and below the table! I'm going to try to quilt this weekend since I have 4 days off! I have Gloria's quilt top to quilt, the one we worked on when she visited a couple months ago.

On Saturday, my b-day, I'm taking an art class with Lisa Bebi. She does some amazingly fun stuff and I can't wait! Not sure what I'm going to do, maybe a leaf or one of the kittys. After that is a shrimp BBQ at Mom and Dads.

I bought a new(er) car!

Well I traded in my poor tired 1998 Toyota with 206K miles for a 2001 Honda Odyssey with only 91K miles. It was a good price and even comes with a nav unit, electronic sliding side doors, a back seat that folds into the floor, and lots of other goodies. It's gold with a cream interior so the dust won't show as bad.
 ;-) So far it drives like a new car, has lots of power. It's only getting 19.5-19.8 MPG but then I do drive that nasty hill daily. I like it. It's a relief. My poor Toyota was ready to go tires up!

Here it is! His name is Hal...as in 2001 "Space" Odyssey...

Owls and Iris

Well look who's peeking out of my owl box! It's momma owl. I saw her moving around in the box last Friday and snapped a couple pictures. This one was the best!

Last night at dusk I was out watching the box. I saw the male owl swoop down the hill and make a kill. A minute or so later I hear him coming straight at me from behind the owl box carrying the rodent in his beak. As he approached the box, he swooped up, wings fully extended, extended his claws and grabbed onto the entrance, stepping inside. A minute later he exploded out of the box to hunt again. Momma owl was in the box chirping away when he left. I believe she is nesting! Hope to see owlettes in a couple weeks to a month.

My Anna Apple has set apples! This is the largest. The rest resemble the next picture...just starting to swell.

My iris have been blooming for the past month, mostly the solid deep purple, lavenders and whites. This weekend this bi-color and the pink bloomed. So pretty!

And then there's this red iris...

and a red violet

This deep purple is from my grandmother's ranch up north. They have been growing there for as Long as I can remember. I believe it is a historical iris named Amas.

And of course, last night's sunset...



Brown out!

Well I never expected the electricty to go out for no reason last night! It happened around 9:30; the TV popped and went off, the ceiling fan lights dimmed to a ghostly yellow and the refer alarm went off. Wow where did that come from? Good thing I have a land-line phone so I called SDGE to report it. I was #9. They sent a couple crews out as it was a 'catastrophic failure', sounds omnious doesn't it? With an hour or more estimated repair time I went to bed with a flashlight and read for a while. Lights came back around midnight or 1am.

What was even more omnious was the morning sky. Got up around 7am and the sky looked like what I call 'earthquake weather'. The sky was an errie yellow glow. But the good thing is, there was a morning rainbow.

Linguica

Last Friday I made a batch of linguica stuffing that needed to marinate for 48 hours before stuffing in hog casings. Well today is the day I stuffed the hog casings. This is my first attempt at making sausage and it was messy but fun! I have a long way to go to get the links similar in size but that will come with practice. Next up for these links is the smoker. I have a built in smoker in my BBQ. I've soaked some hickory chips and am headed to the smoker to try it for the first time! Lots of firsts this weekend!

The first casing which made the links in the picture below was made using the larger of the two stuffers. I thought it was too big so the next casing I used the smaller stuffer.

The last 3 links used the smaller stuffer. It's a better size for linguica.



So now they are off to the smoker. I have no idea how long to smoke as the directions didn't say. I'll go at least 2 hrs if not 4. I'll search the net to see if I can find a generic sausage smoking time.

Fun!

edit: Here's the final smoked linguica:

It looks good, like linguica is supposed to look. The flavor was quite different than I'm used to tasting though. A bit over spiced (too many spices). I'll definately try another recipe next time. Mom is trying to remenber how Grandma made hers using sour oranges (Seville). This recipe called for sherry. Others call for red wine. Now why didn't I make that one??? ;-)

Happy April Fools!

Well today marks the one year anniversary of the purchase my home, 1 year down, 29 to go. So how do I celebrate? I'm out pulling weeds and prettying up my front hillside. I'm out spraying round up on the weeds down the hill in the back. I'm fumigating the ground squirrel tunnels as well as the gophers near my Paradiso fig tree. In other words, being a home owner. ;-) It got a bit HOT outside so I came in for a break. I'll go back out to get more done later this afternoon.

The perennials I put in a few months ago are growing well. The only setback are the daylilies. How was I supposed to know rabbits love them? Oh well. I need to get more agapanthas to take their place.

A few of the hundreds of iris I planted are throwing blooms. Can't wait for them to bloom! Most are from a garden club sale I went to last year. There were 3 flats of iris, one of white iris, one of purple, and one unknown. I bought all three. Had to be over 100 rhizomes. My sister gave me all of her iris, most of which are from Grandma's ranch. These are old world, unhybridized iris and highly sought after. Grandma's irises are the ones starting to bloom now.

My Anna apple is in bloom! This is a excellent sweet apple and I can't wait for my first bite. I was surprised to see how many blooms were on the tree. I didn't even know it had bloomed until I went out to weed.

My lemon has 20-30 small fruit set but something is eating the leaves, the orange too. I think it's snails but haven't caught the rascal yet.

The stargazer lily bulbs I planted are poking up thru the soil and the Society Garlic is blooming. The Panache fig has put on a good couple inches of growth. Love this fig! Excellent, excellent taste but needs a hot summer to ripen fruit well. My Pride of Madeira that I started from a cutting last year has doubled in size. It's a beautiful brilliant blue, stunning. I doubt it will bloom this year but next year for sure. I want to get a dark purple and a red-violet plant too.

One of my 3 lilacs had a tiny bloom but it was nice to see what the color was. It’s a pretty dark lavender color. Next year they should be beautiful.

I met my soon-to-be new neighbors today. As I was weeding they were driving by, stopped to say hello. They are building a weekend Tuscan retreat 2 properties over...they are from La Jolla. They have already put up an owl box, people after my own heart. They even have a mating pair nesting. I think I do too but it's hard to tell as there is no light on the box as I don't want to frighten them off. I do hear the male out there nightly on the box. I hear him all hours of the morning before daybreak too so I think I do have something going on. ;-)

The neighborhood is going to do a pig roast when their home is finished to celebrate. That should be good! A neighborhood Luau! I have great neighbors! I'm so lucky to be here.

Here is last night’s sunset. A bit of clouds in the sky always makes a special show.

Fire-breathing Dragon!

After the rains, sunsets are unusually spectacular. Last nights was no exception. I caught this image of a fire-breathing dragon in the clouds. The sun set below the 'mouth' of the dragon giving it the fire-breathing image. Can you see the dragon?