Fantasy vs. Reality

Looking back at my Earth Day post from last year, I'm reflecting on what I accomplished in 2009 and what my plans are for this year. This really is the best time of year - everything holds the promise of success, with none of the reality yet attached. In my mind, everything I set out to do in the new year will be bigger and better than I can imagine. My garden will fill in and bloom beautifully, we will complete multiple home improvement projects around the house and our team at work will exceed every goal we have set. I'm going to stick with that theory for as long as possible, and who knows, maybe it will all be true! In the meanwhile, here's wrap up of how I did against last year's plans....

1. Fantasy - Grow veggies and herbs in three raised beds. Reality - Too much shade! I knew one of my beds was overly shaded by an apple tree, but didn't realize the other two get too much shade from the adjacent fence. I got a few green beans, but otherwise, nothing - and I do mean nothing, grew past seedling status. I admitted my defeat a few months in. My other idea, to plant my herbs in a half wine barrel in the only sunny spot in my yard (which is a patio area) worked well - I will do that again this year. I also kept a small Meyer Lemon alive and it's blooming like crazy right now so I hope for lots of lemons next winter!

2. Fantasy - Preserve the bounty of veggies that I planned to grow. Reality - See #1. I could have done some canning with my CSA fruits and veggies, but never managed to plan and get my act together.

3. Fantasy - Get rain barrels. Reality - Haven't yet convinced my husband. They will be in a very visible spot in the backyard that he doesn't approve of. My argument is that they will only be there in the winter and if we put them on a platform with wheels, they can be moved around in the summer time when there is no rain. This is a work in progress...

4. Fantasy - Ride my bike all over town for recreation and errands alike. Reality - I ride my bike all over town for recreation and errands alike!! Success! My lack of bicycle riding skills led me to purchase a new, cruiser style bike with only one set of gears and a basket on front. This turned out to be the perfect idea - I'm now up to riding 10 miles 2-3 times per week. Yay me!

Okay - One out of four is not the best track record. However, there are always things that happen during the year that you don't plan on but turn out to be successful endeavors. The two major ones for us turned out to be our rock water feature/pond project and, the one I'm even more proud of, kicking the fast food habit! Its been long enough now, I think I can officially say I've quit eating fast food - I haven't hit a drive through since last July which is a real accomplishment for me.

So what do I have planned this year? I'll save that for another post as I'm still working on the priority list. Plus, I'm going to the San Francisco Plant & Garden Show in March and will probably come home with more ideas than time or money will allow for....I'm saving up already!

The Rock...

Well, well, well....here I am again - on the blog. I had to blow off the dust and clear out the cobwebs, but it's still standing. And after 2009, so am I (barely...) That being said, I have lots to catch you up with here on Lathwell. After living here for two and a half years, we finally dismantled and rebuilt the fountain (that never really was) in our backyard.

To share some background, our suburban backyard came with what appeared to be a defunct fountain in the middle of the backyard. It really is the centerpiece of the yard and can be seen from all the large windows both upstairs and down. I've looked at this ugly monstrosity since we moved in and have really wanted to replace it with something colorful and pretty since we first set eyes on this place. So, for over two years, I have been looking for the perfect ceramic pot to make a bubbling fountain in the middle of the yard. And then.....

....my husband got involved. To be fair, I needed him for this project. He is the handiest person I know - and I know lots of handy people! And, considering he lives here, I gave him some obligatory input on my bubbling fountain project. He wasn't big on the pot idea and really wanted a large natural rock instead. I protested for a few months and then relented to "just go look" at the big rocks. Of course, we came across the most beautiful rock that we could both agree on - and negotiated on the price to make it somewhat reasonable (although not as affordable as my bubbling pot). And then the real project began.

After more arguing, or rather, discussion, about the project, my schmoopy added another element, insisting that our dog really needs a swimming pool (he kind of does...) and that there should be a pond for the fountain to trickle into instead of my preferred rock garden. So....in the end, I lost every argument and ended up with a beautiful fountain and pond in my backyard. I keep joking that all I wanted was a bubbling fountain, but really, this is pretty amazing. The birds love it, the dog loves it and we love it...what could be better? Okay, it's official - and I'm putting it in print - he was right....I was wrong.

While we typically work together in matters of home improvement, almost everything on this project was done by my husband Dennis. I did unload a ton (really, a TON) of rock from the truck and his friend Zach helped for a couple days, but other than that, it was two months of evenings and weekends for my hard working husband....thanks honey! Here's the photographic evidence:

The "before" picture. As it turns out, water and power had been run to this fountain, but never connected. This thing was never a working fountain.

During demolition. It was a combination of an air hammer, sledgehammer and a strong back (not mine, of course)

The area is prepped, underlayment down, bricks set, level and ready for the rock delivery.

The rock is set. 900 pounds...four men...and me with a camera. Note that we only dug out the area for the rock initially to make it easier to place. The pond was dug after the rock was placed.

And....completion! For some reason, I didn't get any pictures of the rock stacking. I think I was hostile for the entire month that was happening as a new load of rock was coming home in Dennis' truck every other day. I believe I murmured something about bubbling pots under my breath and in my sleep around this time. But obviously, it ended up a success - thank god the dog likes it as much as we do. Now....bring on the plants!

Harvesting Rainwater

Here in the Sacramento area, we really only get rain from October or November through about May and when it does rain, it seems like we only get an inch or so at a time. However, in my yard it seems like it takes only a bit of rain to make a huge mess since the house gutters drop right into the lowest part of my yard making a winter long muddy bog. I'd love to get rid of the lawn altogether, but Dennis and I haven't agreed on that yet. So what to do to not only save the "free" water that hits my roof in a storm and try to save the lawn from its annual winter drowning?? Rain barrels! Rain barrels are large containers that sit underneath your gutters to collect rainwater. They have a spigot at the bottom of the container to attach a hose and water whatever you want from rainwater collected from your roof.

Considering that one inch of rain on a 1,000 square foot area yields 623 gallons of water, I'm sending a whole lot of water right down the drain every winter! I've looked at buying rain barrels, but they can run around $200 - ack! However, this morning I think I found the solution while browsing the Fine Gardening website - a video on how to build my own rain barrel for about $50 - perfect! I know they aren't that pretty, but since we don't get rain year-round, I can move them to a less obnoxious location during the summer when we spend so much more time outside.

Here's the video if you're interested in doing the same:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4130888001?bctid=1906795648

Natural Sunblock

Over the past month or so, I've been experimenting with "natural" or "chemical free" sunscreen products to find the best product for the most reasonable price - not the easy task I originally thought it would be! I've compiled my completely unscientific findings for you here.

Experiment #1: Browse the options at Whole Foods. This is where I thought I would find the largest selection, which was true, but the prices were all over the board and an average consumer would have trouble determining what the difference is from one brand to another. I finally settled on JASON Family Sunblock with an SPF of 36. The label says that it is Water Resistant and Paraben Free. 4 ounces cost about $7.00.

I took my new purchase to a backyard pool party with friends and liberally applied it. Everyone commented on the pleasant smell although we all poked fun at the marketing of it as "Family" sunblock - what makes that so?? Who knows.... Bottom line - the cream was easily absorbed into my skin and I didn't burn. However, when I dipped my legs into the pool, the sunblock came right off in the water - I guess it would cost a fortune to reapply as needed if you and your family were in and out of the water, but this was the best one I found for general sun protection. As for the active ingredients, the three main sunscreens are rated from a 4 to an 8 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being worst) by the Skin Deep database so it's not that "natural" of a choice. www.cosmeticsdatabase.com


Experiment #2: Find the best sunscreen on the Skin Deep database. I thought this would be simple. Search "sunscreen" and buy the first one rated "0" or "1" in terms of dangerous ingredients. My search results gave me one "0" rating - Soleo Organics Sunscreen. It is $20 for 2.8 ounces. Considering that it takes an ounce to properly cover your skin, I find this way too expensive. Numbers 2-4 on the list, with a "1" rating, were similarly priced. Finally, I decided on #5, rated a "3" called Mexitan with an SPF of 30. It's label proclaimed that it is all natural, water resistant with no harsh chemicals. It was $16.95 for 8 ounces - more than I'd like to spend, but better priced that the most organic choices.

I took this purchase to a family weekend in Sonora where we lounged by the pool as the temp hit 108. As I rubbed it in, I noticed two issues - first, if you rub just a bit too much, the lotion starts pilling and rubbing off your skin and second, it never completely rubs into your skin leaving a whitish cast on my already translucent skin! This product however, kept me from burning and didn't come off as easily in the water.

Experiment #3: Ask friends. After asking around to my friends, the only recommendation I got for a natural sunscreen was to try Burt's Bees. The nice thing about Burt's is that you can find it everywhere for about $7.00 for 3.5 ounces. The label claims that it is a chemical-free sunscreen, non-whitening and 100% natural. Well, I'll have to disagree with the non-whitening claim as the SPF 30 formula left me ghostly white! As with the others, I didn't burn, but it wasn't pretty as I lounged by the lake for days on vacation. The Skin Deep database gives this formula an overall rating of "4", but that is because of it's superior sun protection. The health hazard is rated a "6" out of 10.

After all this, I don't think I've found a great sunscreen in the natural category yet. The JASON was the only one that didn't leave a thick, white layer on my skin, but I'm sure that's due to the additional chemicals. The Mexitan and Burt's didn't come off as easily in water but went on heavy and didn't absorb into my skin. In the end, I will probably rotate through the three depending on the activity I'm planning knowing that I won't burn in the sun and all of them are a better choice in terms of chemicals than the current popular brands on the market.

If you've found a favorite - let me know and I'll try it out!

Bees & Trees

I apologize for the long absence of posts. Other than the typical "wow, I've been busy", I was having all kinds of login issues with blogger and was finally able to login again! That being said - it is the height of summer and the trees in my yard are all blooming! I have two large trees in the middle of my backyard that shade everything. I find this to be a really good thing as my yard is considerably cooler on a hot day than you might expect - combine that with a covered patio with a ceiling fan and I can enjoy my yard on even the hottest days - like today!

Since we moved here just over two years ago, I have been trying to figure out what these trees actually are. I've searched online, in my Western Garden Book, asked everyone who has come to my house and nobody knew. I see these trees all over Roseville so it was surprising that I couldn't figure it out. Finally, my mom and I were on a garden tour back in May where I cornered a Master Gardener to figure out the mystery and she groaned when I described it to her (never good!) It turns out I have two Chinese Tallow Trees - messy (I already knew that) and incredibly invasive (what!?!)

Upon returning home, I googled this tree and immediately learned why I couldn't find it in any of my landscape tree research - it is on the Red Alert List for the Invasive Plant Council of California. Great. Why would these trees even be available for homeowners to buy? And why would they have been planted in parks around the city?

Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I'm sure these trees will have to go at some point, but in the meanwhile, is it so bad to enjoy the benefits the trees do provide? First of all, I love the shade and second, in the middle of summer, the bees LOVE the (messy) flowers. For weeks every summer, bees descend on these trees and cover them so completely that the entire yard has one big BUZZ you can hear all over the yard - even in the garage! Seeing as how everyone is worried about the disappearance of the honey bee - I feel like I'm doing my part to keep them alive. If anyone is looking for them, there are thousands hanging out here on Lathwell. Furthermore, the leaves put on a brilliant show of color in the fall and the seed pods are enjoyed by the birds all winter. We do have to deal with the mess of the seed pods in the grass, but I get to enjoy watching the birds out my upstairs bedroom window all winter when the leaves are gone.

I wouldn't want to say so many nice things about these trees that someone would be convinced to plant one - the root system is shallow, the flowers and seed pods are messy and you do find new little trees everywhere that need to be pulled, but at this point, the benefits outweigh the grief. My only worry is what I will replace them with when they do eventually have to go.....

Looking back and forward for Earth Day

While I didn't get my Earth Day post done on Earth Day, I still wanted to share my thoughts about what's going on in my world. When reflecting on what I've done to lessen my impact on the earth in the last year, I realized that I had made some real changes:

1. Began purchasing my home's energy from renewable (solar and wind) sources. One phone call and an extra few bucks per month - easy!

2. Planted an herb garden in my yard.

3. Joined Terra Firma Farms, a CSA that provides us with a weekly box of fresh, local, organic fruits and veggies for less than it would cost to buy the same items at the grocery store.

4. Started carpooling whenever possible. Since I live about 20 miles from work, riding my bike isn't an option and light rail doesn't come out here so the best option for me is carpooling. I have a friend that lives a mile from me and works three blocks from me - perfect! And coordinating our work schedules wasn't as hard as I thought it might be.

5. Began going organic - food, beauty routine, cleaning products - wherever I have the option, I've switched and it's amazing all of the great organic products out there now.

So what do I have planned for this year? Continuing to make small changes that have an impact on our health, our environment and the earth:

1. I've gone from a few herbs in one raised bed to three raised beds of vegetables, a barrel of herbs and a basket of strawberries. Hopefully we'll get to eat REALLY local this summer!

2. Canning - I haven't done this since I was a kid, but I'm hoping to can some of my own bounty this summer including making pickles!

3. Water Conservation - This is a major issue here in the west. I'm hoping to get some rain barrels this year and maybe even a rain garden.

4. My bicycle - I admit, I'm not a very confident bike rider. But with the extensive bike path network in my neighborhood, I've begun to venture out some for coffee runs or to the park, but in the next year, I hope to get much better with the bike so we can go to dinner, small grocery runs and more - all on our bikes!

5. Who knows?? It's getting easier and easier to be "green" so what new opportunities will come about in the next year could surprise me.

So - what tips do you have for me? What are you doing in your world? I'd love to hear from you - and happy Earth Day!

Blooms!

Here's what's blooming in my yard at this moment!

Roses! I have lots of buds (and lots of aphids due to be assasinated tomorrow!). But this is the first *almost* rose.

When we moved into this house, there were three hot pink camellias already here...and then there is this unusual one...my favorite which blooms much later than the pink ones!

The apple blossoms. As referenced before - something bores holes into the apples each summer although I never see an actual bug or worm. Maybe I will take the time to figure it out this summer. Thoughts anyone??