We have African Iris plants growing all over the property. There are quite a few bordering the driveway, several under the Eucalyptus trees growing in the front, a large one in the center of our daisy patch, a gigantic one growing next to the house (where we intend to put a concrete walkway and eventually … read more African Iris and the Modern-Day Hippie Vibe

This spring, we started the renovation process of our backyard. The end result will be a phenomenal outdoor living space with a pagoda and manicured garden area that we can enjoy and use for relaxing. It is early in this process and we’re clearing the area. The focus of this past few weeks has been … read more Trees and Life–The Coast Live Oak

We live in an amazing place. It is a small, unincorporated village on the California central coast, about three miles from the ocean as the crows fly. We are a 10-minute drive from beaches, a couple of them being world-renowned tourist attractions. In the afternoon, we often get a fantastic ocean breeze, and in the … read more New Skate Park in Our Town!

Cutting and removal of a whole tree is heavy-duty garden work. Richard and I have two out-of-control Acacia trees at our back property line that we have been working diligently to remove. Our plan for the backyard area will then allow us to complete a greenhouse where the trees are now and create a nice … read more Envision the Joy

These photos were taken after we’ve had our Monstera philodendrum for about eight months. They have both grown considerably from the six-inch tall, 3-4 leaf fledglings that we brought home last fall. While these plants are both thriving, the Monstera on the left is the plant that has gotten mostly artificial indoor light. It has … read more Love and Light

Richard and I began the ambitious task of making over our back yard area last week. The goal is to set up a greenhouse close to the property line and build a gazebo/pergola/pagoda in the back corner. We haven’t gotten into the design concept of the structure yet, aside from deciding how large we want … read more Backyard Remodel (week 2) – A Sea of Ice Plant

As sore and exhausted as I’ve been feeling in the evening lately, I still wake up feeling optimistic and energetic about the day ahead. Our latest remodeling project indoors was a small back bathroom that we repainted and freshened up last week. We used two different colors for this room. A peach color called Tomorrow’s … read more Stay Positive and Radiate Love