Amaryllis Belladonna

When we dug out the Amaryllis Belladonna's last year, we were not sure they would make it. (Read here). They were planted under the Camellia's and did not seem to be in great shape.

They got planted inside the well like structure we built around the Magnolia tree earlier in 2011. They seem to have taken to the place and also multiplied well.

Can't wait for the pretty flowers to show up in summer

Circle of life

I am so relieved that the month of March is coming to a close. It has been the most craziest roller coaster month in the 30+ years of existence. The painful lessons have been learnt- what cant be cured has to be endured and what does not kill you makes you stronger.

Now, to the happy moments that helped us pull through this month.

A sweet wedding in early March

A dear friend's baby shower (she pushed it out by a week, so I can attend). I had a great time and also enjoyed a really yummy Japanese cake that was by far the best cake I have ever eaten in my life.

And just a couple of days back, this beaten up trash can brought us immense happiness and cheer

The big haul of Oak leaves we had rounded up over a month back is still being loaded onto the weekly pick up. It sat around for most of this month, waiting for us to get back to our routine. Lo and behold, there was this tiny little bird that we totally scared. Inside was this beautiful nest with 5 little eggs. And, the nest was built with nothing other than dryer lint that we haven't gotten around to cleaning.


Life is a road with some bumpy patches, but hopefully for most of us the road is a smooth one and the odd bump doesn't deter us.

Fuchsias

The first time we spotted this lovely flower was at the "Mystery Spot" in Santa Cruz. We were stuck in their long line because we didn't know about their online booking system ...duh

These were the days when we knew nothing about plants. We were drooling over the beauty of these flowers whose names we didn't know.

When we bought our house (in April 2008), we spotted the same flower in the garden. After some research, we figured that these were Fuchsias.

In 2011, we added to the Fuchsia collection - one called Fuchsia- Rohee's Blacky

The lady who sold us these said we should put some Christmas lights over them in winter or bring them in. We did neither. The 3 Fuchsias in the hanging baskets did not make it past this winter.

The old one (original to the house) is on the front porch, protected from the cold and is producing some pretty buds

A new fence

We finally have a brand new fence on the south side of our property. I have come to the realisation that it is actually good to have the 6 foot fence, and here is why.

The neighbors side is the one where you cant see the difference between where the lawn ends and where the weeds begin. We also saw dog poop littered all over the frontyard.......ewwwww (Remember the unruly dog that charged at me more than a few times and is always outside in the yard).

We also saw that he had a plethora of boxes along the side and guess what- they were rabbits and chickens. We later heard that he was offering the rabbits for free to the guys who were there putting up the fence.

One can see the stumps of the many vines that literally held up the fence, when they were taken down, along came the old fence. The alpha male creature (it is a shame to even call it a dog) going at it all the time didn't help much either.

As the fence came off, it took down the section that held the gates for most part. So we now have new gates too ! But not without its share of drama.

The post that holds up the gate (above picture with the new frame) is right along where the water main line runs on its way to the house. Of course the guys broke the water main when they were digging out the old concrete (I don't blame them for breaking it. But it took them a while to realize it was the main and call for our help to shut it off....cant imagine how bad the water bill will be now)

After patching things up, they put down a box to hold up the cement that was going to be poured for the new METAL posts (no more sagging gates)

Even though the bank balance took quite some beating, I now feel a lot safer to venture out into the yard.

Now for some after pictures

Neat huh?

The new raised beds

Firewood rack

This was one of the last minute DIY projects in the Fall of 2011. It got bundled up in tarp right away and seems to be holding up very well.

The firewood is off the ground, leaving no room for those damn rodents, and all those leftover pieces of lumber that the resident packrat has been holding is also put to good use. I am a happy camper.

When spring is here can summer be far behind ?

The wait is finally over, hopefully we will have some homegrown Plums this season.