its been a very rough couple of weeks, 4 power outages, a couple lasting for 3.5 days, I may bitch and bemoan about the inconvenience, but bottom line is I am grateful to the fire department and pge for keeping us safe during some of the strongest winds I have ever experienced in my life. it felt like the wild west, it was impossible to find generators, gas, ice and batteries, with 2.5 million people out of power, all at the same time, commodities were in great demand, an insatiable demand! by the 3rd outage, after driving hundreds of miles and looking in countless of locations, my husband found us a generator, life became tolerable with that noisy jewel!
without power, living on a well, we didn't even have the luxury of water, especially stressful living under such severe fire conditions. the winds were truly wicked, fearsome fire weather, just read any news story about California, the state has been ravaged, but finally the power has been restored in the north and the winds have abated and they are able to make good headway on the massive fires.
with the power out for days, businesses were hindered, and luckily for me, my husband was home. one thing that required no power was laying pavers in the rose garden, we were able to finish the main pathway, the patio and install the fountain. 47 pallets of pavers were just delivered today to finish off the rose garden and to start 2 additional projects further down the road. finally, I have a level patio in the rose garden for seating and dining, we are far from completion, but I wanted to decorate my garden for fall, while the days are still warm and the winds are a fading memory...
as you can clearly see, this is still very much a construction zone, the 8 wooden posts will be covered in the concrete columns below to support a metal trellis roof to shade the entire patio. the main entrance gate is due in next week, we still need to plant the entry and put up the deer fencing, so far we have done 75% of the outer perimeter of walkways in pavers, we still have 4 large concentric rings of pathways to tackle. slowly, but surely, every week we make a little headway, its truly been a labor a love and I adore every minute I get to enjoy in the garden~
Wow! You will need a vacation after laying all of those pavers!
ReplyDeleteEverything is looking good - thank you for sharing.
I'm relieved to see your post--I have seen the dire reports and was worried. There's so much beauty in your garden, despite the hardships and fears. You are truly an inspiration. Gardening is still going on here, too. I've got a losing battle going on with overnight freezes, and covering my blooms only delays the inevitable, but que sera sera. I planted the last 4 miniature butterfly bushes today, and Tyler planted pansies in the mailbox urns. I have found true contentment in gardening, so much so, I'm writing again. Anyway, I'm hapoy to hear you and the gang are safe and thriving. Much love, Mlee
ReplyDeleteGosh I love hearing from you again, especially being a garden kindred spirit! I didn't even know butterfly bushes came in mini sizes, I planted the lovely deep purple black and the flowers were only 3" long and the bush is still barely 2 ', I bet it's a mini when I am trying to grow something big for privacy! It's been so long since I put in a new garden the plant worlds moved along without me!
DeleteWriting again sounds wonderful! I would love to see your garden, I assume you mean novels not blogs? if you are posting pics would love a link, I don't do fb or instagram, but it an outsider can peak in I wanna see!
This is the first year I've seen compact buddelias (in my area), but I dwell in the missionary position for gardeners. 😄 We planted a Black Knight in 2017, and it grew slowly, but this year it shot up 12 feet. There's hope. (And the deer haven't nibbled any of the buddelia so far--I'm sad to say goats will devour them.) As for the writing, I'm working on non fiction. I have a few photos of the garden on IG, but I am not active on social media. No blogging, but never say never. I'm eager to see more of your rose garden. Your photos are gorgeous. Xxoo
DeleteFingers crossed you are writing a garden, tablescape, entertaining book! You have gorgeous pics and great taste, and now a deep love for the earth, please tell me it's not politics!
DeleteSo glad that the winds have calmed down and that your power is back on. I can't imagine having no power or water at the same time. Generators are life savers for sure. We have one for ice storm season which is coming soon. Your patio and fountain are so pretty! I love your tablescape and that flower centerpiece is stunning. The colors and textures are perfect!
ReplyDeleteSo thankful the power is back on the and winds are calming for you. Watching the fire coverage has been terrifying, I can't imagine living through that and that many people without power...like a month-long hurricane without the water. You and Scott are such workhorses! I can't believe how much labor and work you've accomplished already with the hauling and planting. It's already beautiful, love seeing you play with dishes and flowers again, I see we are shopping twins. :)
ReplyDeleteLove seeing a comment from MLee, I miss her blogging. I'm not on IG either, I fear it would be a rabbit hole I would fall down and never climb out of.