Fauna

We have a variety of wildlife living near the house:

> red-tailed hawks, who have a nest in the large coast live oak

> songbirds of indeterminate species, who like to sit on the deck railing and poop

> hummingbirds, who snack on the bougainvillea

> false jays, who appear to be entirely real

> lizards, all of whom we refer to as "Sal" or "Sally" (as in "salamander")

"Lefty" the Lizard, who lost his right hand in the junk pile

> several neighborhood dogs, who trot up and down the street and make detours into the yard

> a peacock, who lives somewhere across the street; never seen him, but he's loud

> an ornery neighbor across the street, who likes to swear indiscriminately at passing cars; he is surely kind and wonderful, but he doesn't show it.

one of many gophers who likes to sunbathe and eat greens

Tim-ber!

We were sad to say goodbye to the dying date palm at the top of the driveway.  Or at least I was, since the rows of palms lining the street are becoming few and far between.  Russell was not quite so sentimental.  We allowed the power company to cut down the tree, which apparently they had wanted to do for years, but Helena would never let them.  She used to chase them away, according to one SDG&E contractor.  I hope to convince Russell to carve the remaining 8' of palm tree trunk into a giant tiki head to ward off evil spirits.

The drywall crew continued with the taping and mudding after we passed the inspection on Tuesday.  As soon as the finish coat is on, we will start with the flooring and, hopefully, the tiling of the bathrooms.

Enclose

It's thrilling to see the walls covered so quickly, but wow-- the place looks and feels a lot smaller now...  I am blaming Canada for our guest shower snafu, even though it was our fault that we did not know that a shower stall in San Diego County must have at least a 30" radius and an area of at least 1024 sq. inches.  Russell ripped out the shower after the inspector rejected it, and now it's standing in the kitchen, awaiting its fate.

master BR: closet on left, bathroom door on right

master BR looking south onto deck; let's hope Jazz learns how to use doggie doors...

Russell checks the skylights; the rogue shower stands where the kitchen sink will be

 

 

guest room with the rock looming outside

another Dumpster, and this time we filled it in one day

 

the Jesus-flower is bursting with blossoms

 

 

Insulate

Three hours of work, and the ceilings and exterior walls were done.

Living room

Russell popped in the skylights.  Hooray!

 

Master bed and bath

master BR entry to master bath; blue insulation is recycled denim

north side of house with felt paper

 

 

Percolate

The latest trench, this time for the outdoor shower drain

The Jesus-flower continues to grow to ridiculous heights

The leggy succulents have produced several flower stalks

The pomegranate is back in business with new leaves and blossoms

A calla lily catches some late-day sun

Russell plants a yellow rose bush at the corner of the future front walkway

The loquat tree has produced hundreds of baby fruits, even though we had to chop half the tree off for the construction of the deck

It's Easy Being Green

Mom and Dad came to visit in February, and between several museum visits, they put a dent in the outdoor chores at the house.  The crummy, cold, wet weather didn't slow us down, and the rain definitely helped loosen up the ground for digging.  We worked mainly in the front yard to clean up and reposition some of the vegetation.

Dad and I planted some hedges by the gap in the fence

Mom weeded under the jacaranda tree in the front yard, helping the lilies and irises reclaim their own space.

Mom and Dad scrape the plentiful mud from their shoes.

The lime tree started popping out some baby fruits.  Can't wait for some fresh juice!

Mom rescued this ornamental nectarine that emerged from a dead stump under the back fence.