SharivilleLife stories from Shari

I used to call the garden ” my garden”, I can no longer do that , as Jerry has pretty much taken over in my absence, for the last 5 yrs.  It seems medical problems have kept me more or less housebound for these past yrs.  That’s about to end.  I will be back out in the garden in the fall. I have so missed it.  Prior to that everything done out there was done together.

I woke up this morning to the sound of hoeing under my bedroom window.  Jerry was out there clearing the weeds out of my wonderful row of lavender.  He also got rid of the Morning Glories around the tomatoes.  We have a big yard area with lots of things planted.  We also have a huge empty acrage where we took out the almond orchard.  Jerry keeps is disced and mowed , fire hazzared and snake problems otherwise.  One year when I talked him out of mowing the field, feeling that my wildlife and birds, Quail and Pheasants, rabbits etc. would prefer the grass land we killed no less than 8 rattlesmakes, of all sizes.  Therefore,  No more grass lands.

Jerry is very fond of his tractor and mower and disc.  I never knew anyone so happy to be out there mowing or just moving around mounds of garden brush.  He spends countless hours just pushing bush around  out there.  I think he likes this because  it reminds him of the old row cropping days.  Every spring and summer we go thru the same thing, I say “Oh dont burn that pile,  its spring and the birds need it for nesting and nesting material. ” In the fall its the same thing ,” Oh dont burn that pile, the birds need it for winter protection. ” And so on and on it goes, and the piles just get bigger and bigger.  We have lots and lots of bird feeders, they take care of my garden, for sure.  And then there’s the Hummingbirds, Jerry is very factidious about keeping them in sugar water. Jerry is very fond of the Hummers. We spend a fortune on bird seed, I use only the quality seed, otherwise the birds just toss out the cheap stuff.  I have some wonderful ground feeders, I have a huge covey of Quail.  They are so much fun to watch out my bedroom window.  Sometime look up why they are called a covey.  They are beautiful fun little creatures.

Awhile back I took a precarious walk around the yard, it was a beautiful day and all kinds of plants and flowers were in bloom. We have every kind of fruit tree, including Pomagranite and  Persimmon.  We have 3 cherry trees, never see the friut from those tho, we planted them to close to the Redwoods and the birds take advantage. In younger days I picked the plums, I have 4 varieties, and made jelly, maybe someday I will get back to that.

We have a glorious Blue Spruce, which we are very proud of.  Love, love Blue Spruces.  We have the most lovely Betty Boop rose bush, like no one else, by the pump house.  The pink carpet roses are beginning to bloom all along the driveway, they are stunning when in full bloom.  Of course there is a Kitchy part of MY garden, where I have an old footed bathtub an old toilet and lots of garden art, like the precious pink flamingo that Tommy gave me awhile back.  It just got home this year, brought back in our trailer.  The banana tree is still recovering from a very cold winter, also got our avacado tree, not sure if it will recover.  Got most of my lime and pink lemonade tree.  If they recover at all they are really set back.  We have several bird baths, because of our huge bird population.  Teddy knows just where to get a drink and wash his feet.  Im really sure the birds appreciate that. Twelve yrs ago a neighbor donated his palm tree to us and it has grown from 3 feet to  30 ft.  It’s lovely, we have a couple of Mexican Palms to flank it.  I have lavender and believe one cannot have enough lavender or Japanees Maples.  We have several. .I have a fondness for roses, not so with Jerry,  he is constantly being attacked by them.  I have two precious Josephes Coat climber roeses,  and several other rose bushes.  I will be planting more soon, in a sunnier area. The play house for the grand daughters, who have long out grown it will be our new Garden Shed. Its all finished inside and even has a ceiling fan.  I just have to change the paint color inside, take out all the toys, some antique, I will save for Felecia’s little ones someday.  Jerrys old high chair is out there, generously given back to Jerry by his daughter, Debra.  It has raised two grand daughters at our table.  I have pictures of Felecia and then yrs later of Sarah eating in it at our table.  Jerry is proud of that chair.

Well that about wraps up my garden tour of our garden and thank Jerry with all my heart for keeping it all going until I can get out there and help him again. He has really become a serious gardener and is proud of his yard.  Make no mistake our place is not a show place, its very rustic and bird friendly, we stll do have fox tails and Johnson grass, but not a much.  We are completely organic, mybirds take care of the bugs, you can eat the fruit and vegies right off the trees and bushes.  That we are proud of.    Well more later……………..Hugs S and J………….PS, Teddy showing off his credentials.

What a totally wonderful drive from Carson City to Chico.  We have done this drive so many many times, but this time was different.  It was different because after having been to so many beautiful places so recently it could have been a very mundane trip.  Instead I noticed many many things that I might not have paid all that much attention to.  This time the drive was bringing us back home after such a long absence.  All the lovely places we have recently been to were no more beautiful than the drive thru that Feather River Canyon on Sun.  We have been out of the state for 6 + mos. and coming home was, for me, somewhat bitter sweet.  Was I so sure that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” It was thought provoking but  the canyon was glorious.  All the deciduous trees were beginning to unfurl their leaves, the Red buds and yellow Sweet Brooms were beginning to bloom.  In the lower areas the California Poppies and Lupins were starting to show their spring best.  The  waterfalls are starting to glide down the walls of the canyon, bringing wonderful new life to the canyons flora and fauna.  I began to get more and more  excited about getting home to Chico.  As we passed thru  Portola, and Quincy and further on down past Belden Town,  the Stone House and Yankee Hill, I was very in tuned to my surroundings.  Spring in the Feather River Canyon is such an awe inspiring sight to see.  The Feather River, I love that river, was meandering, as it has from time immorial  through the canyon floor  carrying  life giving water to all in its path. Of course when we crossed over Lake Oroville I was at a loss as to just where all that meandering water was, because it was obvious where it wasn’t.  Oroville lake looked like it was an extension of the Feather River, except it was full of moored houseboats strung out along the way.  I’m hoping that all those wonderful waterfalls pick up speed and fill up Oroville Lake.  The trip to Chico from Carson City took us 4 hours.  We were coming home with our family of 3 cats, Sophie, Ziggy, and Scooby Doo and our new puppy, Teddy, after 6 mos. We have had a wonderful last 6 mos, some good and some not so good.  We have had the good Lord riding sidesaddle with us and the angels were our constant companions.  And we had Angie and Tommy for the best support possible.    As we drove in I realized how happy I was to be coming home, Chico is my hometown and we live on the property I grew up on and yes, I was excited.

 We drove down our private road and it was plain we had missed almond blossom time, but the trees are filled with baby almonds.  When we turned into our driveway I could see my georgous yellow Lady Banks rose in bloom.  It’s a climber and has really spread out.  It’s climbed into my bamboo and is splendid.  My yard is what you would call rustic landscaping, I don’t do a lot of pruning except around the house.  My birds are very appreciative of that.  In fact my little piece of Paradise is” for the birds.”  I have about 10 bird feeders, and everything planted here on our 6+ acres has been planted by Jerry and I, and all of it benefits the birds.  We design, Jerry digs, and I plant, and together we take care of it. We have lots of fruit trees and citrus, even a pink lemonade tree.  Yes, when you cut the lemons open they are pink. While Jerry was parking the trailer and hooking it up in the yard, Teddy and I took a walk around the house and property.  I was wondering if  Teddy had any idea about the big responsibility he would soon be taking on.  This would soon all be his to protect, I think he will be up to it.  The first thing that happened is he spotted my garden gargoyle and came unglued.  It took me some time to get him to actually approach and see that it was only concrete,  he looked so foolish when he figured it out.  But then Teddy is still not 5 mos old until the 30th of this month. All of the fruit trees have blossomed and have tiny fruit on them. The wonderful wisteria and Lilacs are in full bloom, so sweet smelling and delightful. My purple in really popping and the white Lilac, that Kathy gave me , it starting to bloom out too. My lavender made it thru the winter and the Japanese Maples are mostly leafed out.  I feel one cannot have to much lavender or to many Japanese Maples.

My yard looks marvelous, despite the need for some serious attention. The pink and white crab apples are in bloom , the Red Maple is leafing out.  All the cherries are in bloom.  Jerry’s avocado tree looks like it finally bit the dust, too much frost in Dec.   Liz had her gardener out to mow the lawn and weed eat and spray around the house.  It all looks great.  I see the trellis needs fixed and the pump house needs painted, looks like lots of pruneing needs attended to.  I think we will need some help this year.    I look around and I am so glad to be home  again, and to my peaceful garden.  Got to get it all in order because we have to all be ready to travel again in the fall. There’s still a lot of my America to see and we will be there to see it.

  Remember, “Never Give Up.”   More later,   Hugs S and J.