Saturday was a home projects day. I fixed a sprinkler head in my meadow that had suspiciously broken for a second time. The head is nearest my new neighbors' house and the kids might have driven a bike up on it or stepped on it while running through my yard. I've deployed a rose bush (Rosa Californica) in a pot to deter wholesale use of my native plant garden and meadow as a kid highway, but this sprinkler head is at the edge and still vulnerable. Then again there could be some weird water hammer effect that consistently breaks the same sprinkler again and again.
The rose was an impulse purchase from Theodore Payne some time ago. I re-potted it into a larger home, but didn't quite know what to do with it. Yesterday I decided that I'd try to put it in the ground where it currently sits, but found there were too many roots from the adjacent Italian Cypress which run down the property line. I have about 4 to 6" of soil before I hit massive roots. So it's still in its pot. A consequence of being a pot-bound oprhan at my house is that it has never looked as good as the one featured on The Payne Foundation website or Las Pilitas.
Theodore Payne says, "Many birds love rose hips and the intense thorns offer good protection from predators." They neglect the possibility of protection from kids. It takes a wide range of soil moisture and type, so I ought to be able to find a place for it where it can grow into its role.
While out in the meadow, I used the opportunity to weed the crab grass, spurge, and St Augustine that had shown through in a few patches. This year I haven't been as attentive to the meadow or to my remaining lawn as I should be and I'm concerned that next year will see a large crop of weeds.
Later in the day, Juli came over and she helped with the French Door. I'll feel really lame if I install a new one and haven't finished the old. We installed a threshold (still needs a little work - mostly larger screws to secure it and a bit of creative effort with wood putty, stain, and varnish) and an outdoor light (installed, but no electricity yet supplied). The cracks between frame and jamb have been foamed. This isn't the world's longest list of accomplishments, but it's encouraging since I had thought that I'd never get a start on it all. It all seems do-able now. The To Do list has been updated accordingly.
Sunday we had Phase II of my son's birthday - the fun center visit. The family party was last weekend. There are a lot of conflicting drives around this ten year old's birthday and I've managed to address them adequately without completely breaking the bank or my frustration yield threshold. I've had a lot of help, too. I won't go in to the whole long story, but suffice it to say that I've had planning in place for months but that it has changed regularly. I don't often blog about this stuff, so there's no reason to start with the details now. Suffice it to say that as this is written, (before the fun center departure) that I'm happy and relieved.
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