Christmas Rock with Sugar

Sharon wanted a large rock for Christmas. Most folks would assume we’re talking about a diamond ring or some such token of affection. Sharon had something a little heavier and more artistic in mind.

It was a three thousand pound (ton and a half) ‘Apache Sunset’ boulder from a local quarry. It was Sharon’s idea of a Christmas present to ourselves.

Sharon thought we needed it to liven up our front yard. Because of the pandemic, we had pretty much limited our travels and never ventured downtown or in large gatherings. She figured if we were sequestered at home a good part of the time, why not liven up our surroundings.

A week before our new asteroid arrived, Sharon repainted our mailbox a lovely tone of paprika.

Our oranges had been harvested and the lemons continued to supply friends and neighbors with a steady abundance of yellow gold. As the season progressed, we had a sanctuary for birds and bunnies and the occasional roadrunner.

We made a point of having art pieces scattered about the property along with several wind chimes.

The newest addition to our desert menagerie was a baby hummingbird the kids named Sugar. Sugar’s parents, Buzz and Flitter, have imprinted around our seven (count them 7) hummingbird feeders.

A family of Jackrabbits has also decided to call our abode their home. They’ve found it a safe harbor from the coyotes and ravens on the golf course and the dogs living on either side of us.

They, along with the hummingbirds and songbirds and occasional roadrunner, make eating outdoors an entertaining experience all year long.

Garden Party

“I went to a garden party to be with my old friends…”
-Garden Party by Rick Nelson

Funny how cactus and sage can bring so many folks together.

With all the hyper-ventilating over the California drought it’s not surprising that a lot of folks are turning to desert scape. It’s an attractive alternative to the costly exercise of watering their lawns everyday especially during the scorching heat of summer.

For years now, our own Desert Horticultural Society has been preaching that message and it’s finally catching a lot of attention. After we switched from a blanket of green to sand and rocks our home was on one of the society’s annual tours. Since then we’ve had a chance to look at other homes during their annual garden tour each spring. It’s always quite revealing.

Membership in the Desert Society has exploded as more and more people come to appreciate the beauty that is part of converting their old lawns to desert scape. They’ve come to realize that a switch from green to brown and beige is more than just water conservation, it’s a different mind-set entirely.

The last several years has seen a plethora of creative, inspiring and magical changes in yards around town. The old standard blanket of green has been replaced in many instances by an abundance of drought-tolerant plants and scrubs and vegetation. And the transformation hasn’t been restricted to any one part of town.

From the boulder-strewn neighborhood of Little Tuscany up north to the classic old Hollywood enclaves of Las Palmas and Movie Colony, the changes just continue marching along. If you allow yourself the time and patience to observe the different kinds of desert scape the details can be amazing.

The photos below from the last two garden tours are prime examples of what I mean.

It’s a pretty neat Garden of Eden Desert style.