Yard Work

There hasn't been much going on in my studio for the past little while, because I've been up to my eyeballs in yard work.

The temperatures here in the Phoenix desert were nasty hot this past summer, so all that lovely yard work got put off...and put off...and put off. But the heat has broken, and the weather is absolutely wonderful out there once again. So I have spent several weeks outside each day, trimming and weeding and sweeping and generally cleaning up. Along the way I weeded out my courtyard and planted my fall garden. It looks like this now.

That window there leads to my studio. I've refilled the hummingbird feeder that hangs right outside, and the birds are back again. I love looking up from my work to watch the flying jewels when I hear the buzz of their wings. The pond there in the middle has a little waterfall that leads down into it, so I also get the trickle of falling water as music for my work when I have my window open enjoying the breeze.

In the side yard, I removed a sapling, trimmed back my rosemary bushes (and made rosemary bread from the trimmings), and gathered up most of the river rock that was strewn about the yard. Combined with some stepping stones, I think I made a lovely winding pathway from the driveway through the side yard to the street.

And yes, that is my Studio Cat there inspecting the new pathway. She makes it her duty to keep an eye on whatever project it is that I'm up to. Like, fixing the pump for the pond, which I also did as part of this yard work binge.

In the back yard, things have gotten generally mowed and picked up. And, I spent several days taking out the patch of dead bamboo. Remember that I said that the temperatures here were nasty hot this summer? It finally did away with my bamboo patch. Not one sprout came up this season, and the remaining stalks dried up and turned brown. So, out it came. Now I have all of this lovely dried bamboo stacked against my house, waiting for inspiration. I turned last year's harvest into a grape arbor. Hmmm...what should I do with this batch?

I'm sure something will come to me. In the meantime, the yard is looking much better, and I got compliments from several trick-or-treaters yesterday as the Halloween crowd came around.

Now...I should probably get back to the studio!