Sweet Potato Vine

I noticed this in someone's garden the other day.  I NEED this in my garden.  Maybe on the side of my home near the brick path since it spreads and there is a wide area I would like to cover.  It's called Sweet Potato Vine.  There are a variety of them listed in the link, I like the one in the picture above. I'll seek out places to get them...I'm sure Lowe's is ok, because Proven Winners brand carries them. The color green would bring out the color of so many other plants.  

Pepper Tree

This tree started growing in about 2012, there's a blog post on it somewhere in this blog!  I liked it....but it's destroying the already messed up fence and the irrigation around it.  Also, I haven't been able to grow any veggies in that area for a few years.  My gardener is going to chop it down so that he can properly work on my irrigation drip system.  I'm ok with that.  Maybe, I'll be able to grow veggies there again.  

Here's a good, simple article I found about installing drip systems.  It's currently a work in progress this week.  I'm excited!!!  

Mushroom Compost

I got a dump truck load of compost at the beginning of summer.......I'll write more tomorrow when I'm not falling asleep.  But, long story short, I finally found my first mushroom growing in my garden.

Update:  I'm not falling asleep, yet.  The compost came from Mountain Meadow Mushrooms.  The compost is free and the dump truck driver charges about $100 to collect it and deliver it to you.  It took me about two weeks of almost daily hauling throughout my yard to get it all spread.  It was soooo hot out too!  I would get distracted while working on other things while working in my garden, but it was so worth it.  It's been so nice being able to work in my yard.  After two intense years of my MLIS studies and then a year of wrist surgeries and recovery--this year has been great for me to get out there.

The compost has definitely brought more birds to my yard and lately I've had a ton visiting a bird feeder that I put out about a month ago.  I'm going through wild bird seed like crazy!

I found a lot of strange things in the compost, but

I feel lucky to have found this horseshoe!  

Here's my first mushroom...I have a feeling there will

be more once we progress into Autumn and when my drip

system is in place.  

Drip System

Someone inspired me to put a drip system in my yard.  I'm starting next week with the garden beds that I've never been able to get water to consistently because of my busy schedule, the veggie crop area, and the front along the white picket fence.  I'm hoping everything goes without too much of a problem.  My sprinkler/water system is kind of a mess.  I'll be researching what I need and my gardener is going to start on Monday most likely.  I'm really excited to do this and hope it makes a difference in how the views below look in the future.  

That's Abe, our new kitten prowling around.

I can't wait to see if my veggies flourish with a drip system!  

My gardener is also going to reinforce a couple of those fence areas.

Thank goodness.  

Neighborhood

 Our neighborhood is pretty mixed--income levels, level of care for homes, race, etc.  One neat thing is there is a nicely maintained assisted living facility that takes up a few blocks.  There are also a few detached homes where older people can live that don't need as much help.  I met a man named Bob and his dog this weekend while walking home from Sprouts after my run.  Long story short, he said he'd be happy to make a Little Free Library for my Girls on the Run team's community impact project.  Oliver and I went to his home later to talk to him.  I learned very quickly he has a touch of Alzheimers and he doesn't remember everything he says.  He loves to talk and we stayed with him for about an hour.  We plan on going back and he'd like Oliver to help him on Saturdays with building the library.

One really neat thing we found at his yard was his tree.  He hates his tree and picks up seed pods a lot.  He keeps count on how many pods he picks up.  He gave me some and I'm going to figure out what kind of tree it is.....I sort of like it!

His sweet, super clean dog.

Lfl he has built, dedicated to his wife

who died of brain cancer a few years ago.

627 seed pods.  I took about 15.

The tree in question.

He dislikes the sprouts too.

Bob brought a ray of sunshine to our weekend and we hope we brought some to him too.  

Lemon Balm

I bought some Lemon Balm, last Tuesday, from the man who has the old blue van at the Escondido Farmer's Market.    It smelled so delicious, I couldn't resist.  I brought it home and left it outside my bathroom door, where it gets full sun and then shade in the afternoon.  It got fried!  It's living in my bathroom for now and I'll keep an eye on it.  Hopefully I can nurse it back to health.  I'd love to use the leaves in a tea.  Here is a good link for caring for Lemon Balm.

Plans

I went back to the Buena Creek Nursery.  I think they got a new sign.  I don't remember there being goat milk for sale!  I went with the intention of ordering a jacaranda tree.  I tried in the summer but the lady owner never followed through.  So I went back!  She is going to send me pictures this week of the ones available to me.  I'm pretty excited.  I think this will be the first tree/plant in my yard that will help my garden seem more like a english cottage garden.  Baby steps....

I love this room. I want to make something

like this in my yard.  

I've been brainstorming today....where I could so something

like this in my garden.  Maybe I could call it fern gully or fern

something.

Oliver sat in this neat garden cottage while I was busy...

I brought home a duranta plant which is 

something I've been wanting to get all summer.

It was just so so hot, I was scared to bring anything

home!  I think it's semi safe now.  

I'll keep my eye on it.