Preparing for the change of seasons

The past couple of weeks have gone by very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I am amazed that we are nearing the end of September, and transitioning into fall. Around these parts, I've noticed a change in the air, and the sunlight seems different somehow. The nights arrive a bit earlier and crisper than the warm summer evenings that beg for windows and doors to be opened late into the night. Now we've taken to double checking that a sweater or sweatshirt is in hand when leaving for an evening out. I am eager for the leaves to change color and begin to drop, though I know that with the temperate climate of the Bay Area, that change is still weeks away.

Mike and I have been taking advantage of the last of the long summer days. Each day the sun sets a bit earlier and the hours for getting work done in the garden are fewer. Mike continues to work with the hot tub, which required extensive structural and electrical repair. The majority of the work is now done, with new siding, new support beams, and new electrical that meets safety code.

The siding is brand new, and the steps just received a fresh coat of paint today!

We've enjoyed soaking for the past two nights in a row. The water is not too hot, at 96 degrees. It is just enough warmth to loosen the muscles. The heat, combined with the jets is the perfect end to a work-filled day outside.

While Mike worked to finish the hot tub, I continued with my work to clean up some of the existing garden in the backyard. Previous owners had an affinity for gardening, primarily channeled into the propagation of roses and geranium. Geranii (would that be the plural?) - ha.
There are roses and geraniums everywhere. In pink. Really. Here is an example of a geranium that I haven't touched yet:


The geranium is the large plant on the trellis, on the left. The geraniums add a nice touch of color throughout the entire yard, and they don't require a lot of care - if they have been receiving some regular attention. The geraniums in our yard have not had a lot of attention in a while, so there are a lot of dead flowers, spider webs, and overgrowth. There was another geranium, identical to the one featured in this picture, that lived just to the left of this one, behind the cherry tree. As I tackled the monstrosity, I discovered that not only was there a monster geranium growing on the trellis, but also morning glory (the horror! invasive little beast!), and some sort of vining rose. I think there may have been a fourth plant that perished years ago, because I found a stump back there too - maybe a bougainvillea? This is the craziness of our backyard. Four plants in one spot. Not to mention that as I tore out the morning glory, I found a potted ornamental pomegranate plant that had been hidden by the overgrowth. It was in a small plastic nursery pot, and when I tried to pick it up I discovered that the plant that actually grown into the ground! It took Mike and a shovel to get the thing out of there. I also did a lot of cleanup of other plant debris in one corner of the yard. Here are a couple of shots of the cherry tree, after I removed the trellis, and the tidied up plants in one corner of the garden.




Unfortunately, the cherry tree is sick with something right now, so it looks pretty pathetic in the picture. I think it may have some sort of canker bacteria, from some of the sleuthing that I have done.

There is still a lot of work to be done in the garden, and once all the cleanup is done we will start planning for next spring. I love knowing that as homeowners, we have all the time in the world to work on this project. I love knowing that our garden will evolve as our own roots dig deep into the earth and we settle into this cozy home.

As I wind down my evening, I realize that I am really starting to feel "normal" again after all the craziness of the past couple years. December 30, 2006 was the night that turned our lives upside down. We had no idea that the house fire would mark the beginning of six moves in the course of 18 months. Six moves, a wedding, a miscarriage, two changes in jobs for me, and the purchase of our first home. I stopped asking why a long time ago, and now just focus on finding peace and trusting that everything unfolds for a reason. Sometimes I wonder if we would still be renting at the 9th street house if the fire hadn't happened. I wonder if the fire was, in a sense, a cleansing and a purification that needed to happen for us to move on. I will never know, and really it could be just a string of unfortunate events. Whatever it is, I am grateful that this path had lead us here, to our home and to a small piece of stability.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
~Author Unknown