This is an old house. She's 92 to be exact. What's that saying about not teaching an old dog new tricks? I agree. An old house is not going to budge when it come to certain things, especially at 92. I can't change the footprint because of set backs and the usual rules governing a historic house. And I can't mess around much with windows or doors and why would I? They are all really beautiful, with old arches and screens and large french patio doors So that leaves us with the interior walls, which I had initially thought could be moved and reworked to enlarge the spaces visually. Then a few weeks ago, I had a visit from a person who used to live in this house. She was in her 70's and her daughter had recently passed away. She wanted to see if she could find this house again because she and her daughter had enjoyed it here so much. Her parents had moved to Santa Barbara from the Midwest and had rented this house from the original owner who was then ver...
Nothing is better than that first sunny warm weekend in early spring. You slip on the grubby garden shoes like a broken in pair of bedroom slippers and grab the pruners and your old friend the garden hoe. My favorite small perennial shovel is so worn the wood handle feels soft and smooth from hours of digging. And while I don't have nearly the amount of chores as I have had in the past, every thing is pretty much the same....like riding a bike...just on a smaller scale. I usually hit the vegetable garden first. These are Sweet 1000's from last year and I have a few cherries already planted. If you think you can't grow a vegetable to save your life, just try a cherry tomato plant. They will grown in spite of your brown thumb....trust me on this one. If you're just starting a vegetable garden try to give yourself at least 18 inches of well composted soil. Depending on what you want to grow, most plants take about 3 months to get to the ...