Where your eyes rest

One of the most immensely satisfying things about homesteading is the constant cycle of creation it offers. But the same can also be said of home remodeling, backyard landscaping, and other things which make where you live a better place. Except of course, that those projects generally require a significant outlay of cash, so they're done sparingly unless you're a lottery winner.

The thing that always amazes me is when I've completed some project -- from making bars of soap or a homemade pie all the way up to completing the back yard landscape or remodeling our kitchen is how much I look at what I've accomplished. Or rather, I realize how much I averted my gaze to something else back when it was un-lovely or not made by me.

I never realized, for instance, that before I remodeled my kitchen I not only avoided going in there as much as possible (if I had free time I would never find myself loitering in the kitchen, odd because I love to cook). Once it was completed, with colors more soothing to the eye and decor in harmony with the rest of the house, I found myself looking at it all the time...standing around in it...just letting my gaze fall on it when I was thinking about something else. It was a pleasing sight.

Before: #kitchensowhite

After: A lot easier on the eyes.

It's no different for small stuff. A beautiful crop of carrots will entice me outdoors to look at their green loveliness; I'll actually give myself time to sit among the raised beds and enjoy what's going on. Now that the backyard landscape is done I stare out the window a lot more than I used to. In summer, when the endless lawn that had been planted back there turned dry and ugly, I looked beyond the yard out to the mountains in the distance, subconsciously avoiding looking at the struggling grass. Now my focus is on the colors of the flagstone patio, or our large brick bed, or the salvia which is just starting to bloom. I still love our view, but now our close-up view is almost as good as our far-range one.

I guess it's human nature to rest our gaze on what is lovely and attractive, whether it's perfect bars of soap all in a row or something of architectural beauty. I believe we are hired wired for beauty -- to create it, gaze upon it, soak it in -- because even when we are not conscious of doing so, that is what we do. 

No matter where you live or whether you believe yourself to be a "creative" type of person, a part of you recognizes the lovely and the pleasing and responds to it. And with that being said, surely it makes sense that we would invest either money or sweat equity in making our surroundings, and all we see in our homes and yards as "gaze worthy" as possible. Just keeping America beautiful, right? So where do your eyes come to rest around your home and property when you're not paying attention?

Another brick in the wall

Today we are working on the raised bed which will house my irises, milkweed and assorted annuals. This is going to be a focal point of color in the back yard, and we've therefore decided to build a raised bed for it all, using blocks. In the pic above (to the right), you can see the poor irises and some agapanthus struggling in the crappy soil that is our hilltop.

Big Ag is doing the first level, which involves the kind of precise leveling I do not have the willpower for ("it looks close enough" is pretty much the grand theme of my life), but after the first level of blocks is finished, I will be able to do the rest myself. 

I'm excited to get the irises out of the place I stuck them when I moved. It has very poor soil and is under constant threat from gophers as well, so getting them into a secure garden bed (there will be chicken wire under the planter) will bring a good feeling, and of course with spring coming planting some annual color will be fun.

Garden Art, for art's sake.

We've also invested in some pottery and I snagged two metal agave plants at the last auction, planning on using them in the yard. These are the kinds of finishing touches that are always the most fun to do, and I'm really looking forward to adding some interest to the landscape by the pottery elements and annual color.

I'm thinking of putting this big ball in the center of the raised bed. What do you think?

The voice in my head (our marker for the septic tank) said it wanted its own ball. Who am I to argue.

Almost done now

We moved a full 10 yards of bark this weekend, in order to finish up on our backyard project. Moving bark is not difficult as its not particularly heavy, but there can be a little stress and strain from doing repetitive activities like shoveling and wheelbarrowing anything for three days. Luckily, with ibuprofen, anything is possible.

I'm thrilled with how it all came out! We'll finish up planting in a week or two and then all we have to do is construct a brick container in front of the gazebo to house my bulbs. 

Now we just need some nice weather so we can go outside and enjoy it all, but with our area in such severe drought, I won't ask for the rain to stop just yet.

Even the side yard where our chickens are housed got a spruce up with some extra bark and flagstones!

Patio remodel: Next step completed!

So this weekend we finished the gravel section of the patio remodel. The idea was to make a tertiary, kind of funky fire pit area with an inner and outer core of gravel and flagstone. We'll add some chairs at a later date -- I'm thinking maybe some bright red adirondack chairs around the fire pit, plus a few colorful, large urns here and there? 

The rest of this section of the yard will now be filled in by bark and drought-tolerant plants, which will be the most fun phase of things to create, since I can coordinate colorful plantings that will add some softness and some bright spots to what would otherwise be a very earth-toned landscape. 

So the next stop will be the nursery. I will be buying the smallest plants possible, knowing they will jump in growth over the next few years. So many people want things to look mature right away in terms of their landscape, but I'm content to wait until little plants grow. 

And then this project will be finished! We really can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm sure something new will pop up which we need to attend to sooner or later. But the major remodeling/landscaping phase of owning this home will be finished and we can finally put our feet up and enjoy it.

Drought solutions

Future flagstone patio!

As I am writing this, there is the whine of a tractor in the back yard as the landscape guys scrape off several hundred square feet of dead lawn in preparation for a flagstone patio and fire pit that will go in its place. All over the western US, people are starting to do the same thing as we are -- come up with backyard alternatives to the water-sucking lawns we no longer have enough water for.

There are lots of alternatives to grass, depending on one's budget. The flagstone patio, gravel fire pit and wood bark with a few drought-tolerant plants scattered around is pretty medium-cost. Decking is about three times as much. Artificial grass is yet another popular alternative. Leaving dead grass or dirt to just sit there costs nothing, of course, except for aesthetics and resale value. 

Future fire pit (mmmm, s'mores!)

But whatever your constraints, there is something everyone can do to lessen the drought, and killing the lawn is by far the easiest.

What we can't do is keep on watering as we have been over the last 50 years. In the last month or so I've been both to Los Angeles and Fresno, both of which are still extremely green in comparison to the county I live in. On the one hand, that's a positive because it means people here in my home county really do understand that life has to change, and are willing to do what it takes to change it. I'm proud of myself, and my friends and neighbors for that. 

On the other hand, it also means that cities with hundreds of thousands (millions for LA) of people are still not getting the message, and living life as usual. Ugh.

On another homesteading blog I read frequently, a Los Angeles couple stressed the importance of keeping trees watered in the area because trees provide shade and are beautiful. But if the trees are not native to the area, watering them is just kicking the rock down the road a little more. We need to deal with the ridiculous things we've planted in the name of them being beautiful and realize there are a lot of beautiful things we don't have here: Fireflies. Ponds. Snow. And you know what? We are OK without them. They don't belong here, but there are many, many other beautiful things that do belong here, in our dry Mediterranean climate. We're not starved for beauty by any means.

And so, here in SLO County, the waiting list for landscapers to come and do lawn removal and backyard renovation is long, as people get in on the act and start to live a different life than what their parents did. 

As for us, I'm exciting about having a new entertaining space, and although I will miss the cool green grass outside the back windows, let's face it -- it really never belonged here in the first place.

Garden Tour

This last weekend Big Ag and I took to the streets for the local gardens tour held in our city. We were out shopping for ideas on our backyard remodel (after lawn removal) and at the last house we went to, boy did we hit pay dirt!  A beautiful, drought-tolerant yard filled with interesting plants and hardscape with lots of smaller areas to sit and enjoy nature.

I think that's the solution to having a large yard -- break it into smaller spaces that invite relaxation and an intimacy with the plants and animals who you share space with. You don't need a huge lawn to enjoy your yard unless you have several children under the age of 10, and then I'd say it's probably a necessity for your sanity.

But once the kids are grown and gone, or if you don't intend to have any, there is no reason why your garden space should not be a multipurpose living space where the business of growing food and the hobby of gardening can intersect with relaxation and entertainment beautifully.

Finishing

So it's officially been two years since we moved into our home here, and during that time we've done a lot of renovation and remodeling.  We put in wood flooring, renovated the kitchen, and painted about half rooms in the house.  Gone are the cat-pee stained carpets (belonging to the last owner), the over-painted kitchen cabinets, and ugly grey walls.

But there have been a few projects we put off, mainly because they were not important to the functioning of our homestead (not that paint is, but it's a chore best tackled before you have all your furniture moved in) or they also represented more money out-of-pocket spent at a time when we were doing other things. 

Some were luxuries, like artwork on the walls, and some were functional, like expensive but effective Vulcan Vents to replace the soffit vents we currently have in our eaves, which are no longer considered fire preventative by the State of California.

I'm happy -- and relieved -- to announce we tackled most of those projects in the last week, in one final push before true summer heat sets in.  Now we have more beauty, and more safety. 

Colorful barnyard

Art, for art's sake!

We bought and hung some pieces of artwork and moved some other pieces around.  I even bought several postcards of some paintings I liked at five dollars a pop, snatched up a "4 for $20" set of frames with mattes to house them in, and arranged them to form a single, bight splotch of country color on our entry wall.

And the last thing we bought was a floating shelf, to fill a spot over the television where nothing else seemed to work.  It looks great, and finishes off the living room, which has looked half-done for far too long.

Yesterday Big Ag and I put in the 64 Vulcan Vents that will help keep fire out of our attic in the event of a wildfire.  Vulcan Vents have special screens which makes it almost impossible for embers to get in, as well as a honeycomb material inside that closes off with exposure to high heat.  I hate to think of wildfires devastating this area, but I'd be in denial if I said it couldn't happen.  (Thank you climate change.)

Stay away, wildfires!

It's a huge weight off my mind to have all these projects done, and all of them finished before summer.  With the Vulcan Vents installed, I'll be less afraid of wildfires, should they crop up in our area, and the new artwork will help give us a beautiful space to live in when the garden and pastures become too hot to enjoy.

Cookin'

Sun Oven with impossibly cute dog in background

I normally enjoy cooking, but must say that I have not really enjoyed it since moving here.  I think part of the reason is that my former kitchen was a cook's kitchen, meaning practical, and designed ergonomically for cooking -- and this kitchen is not.  Plus we have some fabulous restaurants here, featuring locally grown and raised food, which is a sore temptation any night of the week. 

Since we're remodeling our kitchen over the summer, it will be interesting to see if I fall back in love with cooking once my utensils and ingredients are in places that make sense, and once I have storage space and organization, once again.  I hope so.

Until then, I will be able to fall back in love with cooking, just a little, by using my favorite summer appliance, my solar oven.  It saves me turning on the range when it's warm outside, and cooks many things better than a conventional oven does, due to the fact that there are no fans to dry out what's being cooked.  Everything from chicken to chocolate cake comes out moist and tasty, done to perfection.

I'm also thinking it will come in mighty handy once the kitchen is ripped apart and the whole place is non-functional -- for however long that takes (I don't even want to think about how we'll function with no sink).  

We can't eat out every night, after all.

Or.....can we?

New Kitchen?

White, white and more white!  Drives me nuts.

I'm convinced that most people are clueless as to what makes a good, functional kitchen.  When we moved in here, for instance, the first problem we had in our kitchen was a propane stove that was terribly unpredictable as to whether it would over- or under-cook any item in question.  It also filled the house with propane fumes anytime we turned the oven on. Apparently the lady who lived here before us never used the stove, and pretty much microwaved everything she ate.  We replaced the unpredictable, stinky propane unit with an electric range.  And it works well enough, and is very predictable. Problem solved.

But the kitchen has other issues.  There is no pantry. As you can see in the picture above, the microwave sits above the range and, if you put a large stock pot on the cooktop there's very little room between it and the microwave.  We have white cabinets and white 4 x 4 inch white tiles which pretty much means I'm either cleaning the kitchen constantly or living with grungy tile and cabinet doors.  The cabinets are deep (good) and have what I can only describe as crawl spaces in the corners (bad), where you can't see or reach any items that happen to migrate back there.

Check out the non-existent pantry!

OK, so yes, I'm bitching.  Everyone has things about their kitchen they don't like.  But when you homestead, your kitchen becomes a place you will spend hours and hours.  So, ergonomically, it has to work.

That's why we're remodeling ours.  

Big Ag got a nice little bonus this year from work, so this week I will be talking to contractors, and finding out prices, timeframes and options to re-do this kitchen, at least the cabinets, floors and countertops.  And you get to come along with me, through the construction mess to hopefully a lovely finished and functional new kitchen.

Right now, my thoughts are leaning towards acid-stained concrete floors (no grout to clean) quartz countertops (tougher than granite, but still a solid surface -- no grout to clean here either!), a real range hood where the microwave now hangs, a built-in cabinet microwave and warming drawer (for proofing bread, among other things) and a PANTRY, even if it's just a big, double floor-to-ceiling cabinet.

I don't care how fancy it is.  I'm just tired to keeping my all my canned goods in the laundry room.

We went to Lowe's last weekend to browse and the saleslady was talking to us.  She was describing how hard she is on a kitchen, and when I asked what she did, she said proudly, "well I have six grandkids!  What can be tougher than that?"  

With all due respect, here's what can be tougher than six kids:  Boiling stock pots, placed on a countertop.  Lye spills from soapmaking. Sticky strawberry juice with pectin overflowing from jam-making. Citric acid and TSP, used for sterilization after winemaking.  The list goes on.

I'm calling the first contractor today, so we will see what can be done to make this kitchen more workable.  Because I believe the gateway to madness is a dynfunctional work space, and I intend to stay sane and reasonable in these years to come.  Well, pretty much, anyway.