About Me

Hello!

I know I always like reading a little bit about the blogger behind the blog, so I figured I should put some information out there too. Also, I'm frequently accused of doing nothing but work, so this should answer that question too. (Of course, none of those people will read this, but whatever...) So with that, here are the things I usually spend my time on:

1) Work. Ok, fine, I work a lot. And I actually enjoy it! But it won't show up on this blog at all, other than that I'm trained as an engineer, so I like things like lists and plans and to-scale-drawings of my house and gardens. On graph paper...

2) Running. I usually run 4 to 5 times a week, and I'm training for a half marathon. Running through my neighborhood gives me an excellent excuse to look at other people's front yards, and interesting plants and ideas. I'm going to start taking my camera with me to take "breaks" during long runs, I mean pictures...

Daffodils, Tulips and Ice Plant in the Spring. It will be
interesting to see if the daffodils comes back next year

3) Gardening. Obviously! I bought my home about 3 years ago, and the second thing the neighbors mentioned was "when are you fixing the front yard?" (The first was "welcome to the neighborhood". I have friendly neighbors!). Now I've just finished part 1 of the back garden's overhaul and plantings also, so both of those will be showing up on the blog. And even before I had my house I had plants (indoor and out), so a lot of my indoor container plants will be showing up too. I tend to "rescue" both indoor and outdoor plants also, so both collections are constantly expanding.

4) Sewing. This is what I do when its too cold/hot/dark/wet to go outside for long. It probably won't show up on the blog too much, unless I do that patio project I've been thinking of....

5) Reading. Besides the Sunset Western Garden Book (my gardening bible in many ways), I also like to read as much as possible. I don't have a tv, so books are the way I relax and unwind.

6) Cooking. Preferably with things from the garden, although I suck at growing edible things. But with the back garden now functional, I'm hopeful for more success in the future.

7) Travel. Between work and leisure, I love going to different places and seeing interesting things (like the inside of an office building, and plants that I've never seen) I'm often inspired to try new things at home once I'm back from a trip, and a trip to Hawaii finally got me to buy a camera!

Aloes in Bloom, in early March at the Huntington Gardens

I realize this all makes me sound horribly "domestic" and it is true that I'm more of a homebody than anything else. But I also like going out and seeing everything my area has to offer. From here, I can drive to the snow in the mountains and the beach in the same day, and I have access to everything in the greater So. Cal area to learn about and explore.

So see, I do more than just work!