I love willow trees. This Golden Willow was just three feet tall a few years ago. I noticed that the willow tree and I share some things in common. Their young branches shoot straight up as if the sky’s the limit for all their possibilities. I was like that as a younger man. Confident in [...]

The new deck that covers up the aggregate concrete patio is nearly completed. The contractor and his crew did a great job especially with all the angles. It was nearly 100 degrees today and the decking stayed relatively cool. View into the bedroom View into the Family Room Looking into French doors to replace the [...]

A couple of years ago, I built a little thing to hold a wooden swing and planted Virginia Creeper and Wisteria along the sides. The swing was great, but someone said a “swing bed” would be even greater. So, we added a couple more 4 by 6 boards on the top and hung a new [...]

A few photos of some of the backyard today. It is constantly changing. I mentioned to Bridget today that I’ve never felt lonely when gardening. I feel so connected around plants, flowers and trees. The very last photo is one of the prep being done to pour a slab of concrete to expand the shop [...]

Driving around seeing what we might see. Went to a favorite area of ours, the Central Coast area of California. Many, many wineries down here with some huge estates. Never let anyone tell you there “ain’t money in wine.” Here is some of what we found today. We found wildflowers! One of my favorite photo [...]

One of the best things about getting old is that you simply don’t care about social boundaries and expectations anymore. I’ve noticed over the past few years that I have had many more spontaneous conversations with strangers- mostly senior citizens strangers - than when I was younger. You know how children can start talking and [...]

Our grandson and his fiancée have decided to hold their wedding ceremony at our place. It will be in late September - when the heat lets up a bit. So….time to get busy. We have planted different grasses in containers. I will try to plant a lot of sunflowers in the middle of June too. [...]

From the yard

This evening, as I soaked in the hot tub outside, a thought crossed my mind, "This hot water feels so good. Why?" I then thought about people who like to get into a warm bath, turn down the lights and perhaps light a small candle, and they let the moment sooth their body and their [...]