Thirsty Trees

Last October I planted trees.  6 of them.  Okay, I didn’t plant them.  A day laborer I hired from the Catholic Charities work site on San Fernando Road planted them (which by the way is a great place to hire day laborers legally if you’re in LA).  Juan was about 4 inches shorter than me and weighed at least 50 pounds less.  He also looked about 20 years older than me, but was actually 2 years younger.  I doubted his ability to dig giant holes in the rock hard soil, hoist the trees out of their pots, and get them staked properly.  But Juan did not disappoint.  He dug the holes with the precision  of a master hole digger.  I looked around for the hydraulic cylindrical bladed hole digger and found none.  When it came time to stake the trees he scoffed at the ladder I offered to hold for him.  Instead he raised the heavy rubber mallet high above his head and used a method only familiar to the Very Short.  It involved a lot of grunting and contorted facial expressions.  I looked away during this part.  I think he would be very pleased to know that 8 months later I haven’t destroyed the fruits of his labor.

Sunday is tree-watering day.  In a city with no rain coming for the next 8 months baby trees need extra water.  So every few hours I march down the hill and move the hose then march back up and sit at the art table and make art.  In between the art and watering I stop to read The Illustrated Timeline of The Universe:  A crash course in words and pictures.  I can’t wait to tell Jose tomorrow that there is no end to space.  It’s expanding!   So is my brain.

Pages above and below from my current visual journal.  I just added a photo album to the left there with 15 pages from my current journal.  I’ll be adding more in the coming days.

Here’s what’s happening in the garden.  The Path bloomed again.  Notice I only have close-up shots.  If you saw the garden in its entirety you would clap your hands over your eyes and scream in horror.  I enjoy these little bits of bright beauty in the middle of chaos.

Mailart fragments.  More will be revealed after the Pony Express has safely transported this to its final destination.

A few more Barn Dancers.  Notice the shoes in the lass on the left.  She takes barn dancing very seriously.

Look at the enthusiasm displayed in this barn dancing couple.

This is the time of year when 4th graders in California learn about the history of the 21 missions spread throughout the state.  Students make replicas of the mission of their choice.  I especially liked the ones with barnyard animals.  I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the models, yet find them all oddly pleasing to look at.

In keeping with my blogs-from-lovely-places theme, HERE is Autumn Cottage Diarist. Who doesn’t want to know more about the life of an English country woman? Huh? Who? Her gardens are works of art and her cats always delight me. If she saw my scrappy, dry-as-a-bone, front yard garden thing she’d faint dead away and need some smelling salts and a good strong cup of tea to revive her.

FINALLY…..I’m sure you’ve been HERE .  I love spending time at Ullabenulla for pure visual inspiration.  Her PAPERCUTS  are exquisite.  Her recommended links within her posts are some of the best in the blogosphere.  Don’t say you weren’t forewarned.

Happy, happy Sunday!