The Little House on Creek Road

Ojai, Oh My  -  5/21/12

               

Have you ever had the feeling that someone up there was trying to tell you something?  Like, it’s time to slow down, take a deep breath, smell the roses and stop painting and scraping?  Well, evidently I wasn’t listening ‘cause last week I tripped over a metal pipe and dislocated my shoulder.  Fortunately it hurt so much that I reflexively (is that a word?) screamed and popped it back in.  At least that’s what the bone doctor surmised when I told him my story and he looked at the x-rays. 

But back to my story.  There I lay on the ground, on my back (I had managed to flip myself over), stomping my foot because I was so ‘efn’ angry.  Fred saw me from a distance and thought someone had told me such a funny joke that I was laying on the ground, holding my stomach, stomping my foot in hilarity, unable to speak.  Once it finally dawned on him that that wasn’t likely, he came running over to help me.  This I was thankful for because I could not get up without his help or the rental of a mechanical lift. 

Scene of my fall, just a few yards away.

So, that’s my story.  But, let’s make lemonade.  The good part is that it is my left shoulder and I am not left-handed.  That leaves me with one good right hand and arm for painting and scraping.  There, you see, there is a bright side to this story.

But enough of my story (you can tell I really want to talk more about poor me, but that will have to wait until the end of today’s blog – see below).  I promised I would share with you photos of the plants and flowers that adorn our little acre, so here they are.  I have put captions on them if I happen to know what they are:

The beautiful Locust trees.

Locust bloom.

I have had much fun planting flowers and adding "ranch" accents to the yard.



Can't go wrong with Gazanias



Tiger Lilies

 

Something yellow by the metal barn.

Somehow as I was wandering around taking photos of plants and flowers, I found myself next door at what we have always called The Big House, the home where my parents lived for so many years.  My sisters Patrice and Ramona have done a beautiful job of carrying on mom’s tradition of seasonal flowers and shrubs.  Here are just a few:



Mona's perennial garden.



The Iris garden.



Patrice's shade house & koi pond.

 As you may have noticed, there are far more beautiful flowers next door than on our little plot.  The nice thing is that I get to go visit those flowers whenever I get the urge.  It’s a good trade off.  Mona comes over and watches the birds at my bird feeders and I wander through their gardens.

For those of you who would like to know the outcome of my spill, it is this.  An MRI is in the works and in the meantime I am wearing a sling to keep my arm stable.  No more popping out of the socket, thank you very much.  Physical therapy is scheduled to begin June 5^th, which seems a tad far off but I’m sure Kaiser Permanente has more important things on their mind than my sprained shoulder.  I’m not in a great deal of pain except at night when I want to sleep and my shoulder wants to throb.  But they gave me some nice little pills for that.

So I have slowed down.  I am taking time to smell roses and write my blog.  I am trying to practice less zip and more zen.  Yes, I got the message - but couldn't there have been a better way to deliver it?

The Little House on Creek Road

Our Birds - 5/2/12

Fred thinks I may be overdoing it with the feeders.  What do you think? 



You know you're a redneck if you have more than 3 feeders in your front yard.

We spend our early mornings watching the birds arrive.   Sitting at the window of the RV sipping our coffee, we watch the Finches cling to the Nyger sock.  They are the early birds and the Nyger seeds are definitely their favored seed.   

Then come the Grosbeaks, mom and dad.  Lately the babies have been joining them.  



Dad, the two kids, and mom Grosbeaks

 
Junior House Finch squawks to be fed and dad does his best to ignore him, hoping he will take some initiative and learn to take care of himself. But dad eventually gives in.



"Oh, ok, but only this time."

Soon the Orioles show up at the nectar feeder.  It took them a while to figure out this feeder because it has bee guards on it and it is not Oriole-intuitive.  But once they get the knack, they suck it up.  You always know when there’s a new Oriole at the feeder because he pecks and pecks and just doesn’t get it.  Eventually the learning curve kicks in and he finds the spot.

Patiently waiting for his turn.

We have one little lady Oriole who has an injured leg.  It was difficult for her to perch on the feeder, but she was persistent and eventually balanced on her one good leg to get her fill of nectar.

Our little lady Oriole.

Soon after the Grosbeaks and Orioles arrive the Scrub Jays swoop in.  Pretty much every bird in the yard disappears when this big guy shows up.  They love the sunflower seeds.

               


Scrub Jays

 The only ones who can intimidate the Scrub Jays are the Woodpeckers.  Their favorite meal of choice is the suet feeder, particularly the orange-flavored block. 

               



Junco



Two of my favorite little guys are the Juncos and the Fly Catchers.  This particular little Fly Catcher just started joining the feeding frenzy in the mornings.  He seems very interested in the sunflower seed feeder but I don’t think nature designed his little beak for such a large mouthful.  It seems much more appropriate for catching flies.  Nonetheless, he is fearless as he sits on the feeder with the Grosbeaks and House Finches.

                

 

  

Fly Catcher



Of course our little acre would not be complete without our very own chickens.

          

 Each variety of bird has a preferred source of food at the feeders.  Whether it’s Nyger seed, sunflower seeds, orange-flavored suet, or nectar.  Sister Patrice and I stumbled upon a container of dried “worms” at Lowe’s the other day and because it had a picture of a Blue Bird on it we thought we’d give it a try.  When we got home we discovered the worms were from, guess where, yes, China.  No kidding.  Patrice said she hoped our Blue Birds liked Chinese food.  Well, it turns out they do. 



Blue Bird



               



Wonder if he needs soy sauce with those Chinese "worms"?

 

Of course no yard is complete without the obligatory humming bird feeder.  However, for some reason our hummingbirds prefer the Oriole feeder.  They totally ignore the red hummingbird feeder.



               

Finally someone took a bath in the bird bath.  The finches love to drink out of it, but no one would bathe in it.  That is, not until Mr. Robin came into the yard.

Mr. Robin after his bath.

We even have ducks fly over our little house once in a while.

           

Does anyone know what kind of bird this is?  He is always in the yard picking up seeds that are dropped from the feeders.  We have searched and searched in my Audubon app and on the internet, but no luck:

               

What are you?

So there you have it, our little world of birds on Creek Road.  There are many more that I don’t have photos of yet like quail, hawks and herons.  And many more yet to be discovered.  Our friend Lisa saw four Lazuli Buntings in her yard the other day and I am totally jealous.  It’s so much fun to discover new birds in the yard. 

Until next time when I share photos of plants and flowers….

Green Acres - April 5, 2012

 

“Green Acres is the place to be,

                Farm livin’ is the life for me,

Land spreadin’ out so far and wide,

                Keep Ventura just give me the countryside.”

Yes folks, my husband has gone rogue.  Now that he has fixed up and repaired the old riding lawn mower, it looks like I will never get him back into the kitchen to finish painting.

Actually, I can’t say that I blame him.  Yesterday I drove the old mower for the first time and it was way fun.  Sorry Patrice & Mona for the loopty-loop on your back lawn – I couldn’t find reverse.  Just remember it will grow back.

Did any of you happen to notice something very peculiar about Fred’s attire?  Look closely again at the above photo.  Now I know most of you consider Fred the epitome of suave and sophistication.  I know you envy his wardrobe of Hawaiian inspired 100% cotton short-sleeve shirts with palm trees on them.  So I am giving you an advance insider tip on his latest fashion trend  -  suspenders!  Now this may not be the fashion tip you were hoping for, but I’m telling you it’s going to soon be the craze of everyone driving by our little acre on Creek Road.  Note:  plain blue suspenders, nothing fancy.

The woodpeckers have been busy in the Sycamore tree.

As for me, I doubt my daily wardrobe of paint splattered clothes that are two sizes too large will soon catch on.  Although I did notice an attractive woman yesterday in the Ojai Vons eyeballing the yellow paint streak in my hair.  So don’t be surprised of this fad spreads through the Ojai Valley like wildfire.  Just remember, you heard it here first.

The Crepe Myrtles are filling out with leaves.

Oh how beautiful.  As I sit here this morning, the sun has just peaked over the mountain and has lit up our little house and yard.  It rained yesterday and clouds of steam are billowing off the wood fence.  The finches are clinging hungrily to the seed feeder, and a cacophony of bird chatter echoes down the creek bed.  Yes, how can there not be a Higher Power behind this magnificent creation.

Our new bird bath.

Nyger seed is a hit.

Million Dollar Makeover – Let’s Hope Not!!! 3-29-12

Our little bench overlooking the creek.

Upgrading an 80 year old house is somewhat akin to the challenges of a makeover reality show on an 80 year old beauty queen – once you get started you realize it’s going to take a whole lot of makeup! 

But, where does one begin?  Without being too heavy handed, how do we enhance the natural beauty that still shines beneath her aged exterior?  What colors will make her sparkle and shine?  Fortunately, I stumbled upon the fact the Lowe’s makes sample paints in any color your little heart desires.  For the measly sum of $3, you can purchase little sample bottles and go berserk trying to decide on the perfect hue.

What color do I choose?????

And so we began the transformation.  We filled the blemishes with spackle, scraped away the old finish and painted on a new face.  And abracadabra, her aging beauty sparkled with a youthful glow.  I do believe the old gal has probably never looked so good. 

But who are we kidding.  Beneath the outside façade of rejuvenated youth, there still lurks an 80 year old body.  Spurred on by the success of our exterior transformation, we began the makeover of the interior.  I mean, how hard could it be?  Cinch in this part, pad that part, lift here, tuck there and voila! Our makeover is ready for the Big Reveal!

Not!!!
 

Our little bird bath friends

We can't seem to even finish the kitchen!  Will we ever get out of the kitchen?  How many times can we change our minds on the colors?  Do we refurbish the old cabinets or replace them with new?  Scrape the baseboards or paint over them?  Move the stove or leave it in its original place against the wall?  Use oil base or water base primer?  Use the old hardware or find something shiny? Keep the old sink or update the look?

The kitchen

Fortunately some of these mind boggling issues were resolved a few nights ago.  Our original idea for the little house was to minimally fix her up as a full-time monthly rental.  But whilst sipping margaritas with our neighbors (sisters Ramona and Patrice, and brother-in-law Mario) Mario came up with what I can only describe as a stroke of genius.  I don’t know how often he has these epiphanies, but this one was a doozy.  After a cool sip of his beverage, he looked up and proclaimed, “You know what you guys should do, you should rent it out as a vacation rental.  Then you could use it whenever you wanted to!”  Having grown quite fond of our little house and green acre we thought it was a marvelous idea.  And, not wanting to move from our home in Ventura, we could use Ojai as our own little home-away-from-home whenever we wanted, and still have the added benefit of extra travel income.  Maybe even a house swap with someone in a far off land?  Hmmmm…..



The Lilacs are blooming!

Now before all you naysayers start naysaying, here’s the basic plan.  We will advertise it in magazines that cater to people looking for a getaway for themselves and their horses.  It’s an acre of land, sleeps four, pet friendly with a fenced yard, two horse corrals, plenty of room for an RV, trailer or boat, has a creek that runs year round, and is located in one of the nicest parts of the world – Ojai.  Plus, as an added bonus, it comes complete with some of the nicest neighbors you would ever hope to find!

Waiting for tenants

So, with a vacation rental in mind, many of our decisions have clarified.  Yes, we are getting a new kitchen sink and we are updating the cabinets.  We were going to make do with the current kitchen floor but will now be replacing it.  You can see where this is heading (i.e. $$$).  Most of our efforts (and money) will be spent on the kitchen and living room.  She will be our very own country bungalow, filled with the beauty of nature that surrounds her:  soft earth tones of browns, greens and buttery yellow with a splash of blue, embroidered birds on pillows, natural fabric bedspreads, and flowers on windowsills.  You get the idea...

And when the final makeover is complete, we will have the Big Reveal and celebrate.

But first, we must finish the dang kitchen!!!



Cymbidiums in the patio.



The Little House on Creek Road - Our Friends - 3/21/12

The hammering, scraping, sanding and painting continue….

But today I want to introduce you to a couple of friends who live nearby, Skittles and Beau.  Skittles is a tall, leggy blonde with a reddish complexion.  Beau, whose given name I suspect is actually “Beauregard”, is a tall, dark, handsome devil who is quite smitten with Skittles and goes berserk whenever she is away from him.  Yep, they are our resident horses who belong to my sisters Patrice and Ramona and they (the horses that is) share the two corrals on our little acre.

One of their favorite past times is playing in the sprinklers when we are watering the Crepe Myrtle trees.

 

We suspect Skittles has a secret desire to become a high fashion model and is just waiting for her big break when she can leave the humdrum, small-town life of Ojai.  Beau would be heartbroken if she should leave, but how you gonna keep her down on the farm once she’s seen the bright lights of the big city?  What do you think, has she got the pose perfected yet?

Fashion Model Miss Skittles

Magazine Fashion Model

Our other friends in the neighborhood are all the magnificent and fascinating birds who share our little acre.  Finches, Juncos, Woodpeckers, Hummingbirds, Orioles, Robins, Starlings, Bluebirds, Hawks, and many, many more whose names I am still learning.  We are amused at ourselves to realize we have actually become…dare I say it…bird watchers.  Of course we have a feeder for the finches and a nectar feeder for the hummingbirds.  We are hoping the Robins will find the new tree house we’ve lovingly erected for them.  It has the prestigious name “Audubon” stamped on it so Mrs. Bluebird should be duly impressed.  No takers as of yet, but we’ve had a few looky-loos.

We are growing quite fond of our little world on Creek Road.  At night we gaze upon a darkened sky sprinkled with stars, we listen to the roar of frogs croaking in the creek, and we fade off to sleep without the nuisance of city lights.  In the mornings we wait for the sun to pop over the nearby hill and shine warmth onto our Little House.  Then we begin another day of hammering, scraping, sanding and painting…