anthropometaphors

Among my dreams is to have a backyard shed.  The best way to describe my ideal shed is as an adult playhouse.  My shed would have concrete floors, an expansive desk, power tools, art supplies, a high-end sound system and windows with coverings that allow the space to be drenched in light or choked with blackness, even on the sunniest day.  I might throw in some central heat and A/C for comfort.

Considering my fondness for sheds, I was pleased to find Shedsploitation, the blog of SF Bay Arean Seth Boor.

Shedsploitation

Modern Cabana (10 x 12)

While precious, at 10′ x 12′ their smallest shed is just large enough to require a city permit to build.  I’m a good citizen and will stay within code.  I’m also averse to city intervention, so I’ll stay small.   So the shed search continues.

Francoa ramosa (bridal wreath)

Category: Perennial

Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrages)

Origin: Chile (South America)

Evergreen: Yes

Flower Color: White or pink

Bloom time: Summer

Height: 2-3 feet

Width: 1-2 feet

Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade

Irrigation: Medium Water Needs

Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F

Notes: This is an evergreen, herbaceous, clumping (1-2 feet across), spreading perennial which produces large basal leaves and multi-branched flowering stalks (3-5 feet tall) of white or pink flowers in summer. The one foot long leaves are fiddle-shaped with deep lobes and slightly sticky to the touch. Plant in part day sun (takes full coastal) to light shade in warm location in well-draining soil and give average watering.

Blushing bloom of unknown species

I’ll ping Julie Gordon and see if she can name the second plant.  There are a few of them in the yard and I’d love to know more about the massive blooms it creates.

The hubs pulled out the new power drill yesterday, and installed a new mailbox and numbers for the house.  All went well;  the decaying wooden box that was serving as a mail box is now off duty, and our house is numbered for the first time since the front gate went down in July.  Luckily, our postal carrier is not easily fooled.  We can take down our home numbers, move our mailbox across the yard, and then buy a different mailbox and mount it on the side of the house…and we’ll still get our mail.

The front yard renovation and landscaping is complete!  To jog the memory, here is a picture of the front yard before:

Before

And here are two images of the yard, after:

After (1 of 2)

After (2 of 2)

The front yard renovation and landscaping was done between June and July 2009; designed and performed by Julie Gordon and her crew.  In short, the following was done to the yard:

• Removal of existing front gate, concrete pathway and brush on sidewalk strip
• Design and installation of redwood fence and porch (with porch expansion)
• Landscaping using colorful plants with low water requirements (i.e. drought-tolerant)
• Installation of drip irrigation with automatic control system and timer

It’s taken some time for me to find the correct circumstances for decent pictures.  The weather has been overcast and gray, which translates into dreary pictures.  When the sun happens to be out, I’ve been at work during the day and can only catch long shadows in the yard when I return home.  So at last, a few pictures of the yard, with decent lighting and “feel”.

The space is still rather open, as the plantlets are babies and need about 1 year to fill out.  In the few weeks since the work has been completed, all of the plants have noticeably grown, with many producing stalks with flowers and all of them sprouting new foliage.  Of the entire garden, there have only been two casualties.  One (of many) great things about working with Julie is that she has followed up with us and checks in about the plants.  She guarantees the plants for 1 year after installation, and is getting replacement plants for the two that didn’t make it.

Our pup Winslow loves the yard…a little too much!  When left unsupervised, she will dig little holes in the gravel path.  Instead, I let her into the yard in the evening when I check the mailbox.  She zips around the yard, zigging and zagging between the bushes.  It’s a sight to behold.

I’m soooooo excited!

Several months ago I stumbled across iri5, an artist who works in conceptual mixed media collage.  Mixing media and genres of media, iri5 creates pieces that tickle my brain.

Robert Smith (by iri5)

Face of Change (by iri5)

Check out her other pieces here and here.

Last month I came across her art for the second time, and requested a price list for her work.  Most of the pieces I’d seen were unavailable, leading  us to talking about alternatives and the possibility of a commissioned original.  We tossed around a few ideas, images and more ideas.  After a few more ideas were tossed around, we came to agree on the creation of a bust of Oscar Wilde…comprised of snippets from The Portrait Of Dorian Gray, my fave book evar.

The work has begun, and iri5 has posted the first sketch on her flickr.

It’s great to come home from work, open the gate and see a package waiting for me on the porch.  Or to find one in the mailbox.  Heck, I’m happy with one laying on the dirt after having been tossed over the fence by UPS.

Today I came home and there was a package on the walk (not quite into the dirt); clearly the result of a trip over the fence.  As I unlocked the front door I caught a shimmer of light from the stamps on the package.  My first impression was the stamps were beglittered.  Upon closer inspection, I saw the stamps were from Finland (as was the entire package) and were not sparkly as previously thought — the stamps were braille.  I’m impressed by postal stamps that are in braille, what can I say?

So taken was I by the stamps, that I forgot to open the package for 3 hours.

Inside the package were two lovely pillow covers, hand screened printed by Nuka on Etsy.  I adore the pillow covers and the Finnish stamps I saw today.  I simply heart Etsy.

Doily pillow cover (Nuka)

visualize whirled peas

House horoscopes? Who knew.

House Number 2
Here is a house that creates peace, harmony and balance in anyone’s lives. It is a house suited for relationships, and people who are laid back and friendly. This is a great home for new lovers or people who have lived together for a long time. It will aid in the balancing of any relationship.

However sometimes we are so laid back that one may call it laziness. So don’t forget to get off the sofa and DO. Do what needs to be done to fix the creaky floorboards and cracks in the pavement with this house.

Positive Colour Suggestions: Cream, Green and White.

Interestingly enough, the hubs and I moved into our house soon after we were married. It’s been a great spot for us, and we’re already famming it up with the addition of a pup. The house is a decent starter nest; being both structurally sound and somewhat generic, all sorts of creative remodels are under discussion as ways to personalize our abode.

(via Apartment Therapy)

Before

My front yard could be described as a feature that “needs some TLC” (see above). It just so happens that I have a lot of care to give!

I’ve been saving my pennies, and feel I’m ready to turn the copper into some TLC. After all is said and done, the aim is to create a thriving, low-maintenance garden that welcomes us when we come home, encourages visitors when they drop by and allows for puppy romping.

While not completely visible in the “before” picture above, there is a side entrance to my house on the right in the form of a semi-concealed gate (aka the front gate). Behind the front gate is a side yard, also suffering from a TLC-deficit. There is a second gate on the left leading to the backyard. The presence of a high wooden fence on either side of the house and the absence of a clear front entrance has been good for deterring solicitors and burglers, but bad for visiting friends. I’ve often heard people say they didn’t know how to get to the front door!

Had a meeting with Julie Gordon this morning to talk about a front yard garden re-do. I’m pretty flexible about plant specifics; Julie’s knowledge about suitable plants for the location in terms of light, water and soil requirements trump any need I have for a particular plant.

Detail from a Julie Gordon-scape

Talking visuals and arrangement ideas with her affirmed my comfort with entrusting her to design details. After spending some time up in the clouds of wishful thinking, we returned to the real world by concluding the appointment with a discussion of measurements, budgets and timing. Julie is going to draft a budget for the project we discussed: plantlets, fencing, high-tech/timed drip system, and perhaps a porch enbiggening. I’m curious to see how much my dreams cost.