A Rather Poor Poem

Perhaps it's not really true But I never feel I quite fit in, in Orange County. I'm happiest in my garden, grubbing in the dirt And my nails tell that story well. I fertilize my garden with bales of alfalfa And large sacks of steer manure Redolent of the pasture and dairy farms. I like to grow fruits and vegetables, Not always very successfully If you had to rely on me You would lose weight. ***** I had an idea for a poem, When I was painting But by the time I cleaned up And found a pen I forgot what it was. I had an idea for a poem While I was awake in the night But in the morning I couldn't remember it.

Nature's Bounty

I have been picking raspberries, which are one of my favorite fruits, ranking up there with apricots. I start the season enjoying strawberries, which are nothing like the large crunchy ones sold in stores, and they are delightful, but as soon as the raspberries are ready the strawberries are almost abandoned. I have a cane patch about 6 feet by 2 feet - not all that large, but I have been picking a bowl or two each day for several weeks now, and no end in sight. They are like little jewels hiding in the leaves and each time I pick I think I have done so thoroughly, then lo and behold as I am walking by later I see another...and another.

My peach tree is just beginning to produce, and since it is in the front several of the neighbors are hoping to get some. You could write a book about the neighbors on this street, they are quite interesting, in an odd way !! The neighbor who abuts my back garden on the west side (a rental) hates anything growing. He systematically goes down the passageway between our properties and cuts back everything that hangs over from my side, forcing it all over the fence in piles on top of my plants. He just removed a large branch from my plum tree, that grew above the fence and dared to be on 'his' side. It was covered with about 15 almost ripe organic plums. That was hurled over the wall too. I sneaked a look over the fence and the only thing growing in his fairly large back yard is a rather unhappy rubber tree plant in a pot. The rest is just bare earth. I took this man in dislike after he moved in. He is big, burly and bullying. He got a puppy which was left in the yard all day and evening on it's own. I went over one evening to ask if he could make sure the dog did not bark and yowl after 9.30 p.m. The man was working on his car in the garage, so I introduced myself and then said, in a nice way, "Your dog has been barking a lot..." Before I could say another word he threw down the tool he was holding and raced up the stairs to his apartment, shouting "I'll fix him". I cried out, "Oh, no, please," but he was gone. I presume the dog got a good beating. I never complained again. There seems to be a baby over there the last 8 months, but I never hear it cry or make any noises. I have just seen the mother carrying it in and out to the car. Makes you wonder !?

In the front there is no divider between the properties and since his is the back apartment you would think he'd have no interest in it, but no. He rips off any branches that dare to set limb across the dividing line, leaving jagged tears (at least in the back the other day he used clippers) and every flower has been torn out. Fortunately there are steep stairs about 2 feet away, and so the area of bare earth leading downhill to the street (about 10 yards) is not too noticeable. Before he moved in I had planted California poppies there, since the owner of the rental uses the property only for income and has no interest in it otherwise. People are very strange, but also quite interesting.

My First Attempt at Blogging

Since I have never written a blog before, I expect my first efforts will be a bit stilted, but probably I shall warm up gradually to it. I haven't looked at many other blogs, so am not quite sure what people write about. The name of this blog "Plenty of Room in the Sky" refers to the fact that you can train some plants to grow upward, to save room !!

However, first a bit about me: Am in my 60's, feel/look way younger, very active. I have always been a person with a ton of energy. My favorite activity is gardening, especially growing fruits and vegetables or edible flowers. A couple of years ago I had enough edible flowers to make a beautiful salad. I remember seeing one in a magazine (National Geographic I think), prepared by a famous chef. It was huge and each layer was a different color - a real work of art.

I was born in Europe. but came to California with my mother, via Montreal, Canada, but apart from short forays to Hawaii and Missouri, California is my real home. I live in South Orange County almost midway between Los Angeles and San Diego.

I have a fairly large garden in a small town, about 300 yards from the beach, but up on the bluffs. The front garden is much larger than the back, but the back is rather attractive, since it has been terraced with a retaining wall. It is not the best garden for vegetables since there is too much shade, but I plant a bit here and there, making the most of every nook and cranny. I am also planning to put some vegetables in the front, where they are not too noticeable from the road.

I have been in this house for 4 years and have improved the soil tremendously with a lot of hard work. The soil was totally neglected and baked hard (adobe) when I moved in, and almost impossible to dig. I have composted and used many bales of alfalfa, plus sand and manure to loosen it up. I also use all the leaves from my large Chinese elm as mulch. The soil has improved gradually, although it is still not perfect. The best growing results come from areas where I have at least 6 inches of compost but that is taking quite a bit of time and effort.

One problem, living near the beach, is that my squash, beans and peas, are inclined to mildew. I bought some Neem to spray on them and that has helped somewhat, but I have to be very careful about watering, especially towards the evening hours. At least I don't usually have extreme heat to contend with, although occasionally when a hot desert wind blows it can get into the high 90's. So far it has never been more than about 98 F. Fortunate since I don't have air conditioning. More normal summer temperatures are in the mid 80's.

Since I have always loved nature I garden organically, and I also try to plant flowers that will provide food for birds and butterflies and attract bees. When I moved here I would rarely see a bee, but now there are quite a lot. On very hot days they come to my pond for water. I have a water plant in a pot on the edge and they crawl about on the wet gravel which is on top. I didn't know bees did that until I saw them. I hear that they take the water back to the hive to keep it cool.

My Chinese elm is a bit of a nuisance, but I can't cut it down since it is a feeding station for dozens of caterpillars each spring. There are so many that the ground is brown with their droppings and for a few weeks it is rather unpleasant. I have also been nurturing a large dragon lizard. There are very few lizards around here now because the large ants they prefer to feed on have been virtually eliminated and I think they also fall prey to neighborhood cats.

Well, that's all for my first attempt. I shall be delighted to receive comments (well delighted with nice comments anyway !!)