The Path Project - Urban Homestead Diary

The Path Project: Weekly Entries � September 2002

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:: To Do List ::

As time and funds permit...

grape arbor

raising ducks

grey water reed bed

solar shower

composting toilet

~~rabbits and hutch~~

rainwater collecting

growing mushrooms

dwarf fruit trees

trellis passion fruits

bicycle wheel trellises

grey water reclamation

solar panels

permeable paving

tear out driveway

tear out concrete patio

bio-diesel

:: Current Projects ::

Handmilled soap {crazy for the lavender oatmeal soap-mmm}, drying herbs, home and yard repairs, summer planting and transplanting, mulching and more mulching, some seed saving, making natural foliar sprays and fertilizers.

:: WIPs ::

Constructing more vertical growing spaces, trying to find room for two apple trees, bananas, two passion fruits, mango, strawberry and pineapple guavas.

:: Hobbies ::

Gardening, hiking, baking & cooking, knitting & crocheting, leather-working, a little bit of "carpentry" here and there,

:: Harvesting ::

Beans, squash, tomatoes, basil and herbs, cucumbers, lettuces and other summer greens, strawberries & blackberries, and some onions, plums, peaches, figs, peppers.

:: Favorite Dish ::

Would have to be fresh strawberry pie... yummy! Taking second would be an heirloom tomato sandwich.

:: Blogs ::

The Great Growing Experiment

Mairi Musings new

Eco Logical new

:: Daily Clicks ::

Guerrilla News Network

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From our readers...

Great site! Very organized, great pictures, lots of information and links....I really like the daily diary, it's like having a friend in California :-) You make this kind of life look obtainable. Truly Motivational! Thanks

~ Alikat ~

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~*~*~ PHOTO OF THE MONTH ~*~*~

A welcome visitor to the garden

more pics

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly,
"One must have sunshine, freedom,
and a little flower."

~ Hans Christian Anderson ~

URBAN HOMESTEAD SUMMER REPORT

Monday - September 30, 2002

END OF SUMMER GARDEN REPORT

It's been not a very good year for gardeners here in So Cal. As personal reports from the chef at The Kitchen for Exploring Foods explains, not even the 'commercial' farmers are without trouble... That makes us feel a little better. Still, unfortunately, we had to water practically every day or things would have been toasted to a burnt crisp. But even with all the funky weather and weird seasons--or rather--non-seasons, the garden produced OK.

We would have liked more tomatoes and peppers but those two seem to have been the most affected by the unusual weather. On the bright side... We didn't have much, if any, pest problems or disease. No aphids or hornworms either. However, early in the season we had trouble with spider mites but they are gone thanks to the predatory mites we purchased. One thing that we have problems with are the ants; every year they show up in huge masses and are seen crawling everywhere! But, we fight back! We use instant grits and it seems to work {they carry it back to the nest, eat and then the grit expands in their stomachs and, then, *kabooom!*... need not explain further, you get the rest of the picture} Sprinkling cinnamon also works, we buy a huge container at Smart & Final and sprinkle it around the place... smells like a bakery. MMM.

We acquired a few new customers this year for our produce, herbs and edible flowers. We could have gotten more clients had we had a better year with the tomatoes *sigh*. It's amazing how much one can produce on such a small piece of land... imagine...

Weather Report: Overcast and chilly... Has Fall finally arrived?

Sunday - September 29, 2002

RAIN DROPS ON ROSES...

What's this? Rain in September? Yep, So. Cal received a wonderful and unexpected blessing yesterday and all last night... RAIN!!!!!!! It has been quite some time since we heard the rain drops falling off the roof. Everything is so bright and clean and wonderful this morning. Take a deep breathe... mmmmm! We probably received about an 1/2" or more, have to go out and check the rain gauge.

Weather Report: Overcast and rain!!!!!!!!.

Tuesday - September 24, 2002

OUR FAIR TALE

sunrise sunset

Woke up yesterday to an eerie sunrise and the day ended in a smoky sunset. Today, the sky is dark and gloomy, having an orange glow/tint. The smell of smoke and ash hangs heavy in the air as a large wildfire burns in the San Gabriel Mountains. While going home yesterday from the LA County Fair we could see the huge flames covering the mountains in bright orange streaks. Unfortunately there are homes that are in danger. Hopefully it'll be contained very soon.

old washer baby fawn garden plot

Well, back to the event of the day -- yesterday we went on an outing with some dear friends to the LA Fair. Boy, it sure was a scorcher out there... it was 108� in the shade!!!! The poor animals were panting...

The crowds were low possibly due to the excessive heat. Anyhow, we saw some really neat and innovative exhibits. The crafting showplace was full of beautiful works in quilting, sewing, knitting and crocheting and other needlecrafts. Got me so excited I wanted to try my hand at the other 'womanly arts.' In addition it gave some wonderful ideas for my next projects...

The farm animal exhibit was a bit disappointing as they did not have all the animals on display {no horses or miniature horses} and a lot of stalls were empty. Maybe it was due to the heat, but the animals seem to have left the building. Enjoyed looking at the baby animals and petting area where they had a baby fawn and wallaby... oooh so cute.

Loved the exhibit with the antique farm equipment and there was also a section where they had people displaying blacksmithing, abode brick making, spinning, rope making, quilting, doll making, etc, which was quite nice to see.

There was also a garden idea area where we got a lot of cool ideas for using and recycling objects such as bikes, doors, windows, etc. The best display, I think was the garden plot that cleverly used old bikes and wheels as planters, trellises, gates... it was really cool! I wanted to go home and take apart those old bikes we have stored in the cellar...

The fair didn't seem to have many vendors, or any that we were interested in... I couldn't find any incense sellers this year.

On Sunday a gal from the knitting group came over and visited... you can read about her visit and see pics of the hens at her really cool site AmericanHomebody.com -- BTW... thanks Lisa for the great write up, glad you enjoyed your visit and the squash.

Weather Report: Sweltering, sticky and smoky! Temps over 100�.

September 20, 2002

AN APPLE A DAY...

Better keep the doctors away!!! Got four boxes of organic apples that our local health food store couldn't sell. Paid only two bucks a box!!!!! Now, what to make? "Apples are the fruit of the land." You can bake it, fry it... There's applesauce, apple juice, apple pie, fried apples, dried apples... should I go on? Or like Bubba in the movie Forest Gump said... "that's about it."

On a different subject... family history and genealogy that is. We found out the other day that we have relatives living not far away. They have started a website to trace our roots and what's even more exciting is that perhaps our surname isn't really Dervaes. There's rumor that in the 1800's that a clerk had made a spelling error and that our surname was changed from Servaes to Dervaes {check out Dervaes.com} I love a good mystery!!!

Weather Report: A bit warmer.

September 17, 2002

VICTORIAN ESSENCE

Been collecting essential oils to make perfume, which smells so much better and lighter than the fake stuff made in labs. Here are some quick and easy recipes to make your own with some EO and Vodka. Also check out this wonderful page of recipes for light floral, Victorian homemade toiletries {BTW, if you are a Jane Austen fan, like I am, you'll enjoy this site}

Here's a great article about perfume, will make you think twice... Spraying Yourself With Toxic Chemicals Is Not Sexy

Weather Report: Sunny, warm and dry.

September 15, 2002

PROJECT COMPLETE!

The guys finished the redwood patio cover off the side of the garage on Friday. Looks great guys, thanks!

We are going to grow grapes over it for shade. It'll be a nice cool place to eat or just hang out.

Planning to hang an old chandelier from one of the beams using it for a planter -- perhaps ivy. I think it would look really neat!

Weather Report: Warm.

September 11, 2002

MOMENT OF SILENCE... we remember

"There can be no greater memorial to those who lost their lives than for us to change ours." con't

Weather Report: Pleasant.

September 10, 2002

BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOO!

Here's a pic of one of the French heirloom pumpkin, otherwise known as the Cinderella pumpkin. I wonder how big it'll get? Now, all I need is a fairy godmother. ;-)

Weather Report: Warm, but thankfully not humid!

September 8, 2002

WELL, LOOKIE HERE!

Taadaa!! This morning upon daily inspection of the nesting boxes, we found a little surprise! Looks as if Miss Clementine laid the egg. They are a bit smaller than regular eggs {as bantams are much smaller than regular chickens} so we'll have to use 2 for 1 in recipes.

Weather Report: Pleasant.

September 4, 2002

IDLE HANDS ARE THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP

Aren't I cute?

Thanks to Lisa from AmericanHomebody for passing along this totally outrageous link {Chicken Hat} & {Pictures of chick models--ooh la la} . For those of you who want a quick and easy knit project or who have been having trouble knitting socks, well then, this is for you. I wonder if I should knit some for our little ladies? Think they'd like em? Whooah, wait a minute, that means I have waaaay to much time on my hands {matter of fact, I don't}. But they'd be cute don't you think? ;-)

This website is expanding so much, it's starting become a little hard to up-keep. *urgh* I so want to expand this site, especially the BACK TO BASICS section, but just don't have the time. It's becoming a little bit overwhelming, but I am hoping to to chip at it a little every day or so. *sigh*

I finally got around to putting up some new pics of the summer garden and the bantam chickens and some new links. I'll be adding more as soon as I get around to it.

Speaking of bantam chickens... Ladies, we're waiting!!!! They are about the age to begin laying. Well, they seem to think otherwise, as we have yet to find any eggs lying around. Though, they should count their lucky stars that we don't eat meat 'cuz, well you know... *grin*

Miss Clementine

Weather Report: Cooling down just a tad.

September 2, 2002

Summers last hurrah...

HOT TIME, SUMMER IN THE CITY

Sheesh, I can't believe it's already September! In the month of August we've already surpassed last year's market of produce harvested from the yard {2,322 lbs in 2001 and now in 2002, 2,414 lbs}. We still have four months to go... Already, we are planning on what to plant for the fall season. I'll have to get a seed order ready soon.

Labor Day was spent building an arbor off the side of the garage for grapes to grow on. We did have a cookout in the backyard complete with soy dogs and the works!

Cassidy has the right idea... SNOOZE TIME!!!

It's sooo icky... Too hot, too sticky, too muggy, too humid to even move! Just going about and performing plain old daily activities makes one break out in a sweat as if you've just run around the block! The heat hits you like a ton of bricks when you go outside. *yuck* Us Californians aren't used to muggy weather.... We need a bit of air movement here, please!

Yeah, I know, we're too spoiled for our own britches. I am so looking forward to the crisp autumn days... if we're lucky to have any.

Unfortunately, the heat has been so intense it steamed some of the baby greens, withered the remaining cucumbers and fried the tips of several plants, not to mention it's making everyone in a bad mood!

Weather Report: Sweltering, sticky, hot and humid--yuck!

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