I decided to go a little more high-end with this umbrella because I live on a very windy plateau very close to the Carquinez Strait, where the Sacramento River spills into the San Francisco Bay. A lot of people don’t know that the word Solano (the county I live in) is Spanish for “warm easterly wind.” Well, I’m hoping this umbrella will last for years since I’ve gone through so many pretty quickly over the years. I hated finding them strewn across my backyard, and I should be able to leave them out year-round because this is California! This one feels much more durable than the ones I’m used to, and it’s in my favorite color. It’s in the part of the yard that is the likeliest to get hit by the strongest wind coming from the Bay, so bring it on! Forgive the chaos in the background because the excavation for the new retaining wall is being done while there are tarps on things to keep them from becoming too dusty.
Between the neighborhood-wide garage sale in Glen Cove and a stop at the thrift store, we got some cool shit.
I definitely did not need new lamps, but to add to my “maximalist grandma chic” decor, I couldn’t resist my friend Jeannette’s garage sale find of these two electric lamps that appear to be vintage gas lamps. I struggled to think where I would put them, but I managed to find their new home!
I can’t believe I found pretty much a matching pelican to the one I got from Vicky Gray’s estate sale!
This octopus jar will look great in the wet room.
Shea got some practical things for the kitchen.
I’ve always been lucky to find Barbrabilia, so it was nice that I came across a concert program of Streisand’s at the Glen Cove Garage Sale on Saturday. As most of you know, I had a ton of unique artwork of Streisand that I lost in the fire, so my new collection is modest by comparison, but it’s all good. I’ll always be a die-hard fan.
I bought a bunch of solar spinners, so eventually I’ll try to get them all working in my “kinetic” backyard with water features, but here are a few that are going pretty regularly on the side yard.
So I did not like the default pendant lights in the kitchen when I moved in. Similar to the chandeliers in the foyer and the dining room, it wasn’t my style. The bare bulbs were visible from the modern designs. With the chandeliers, I had already bought some Tiffany-style pendant lights that I swapped out just as soon as all of the inspections were complete. Today I came across these glass lamp covers, so you’ll see that I not only got these opaque blue swirl covers, but I also put most of the cord back up in the ceiling. I hated that just unpacking groceries, I would accidentally hit them with my hands. Now they’re much closer to the ceiling, and the bare bulbs are not visible.
Foster dog Jacques has this thing where, if an insect comes near him, he’ll try to grab it. I’ve seen other dogs do that, but what I’ve never seen is a bird hundreds of feet in the air, and he will run all over the backyard to try to catch up to it and chase it away or perhaps attempt to reach it. Granted, tons of birds land in the backyard on the ground for various reasons. I’m afraid he will one day catch a bird and injure or kill it, but chasing them out of the yard or barking at them when they land on the fence or in a tree is one thing. I guess he burns a lot of calories chasing them out of the sky though, since that’s “his” territory.
Backyard hummingbird and birds visiting the fountain the other day. Before the house fire, I went through a very dry period with no hummingbirds, which I could not explain. I thought maybe it was because they were in love with some of my purple plants that fit their beaks well, but it used to be Grand Central when I first moved here, and most of my friends can’t keep up with the hummingbird feeders they have. I’m just glad to see them, and I’m thinking about getting one of those bird houses that record the birds while they eat, which is so cool.
Below is an updated video of the backyard after major bushes were pruned, many of which Shea did himself. I am a believer in a lot of “chop and drop” method, especially because the dogs are constantly walking on the brush in the “dog run” toward the back fence perimeter. That helps restore the same nutrients to the soil and helps with carbon sequestration, without removing tons of perfectly good organic material into the “green bin” for no reason. It’s nice to see more of the back fence and more exotic plants rather than just big green blobs. It’s also important to have space for vegetables and herbs, but in the near future, I’m putting in a back deck cover and new retaining walls, so there is going to be lots of reorganizing and fun things, especially after the inspiration I got once again from the recent Vallejo Garden Tour.
After 26 long months in “exile,” it’s been almost three months since moving back home. Some may remember that I started the back deck cover right after moving back, but had to have it UNDONE while awaiting a few more inspections. Well, this time it’s full steam ahead. Shea already independently noticed how profoundly different it feels to have a lanai and what a game-changer it is, particularly as this space is immediately outside the family room. It was indeed one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as a homeowner when I did it the first time. It’s like adding a huge room that becomes so much more usable with the skylights (there will be a total of five) and diffused sunlight. There will be a ceiling fan for air movement and to reduce annoying flies. The views and sound of the incredible nearby eucalyptus trees in Benicia State Park right by us, swaying in the wind, will still be visible, but it also adds welcome privacy in a sentimental area of the home that is my favorite spot to be. To sit out there in the pouring rain….to give the dogs a dry place to do their business when they are too precious to get their feet wet….to not have to adjust every few minutes from burning up in the sun when taking an outside nap, to be able to keep things outside that won’t get damaged by the elements and even being online while not having to worry about sun or water damage. There’s no better place to have my morning coffee. Let the (outdoor) decorating begin!
More progress on the tunnel arbors with some fake vines. I’m reticent to use fake plants, but it’s better than a tarp, and it’s only temporary until we can get real plants to grow over them. I will also be putting some metal planters at the bottom of each of the 12 feet to stabilize them in the wind and have some proper soil for all of them to grow from, while still having some flexibility to raise them with cinder blocks or bricks if necessary. The natural “door” between the two tunnel arbors (my term) is very cool to me because if you turn left, you go up the stairs to the lookout area. If you turn right, it takes you to the inter-yard gate to the side yard, where I have my planting tables and other storage. Having a gate there has been most useful when we need to segregate the dogs for a while, if work is being done in the yard or something. I’m not sure if I’m going to add anything to these temporary coverings yet. Shea has some research on what grows fast and will be a good, natural covering in months to come. The extra privacy is a big win in the meantime.
I struggled with where to put the Lego train and other Lego projects, since having it on the dining room table was just a proof of concept. My home office does not have a practical place where the curves of the track would work on a sustainable level. I was thinking of putting one under my back deck cover, but I ended up putting some old folding tables together in the wonderful space I have in the 3-car garage, where I eventually want to put the ping-pong, pool combination table that converts into a flat top table. This gives me even more space to build after being inspired by so many Lego train videos online. I can’t begin to compete with some of those, but I can still enjoy it on a smaller scale. There is still a kid in me.
When I was growing up in Spain, we had something called “Castillos” which was a Lego knock-off. It was all about building castles, and that’s where I got the love of brick building toys. Obviously, the variety of Lego was more appealing when I got back to the States, and many years later, in 2017, I visited a Lego store in Copenhagen, which was very cool. For those who don’t know, Lego is a Danish invention.
It’s been scary how many times I’ve seen the wind push over part of the fence, mostly because the dogs could wander out. The entire fence could use some tender loving care, but right now it’s about band-aids. This was one such band-aid I found. Originally, Shea put up a garish board to secure it, which functioned well. However, right next to the board was this big piece of metal that I had painted green with Rust-Oleum a few years ago, so it made sense to just move it over about a foot to cover up the fence band-aid. I love how it turned out.
This was another fence repair that Shea quickly had to pull together. During a heavy wind day, I really thought that this one was going to end up in the street. What made it more complicated was that the metal post to the gate is steel. Shea had to get creative with A.I. to put in a fix and then did some measuring to figure out how to permanently fix it.
