Makeover or Breakdown?

I’ve been moonlighting. Curious about my gig? A hint: I’m covered from head to toe in scratches. Have I been training alligators? Good guess, but no.

Okay, I’ll tell you. For thirty-one days, my moonlighting gig was in our front yard, making over the planter I built years ago. I’m posting about it because I like encouraging others who are considering changing their space on a budget. If you are a renter and don’t have outdoor space or can’t dig up a yard, you can brighten your world with a few potted plants. A cheerful splash of color does not need to break the bank.

The story starts on Saturday, February 21. I woke up and decided it was time for a change, so I marched to our front yard and started hacking away towers of Sticks of Fire, the orange pencil cactus. Some were almost as tall as I am. Thirty-one sweaty days later, I finished.

Sticks of Fire require almost no water, and their color is beautiful. But let me save you some trouble: if you get them, put them in a pot—not the ground. My Sticks of Fire forest started with a few small plants in the ground--which multiplied. Taking it down almost took me down.

Perhaps the story really starts seventeen years ago, when I designed our front planter. I measured a half-circle, bought concrete blocks, and created a semi-circular planter in our yard. I did multiple drives to get free dirt to fill my new planter and added succulents. Some were free, from Craigslist. It was a lot of work but satisfying. 

This is our front yard a few hours into demolition. The Sticks of Fire were five feet tall. The "before" was not bad, but things had become a bit too wild and I was ready for a change.

Fast forward to now, and the Sticks of Fire have multiplied and become trees, so I’m hacking away at them. I put out cuttings of the cactus and other succulents for people to take. It feels good to share these with others, since so many people shared cuttings with me.

Each day, my neighbors walk by, some with dogs. They ask about what the new look will be. “Top Secret,” I reply. (I love things that are Top Secret.) “Check back soon,” I say.

We broke heat records for February and March, but I kept digging. Some days I did an hour or two after working at preschool. A few days I wrestled stumps out of the ground for many hours. At times, I wondered if this was a breakdown of the stumps—or of me. (Maybe both.) 

My new garden plan involves mimicking the existing half-circle wall with two more half-circles inside. Here is the sketch I did, thinking the effect would be like a fountain. My final effect does not look exactly like this but I may add more plants. Who knows? Right now, I’m enjoying the change. 

On the hottest day, my kind neighbor Kat made me laugh when she walked her dog by our dirt installation. Her humor prevented a complete meltdown on my part (thanks, Kat). One neighbor offered help, and a few days later, another attempted to give help. I thanked them but explained that this is my mountain to climb. My sweet hubby definitely would have helped but I was determined to do it on my own.

Once the Sticks of Fire were down to stumps, it was time to remove them. The last two stumps were at least eight inches across, deep and stubborn. I used the electric saw, clippers, Japanese pull saw, and a shovel to loosen them. Mostly, I dug under the stumps to pry them out. I slipped on mud and tripped on slippery rocks. I fell into the 18-inch-deep hole I dug around the huge stump. There were tears and curses. Blisters and cuts. The preschool kids were impressed by my Band-Aid count (one day it was seven). I lift weights twice a week, but this yard work was a true workout. For all the upper body work I’ve done on this makeover, I expected my arms to look like Ronda Rousey’s by now. (They don’t.)

Day fifteen: I finally got the biggest Sticks of Fire stump out of the ground. The roots had formed twisty knots and wrestling them out was not fun. After a long labor, my bundle of agony was finally out of the ground. I'm exhausted but victorious!

Here I am, sitting in the hole that the stump was in.
It's 18" deep and almost as long as a bathtub!

.

The second big stump, Sir Stumps A Lot, came out next. 

Notice the weed cloth that did not prevent weeds. Instead, 
the roots grew through it, making the extraction...extra fun.

After that victory, I leveled the dirt and started building my walls. I’m using concrete blocks that I already had, repurposing them. I replanted succulents that I took out of our planter, as well as some I’ve had in pots. I'm putting down cardboard onto the dirt as a weed barrier (Sam, thanks for the tip!). Weed barrier fabric has not worked for me, so we will see if cardboard does. Next, I will add succulents, which I've been growing for years. They multiply, so this is great for my Small Budget/Big Impact plan. 

Progress shot...

I spent almost nothing on this project. I bought a bag of soil and nine extra concrete blocks from Craigslist. A lot of my materials we repurposed from my other projects. Back yard plants were moved into the front yard. I shoveled rocks we already had in the front yard into my new planter. Reusing is satisfying.

These wall planters were ones I moved from the back.
I already had mini disco balls and beads,
 so creating this area was free.

I enjoy the variety of colors and textures.
Don't be afraid to experiment...

This is a mosaic pot I made years ago.
Painting the rim with turquoise paint I already had
makes the orange flowers pop. I love contrast!

The flamingos were moved into their own area

so they can be a flamboyance of flamingos.

(That is what a group of them is. Seriously!)

Moving things around (indoors or outdoors) can give your space a refresh, often without spending a dime.

I love sharing these triumphs to encourage others not to fear DIY projects. This post is not about bragging—it’s about sharing tips and a few laughs. You can make your space beautiful without spending a lot.

To be honest, I’m a little conflicted about posting this essay. We have a lot of terrible things happening in the world right now, and I don’t want to be insensitive by posting a lighthearted essay on plants. Still, I’m going to post, and I hope that my readers get a boost from it. I won’t deny that our country and our world are struggling hard. But we also need breaks from our stress--moments of joy.

It’s Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. Some friends will celebrate Passover this week. Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover or something else—I wish you a happy spring. I hope that you find beautiful moments each day and the sun warms your face. Until next time, be safe and shine on! 

Faith, Luck and...Giraffes

Today’s blog post features three different art projects that my students finished recently. It may seem like a random mix, but sometimes that is how life unfolds, and I like to keep you on your toes. Plus, you love variety!

First up is Part Two to my Faith Ringgold post from last month. In February my art students learned about renowned Black artist Faith Ringgold, but some of the students did not finish their art during Black History Month. It feels a little anticlimactic to show the art in March, but on the flip side, the students put lots care and detail into their drawings, and this took more time than I anticipated. More care? Not a bad thing.

The Faith Ringgold painting that sixth and eighth grades copied is from her book Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. There is a painting in the book that shows a young girl, Cassie, alone in the woods, looking for safety. This scene illustrates what it may have been like for freedom seekers who were headed north to independence. The girl must be scared, but she is determined and vigilant. She notices a house with a quilt draped over its roof, a symbol of safety to freedom seekers. People are hard to draw, but I am proud that my students tried their best to draw Cassie. The quilts the students drew came out beautifully, with lots of color and pattern.

This is Faith Ringgold's painting of Cassie.

6th grade

6th gr--Cassie is walking toward the house
in this version. 

6th gr

6th gr

8th gr

8th gr

8th gr

8th gr

Next up is a cheery group of shamrocks, because today is St. Patrick’s Day. Are you wearing green? These were drawn by my Kindergarten students. We added pattern to each of the four leaves of the shamrock because, as I always tell the kids, pattern makes art extra exciting. (Disclosure: I may have confused four-leaf clovers with shamrocks. Apparently shamrocks have three leaves and lucky clovers have four. But artists sometimes break the rules—whether intentionally or accidentally—so we are declaring our clovers lucky and we are not going to engage in debates about four versus three leaves! Plus, we artists are from the More is More school of art. More leaves? More luck.)   

Last up is an adorable bunch of giraffes.

Question: What is a group of giraffes called?

Answer: A tower!

The giraffes were done by my Kindergarten and first grade students. Each one is different and I think they look terrific. I like how each student brought his or her own personality to this assignment. Did you know that the pattern on each giraffe is different from any other giraffe? Similar yes, but unique.

Giraffes by Kindergarten:

Giraffes by first graders:

I hope you enjoyed the latest work from my art students. Until we meet again, may you have faith and luck…and see lots of giraffes.  

Return to the Farm

I recently returned to an incredible place I discovered last year. Exactly one year and four days after first finding Lisa’s eclectic farm, I came back to follow up on one woman’s adventures in farming over the last year, how the COVID-19 pandemic challenged her farm--and how it revealed an unexpected silver lining.

My second visit to Lisa’s farm was on a warm Friday afternoon similar to the sunny day when I first met Lisa. So much has changed in twelve months, but some things remain the same. And perhaps a farm is the ideal place to reflect on this duality, because plants keep growing, unaware of the pandemic. The sun rises and grows plants, the rain falls, the bees pollinate, the sun sets and Earth keeps spinning. Even when the whole world seemed to shut down, plants kept growing. Nature reminds us that life continues.

If you read my January 2020 post about Lisa’s farm, you know that I met her through her online post asking for volunteers to help set up her farm, which is an edible maze. Lisa’s farm is close to the US-Mexico border and only a few minutes from Interstate 5. It’s near the city and yet somehow a world away, with its dirt roads, horses and ranches.

When I visited a year ago, Lisa had been developing her farm for six months. At the time, she was seeking volunteers to help make raised garden beds. I love growing things and I wanted to learn about how one operates a farm, so I emailed to volunteer. I helped her for a few hours and peppered her with questions about how and why one starts a farm in retirement. If you missed the first post, you can read it here:

https://frecklefacedwordwoman.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-delightful-day-in-dirt-at-lisas-farm.html

When I left Lisa’s farm that day a year ago, I was pleasantly sore from hauling wheelbarrow loads of compost, I was intrigued by Lisa’s plans, and I looked forward to visiting again in six months to see her progress.

Fast forward two months and the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I sheltered in place, as most people did. Although I kept in touch with Lisa by email, I did not visit the farm because I was nervous about COVID and was taking seriously the orders to stay home. Months passed. And now it is a year later and I am following up with the farmer and her farm. We sat at the same table where we sat a year ago. It was a warm, breezy day, much like the day we met. We talked about her farm, and we watched farmers work in adjacent farms. In many ways our first and second visits felt similar.

Ah, but so many things have changed. This time we sat at least six feet apart, wearing masks. Now we have had almost a year of pandemic living under our belts. Last time, we did not know how much life was about to change all over the world. The virus we had heard about in January 2020 was overseas—it was troubling but seemed like a distant issue, literally. 

This visit was social, a check-in. I did not haul compost and my questions for Lisa were more conversational than they were during our interview last year. Still, some of Lisa’s answers surprised me, which goes to show that COVID has affected all of us in both universal and individual ways.

Artichoke

Calendula

When I arrived for my follow up visit, I said to Lisa, “I don’t know where to start. There is so much to see!” Lisa invited me to walk the perimeter of the farm and then investigate the middle. The perimeter is lined with artichoke plants, at least three different varieties. They are enormous—more than six feet in diameter. Their textured, silvery-green leaves overlap their neighboring plants, giving the border a lush, abundant feel. There are rows of broccoli, cauliflower, kale, beets and Swiss chard. Lisa says that in the summer, the tomatoes, sunflowers and corn were so tall that the farm became a secluded oasis for times when she wanted privacy. 

Lisa’s goal in starting the farm was to grow enough food to share with people who truly need it, volunteers and friends, and now front line workers. Her not-for-profit farm will be funded by patrons who subscribe to the numerous garden beds and individual plants. Patrons will be welcome to visit the farm for picnics, cooking demonstrations, exercise, birding or just relaxation and fresh air. 

This year Lisa grew a lot of vegetables, herbs and ornamental plants, including calendula, forget-me-nots, nasturtium and geraniums, some of which are edible. She is adding more fruit, too, including strawberries and raspberries.

Forget-Me-Nots.

 

So much is flourishing, but still, 2020 was a year of unpredictable difficulties. Given this, I asked Lisa what the biggest challenges have been for her and the farm in the last year. A mix of physical and mental ones, she says. The pandemic has shaken all of us, of course. Feeling worried about the virus and feeling isolated are some of the mental challenges. But running a farm has no shortage of physical challenges, too. Sometimes the weather is a giant challenge if frost kills plants overnight or when the warm wind dries out the farm faster than she can water it. An injured shoulder slowed Lisa down for a while but she says it is much better now. Farming is full of the unknown, like life itself. Sometimes Lisa has to slow down for a while, or implement Plan B, C, D or E. Flexibility is key. Lisa postponed her patron subscription program, but hopes to introduce it by this spring. Hit a roadblock? Don’t give up. Forge a new route. 

I asked Lisa what the biggest surprise was for her as a farmer in 2020. Two thoughts came to her mind. 

The biggest surprise was cats. Months ago, Lisa noticed a calico cat darting around her farm and neighboring farms, hunting. The cat looked very malnourished, so Lisa began to feed her. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as a free lunch, so the cat stayed. Lisa named her “Cali” because of her calico coat. Lisa soon realized that having an animal around not only gave her someone to talk to, but it also helped with the rodent problem. Cali caught rats, mice, rabbits and gophers, uninvited guests who chomped on Lisa’s plants as if at a midnight all-you-can-eat salad bar. One morning, Cali emerged from under a huge volunteer tomato plant, followed by a tiny crew of four adorable kittens. “The cats saved my farm,” Lisa says with wonder. 

These unexpected mascots helped curb the rat population and soon set up a den in Lisa’s heart. As we chatted, two of the kittens timidly tiptoed toward me. I held out a hand, hoping they would let me pet them. One finally did—for a microsecond—before darting off to walk the grounds. “I love talking to and watching the cats. They bring smiles to my face,” Lisa says, and they love farm life. Lisa has made a cozy home for them in a greenhouse she ordered online and set up with the help of two volunteers. 

Lisa says the second biggest surprise are her volunteers. Yes, the shelter in place order slowed the flow of volunteers at times in the last year. But other times, she had loads of volunteers. She sees her farm as an outdoor gym, and when traditional gyms were closed, people came to the farm to get a full-body workout, shoveling compost to distribute to raised beds, weeding, transplanting, and harvesting. Lisa loves the energy that volunteers bring, and the conversation. Making and sharing gourmet meals with volunteers is also important to her, and her dishes range from vegan to venison. When so many places were closed during the spring of 2020, the farm was open and welcomed volunteers. It gave them something positive to do during a time when many of us felt helpless. The outdoor setting allowed visitors to be active and productive while maintaining social distance and wearing masks when close to one another. Lisa adapted to the COVID guidelines and her volunteers follow safety measures. COVID-19 has been no picnic, but it did not end Lisa’s farm—in fact, it provided an unexpected silver lining: a growing volunteer crew and new friends. 

During my second visit, a frequent volunteer named Lala arrived. The three of us sat and talked as the bamboo wind chimes provided background music. I chatted with Lala about her experience at Lisa’s farm. Lala first visited the farm with a friend, a woman who frequently came with several family members to work at the farm. When I ask Lala what her favorite thing to do at the farm is, she enthusiastically says, "Everything!" She does it all, from schlepping compost to harvesting seeds. It feels good to get out of the house, Lala says. She loves the change of scenery and being outdoors. Lala is from the West Samoan Islands and Lisa's farm is a connection to her island plantation, where her family still grows all of their own vegetables and fruits. The produce Lala's family cultivates includes bananas, coconuts, taros, tamu taro roots, avoka (avovados), sugar cane, pineapples, peas and various greens. 

For Lala, a vegan and an animal lover, a visit to Lisa's farm is like hitting the jackpot. The farm brings together her favorite things in life. She enjoys the organic greens, the volunteer work and smiling at Cali and her fur babies as they play or peek out from under vegetable shrubs. Lala says the dynamics of the farm are "a beautiful surprise, a breath of fresh air and an added value to the peaceful, amazing, sustainable, ever-growing farm!"

I asked Lisa what her plans are for the coming year. To keep growing, she says. Like anyone with a newish endeavor, she is learning as she goes. Lisa has learned that the plastic netting she first used for fencing on the perimeter of her farm was not a good idea. Animals got stuck in it. She replaced that with chicken wire, but it is rusting away. She plans to install a more expensive and durable steel fencing material next. Lisa also has plans to add more cylindrical vertical gardens around three sides of her farm, like the one below, which supports gourds:

Lisa has dozens of varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs but wants to try new ones, too. She plans to plant cardoon, plants similar in taste to artichokes but with edible stems. 

Sitting in the shade of an umbrella, I saw a hawk circling overhead and a hyper hummingbird zooming through the farm. Lisa told the story of a brief spell of fame on her farm last autumn. Birders love the nature reserve in which Lisa’s farm is located. This preserve is where 340 native and migrating bird species can be found. One day a famous birder told Lisa that she has a rare bird at her farm, the tiniest known hummingbird in North America, called Calliope. Soon, many birders flocked to her farm to see this hummingbird that had flown off course heading south for the winter.

As we talked, Lisa mentioned red-winged blackbirds, roadrunners, magpie jays and crows. She loves birds and being within the nature preserve is another benefit of having her farm. Last year, a giant great horned owl was caught upside down in the netting next to artichoke plants. With the help of a neighbor, Lisa freed the bird and sent it on its way. Lisa also has rescued more than a dozen huge gopher snakes who became trapped in the original netting. Every day presents new wonders as well as new challenges. No two days of farming are alike.

During my brief visit to the farm, I feel like I am transported to a different world. The leaves rustle in the breeze and a cat rests in the shade. Lizards scuttle underfoot while bees dart into the cabbages. It’s quiet and I’m surrounded by things that are growing. Here, my worries drift away, at least for a while. The farm is a living, changing kaleidoscope of green. 

As Lisa sends me off with a large harvest of fresh vegetables, I tell her I will be back again to see how the farm continues to change. There is hope on the horizon, with the arrival of vaccines for COVID. And when you are on a farm, you feel hope all around you. Growing something involves planning and work—but also hope. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Lisa’s farm endured and flourished in 2020. While other parts of society slowed down, the farm continued to grow. Surviving the stress of 2020 means one can survive almost anything. Both the farmer and her farm have triumphed.

I can’t wait to see how this dream of Lisa’s continues to grow.