Backyard Magic

Like the earth itself, our backyard has evolved over the years.

The Jungle Age predated our arrival in 2003.

Our first kid arrived in 2004, beginning a ten year period known as The Broken Toy Age.

This overlapped with The Weed Age (which continues to this day).

By 2014, I finally had some time and energy for the yard, thus beginning The Great Gardening Age.

There were years—maybe a decade!—in which the yard was largely ignored and had to fend for itself. I had three little kids and 95% of my energy went toward keeping them alive. Any yard project that required more than twenty minutes at a time was penciled into the next decade.

But life is a little less hectic now that the kiddos are older, and gardening has become one of my favorite hobbies. On weekends you’ll find me covered in dirt, and I love it!

2003: the northeast corner of our yard before any changes.

A year ago I considered posting about our yard projects but I was concerned that the timing was wrong. I did not want the post to come off as insensitive or braggy, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. My friend M said that it might give people a boost to see something bright and colorful during a time when our spirits felt bleak. Still, I decided to wait, and I truly hope this piece comes across as cheerful and encouraging rather than as a brag fest.

Over the years, we enjoyed various aspects of our yard. We liked that the previous owners planted trees—they wanted this place to feel like home, rather than a temporary stop. The apricot tree was pretty and produced a handful of apricots (one year it yielded exactly one apricot, but why split hairs?). The overgrown tangle of trees and weeds provided nooks and crannies for our kids to explore when they were tiny. There were many hiding places for Easter eggs. It worked for us, so why change things? Plus, I was super busy with the kids and the yard was not an urgent matter. But at some point the kids grew and I could do a few “me” things, like working more in our yard. 

We added a few plants over the years, but the biggest change came in early 2018, when Hubby built a home office in our back yard. Hubby and I are both DIYers, and although I helped a little, he built it himself and did an amazing job. The color scheme and design matched our house, and soon I felt like it had always been there.

Winter 2018: Hubby's office is in the same corner that you see in the photo above.

Hubby's office, designed and built by my hubby, modest man who hates compliments. I think it's awesome.

I decided to build a garden wall, as the office met the patio in a way that seemed too abrupt. Plants would soften the transition. I discovered that I love building planters, which helped organize the yard. The geometry of the concrete block planters contrasted well against the organic shapes of the flowers and plants. 

The garden wall / planter I built below Hubby's office.

Once the office was in, I started looking at the yard differently. I wanted the yard to reflect us, rather than the previous owners. The apricot tree was dead, and needed to be removed. I took a long look at the yard and realized that I wanted to take out three other trees, too. Yet, I was racked with guilt because taking out four trees (even if one was dead) felt wrong to me. One tree was a dwarf orange, only waist tall, so it wasn’t like I was killing an ancient Sequoia tree. But still, I felt badly. Eventually I decided that it was okay for us to make our yard how we want it. Removing the trees opened up the yard a lot, and my ideas started flowing. (Side note: if you are a very stubborn person, you can cut down trees by yourself, refusing help from anyone else. You need a reciprocating saw, and it’s possible your hands will be unusable for two days afterward, too sore or cramped to do anything. But it can be done!)

The back fence after trees were gone, before I added planters.

The previous owners added a patio in sections and a raised brick planter at the back of the yard. “Planter” sounds small but this area is big—fourteen feet wide by thirty feet long, and it’s about a foot higher than the patio. Once I started removing trees, weeds and overgrowth, I found more brick walls that had been covered by leaves, weeds and dirt. It felt exciting—like stumbling upon ancient Mayan ruins!—well, maybe not super old or Mayan. But still, it was fun to unearth walls I’d never seen, and the walls gave me some direction for how to create other zones in the yard. 

Who knew that a brick divider wall was hidden under robust weeds?

                                                                                                                                                                         

A few drawings to illustrate the changes made in our yard:

2019: trees are gone. Wall is found. Pool is deflated. Dirt is...dirt. Mama is tired.

2019--Building a planter against the back fence.

Planter wall, including some cuttings from friends.

In 2019 I made a peacock garden mosaic, and built two more concrete block planters. I also bought gray cement pavers to put in front of Hubby’s office, but I got distracted and they sat in a heap in the yard for months. 

Some of the pavers I painted.
Mixing and matching is marvelous and magnificent.

More pavers. Keeping it lively.

March 2020: the pavers are not finished but at least I started.

In 2020 I built one more planter, and finally got stern with myself about painting the pavers to install in front of Hubby’s office. I wanted an eclectic vibe, and I was inspired by blue and white Moroccan and Mexican tiles I saw online. I used inexpensive blue acrylic and I hand-painted designs onto the pavers. There are a few repeats but most are unique, and it’s a playful mix of traditional looks, modern spatter-painted pavers, and space age designs. I love to mix and match. The painted pavers may not endure for a hundred years, but eighteen months later they still look great. This paver “patio” goes with our blue accent color and provides pattern and whimsy.

During the stressful, isolated months from 2020 through 2021, gardening was a lifejacket for me. In the early months of COVID-19, I didn’t go into stores, so I wasn’t buying materials or plants. But container gardening allowed me to rearrange plants out back, and working in the dirt was soothing to my soul. Doing something that made our yard look good gave me a boost during the pandemic, when I felt helpless and anxious. 

2020

I used river rock from the front yard to fill in spaces.

Summer 2020.

 Lessons I’ve learned and want to share:

1.       When you are redesigning or refreshing a space, see if there are existing elements that work for you (like our brick planter). If so, use some of what is already there. This cuts down on cost, effort and time. Plus, it makes you think more creatively because you are mixing old with new, rather than using a blank slate, and you often you get a more interesting effect.

2.       It’s okay to make your space your own. If you decide to remove something, be it a wall or tree or whatever it is, you’re not a criminal! It’s your space and it should reflect you.

3.       Be patient and celebrate each finished stage, big or small. It’s tempting to want everything to look finished right away. Who doesn’t like immediate gratification? But when a project happens in stages, I appreciate each victory, thereby extending my satisfaction.

4.       Try your hand at DIY projects. They are gratifying because they have your stamp on them. Plus, you save money (sure, they take more time but think of this time as in investment).

 To be honest, our yard still looks a little like a construction site. It’s not finished and may never be, as I tend to rearrange things every few months. The old me would have wanted to share photos only after everything was finished and amazing. The new me knows that perfection does not exist and that the quest for it only pressures me. Sharing real photos, like our giant dirt pile, reminds us that no one’s yard or life is flawless. 

And so, to keep things relatable, here’s a list of what else was not pictured: weeds, occasional doggy doo, plant leaves with chomp holes from caterpillars, dog hair on the edge of the patio, more weeds, a gopher hole, supplies jumbled in the side yards, spider webs, bird poop on the planters, rotting premature persimmons that fell on the ground…and more weeds.

Years ago someone said something a bit snarky to me. A mutual friend described all the creative things I do and the other lady said, “Oh, well, I don’t have time for all that.” Her righteous tone implied that I spent time on meaningless stuff, whereas she was doing important things. I shook it off but years later, I almost feel a need to explain my life. Yes, I am lucky that I can spend time on my yard. Sure, it’s not essential, but it brings me joy. My family comes first. I love teaching. I do the chores that need doing. But in my leftover time, I love gardening. It calms me, and it provides beauty (and sometimes tomatoes). My yard looks different from how it used to because I put time in daily. These progress photos span years, so this is not an overnight makeover. 

Spring 2021

Especially in the early days of parenting, I didn’t understand that self care is vital. Gradually I learned that it is important to do something that feeds your soul. If it brings you peace and doesn’t hurt others, do it! Maybe it’s playing music. Maybe it’s going to ball games. For me, it’s reading and gardening. Find whatever it is that feeds your spirit.  

Summer 2021.

Now where was I? Yes, gardening. Anyway, if you love DIY (Do It Yourself) projects the way we do, or if you’re willing to try them to save on cost, you will be amazed at what you can do yourself. Some of my supplies (bricks and plant cuttings) I got for free online—one neighbor’s trash is another’s treasure, right? Making a place look great is not necessarily about spending a lot—it’s about using your imagination. Buy the smaller plant for a better price, and wait for it to grow. Patience will reward you. You need some time, a modest budget, supplies, and the interest in making it your own.

I hope this backyard refresh brightened your day, and I’ll see you again soon, here on the blog. School is starting up and before long I will have loads of student art to share. ‘Til then, I will be moving potted plants around, cursing at the weeds, occasionally finding a Hot Wheels car or Lego brick under layers of dirt, and watching Mother Earth work her magic…

Little Libraries are a Big Bonus

Do you love books as much as I do? Even if you don’t, please keep reading because this is the tale of tiny libraries connecting people all over the world.

As I began typing this post I had the vague recollection that I had written about little libraries before. Or had I merely intended to? I scrolled back through older blog posts and realized that I posted about these libraries more than seven years ago, and with only one photo. Clearly it is time for an update.

Seven years ago I discovered a Little Free Library while walking near my parents’ house. The tiny house had books inside and a number on it. Enchanted, I threw on my Lois Lane hat and began digging online for the story. I wondered how long these libraries existed, who started them, and how many there were.

The Little Free Library program is a nonprofit designed to give people access to books if they do not have a library near where they live. Each Little Free Library has its own number, entered into a database, and mapped for readers to use. This allows people to search for free books nearby. Here is the link: https://littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap.

I have many photos of Little Free Libraries I have found over the last seven years. I am not including them all, but here are a few highlights: 

We found this one by accident while in Port Elizabeth, Maine.

Found on a twisty road in Glendale, near Los Angeles.

The Little Free Library program began in 2009 when Tod Bol of Wisconsin built a miniature library to share books with others. In 2012 the nonprofit was established. There are more than 100,000 Little Free Libraries in more than 100 countries around the world. I am delighted that this program is so much larger than I would have guessed. There are building plans available online if you want to create your own Little Free Library, and there are also mini libraries not officially registered with the organization. The libraries are as diverse as the books inside them: many have shingled roofs and real doors, but some have an open air design. Some are colorful and decorated with mosaic or paint, while others are more subdued. All are wonderful.

I am lucky to have a branch library less than a mile from home, and one of the things I have missed during quarantine is the ability to check out books. In the last week I have visited seven Little Free Libraries (the furthest being three miles from our house). I took two books and left some that my kids wanted to donate. For years I have taken photos of Little Free Libraries, with the intention of blogging about them at some point.

My love of reading dates back to my early childhood. We regularly visited our local library, as well as other library branches throughout the city. There were free movies shown on actual film reels, there were craft sessions, and of course, books. I still remember how the pages of the books smelled like the Eucalyptus trees outside our local library. As a child I was shy, and reading was a favorite pastime. Another of my hobbies was playing with our dollhouse, which my parents bought from a man who had built it for his daughter. After she outgrew it, it became ours. I loved the imaginary world I could create in the dollhouse. Miniature foods, furniture and accessories were enchanting. I think one reason I love Little Free Libraries is because they look like dollhouses—filled with books—and are a nostalgic connection to my childhood.

Some Little Free Libraries are made from upcycled bookcases, wooden crates or other materials. I have seen phone booths repurposed into Little Free Libraries. But many are handmade by book lovers, and some look like a smaller version of the house behind them. Some are in parks or in commercial areas. I saw one in a mall. But they all demonstrate a sharing attitude, and I love finding one by accident.

The photos below are Little Free Libraries I have not seen in person but which deserve a nod:

How imaginative is this mini library in Spokane, WA?

In New York City.

Modeled after the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee, WI.
Such detail!

Major charm in Salem, OR.

Reading with "Rosie the Robot" in Horace, ND

It’s been fun to share these delightful libraries with you. Hope you enjoyed it, too!

Wacky Wednesday #97: Loma Theater Bookstar

This is a painting I did of the Loma Theater twelve years ago.

This week’s costume is especially interesting if you live in San Diego and you know the building I’m channeling. (If not, sit tight and read on. I think you’ll find it cool, even if you don’t have a connection with this theater or San Diego.) I’m dressed as the Loma Theater Bookstar, a book store housed within a beautiful former theater built in the 1940s. I think I first saw this building in the late ‘90s, while driving to a mural-painting job. The theater was closed in the 1987 and eventually the book store moved into the space. The marquee was preserved and the inside of the theater retains some original elements. From my very first glimpse of this building, I was intrigued.  

My husband saw the film E.T. at this theater in 1982. This kind of theater evokes memories for my generation because when I was a child in the 80s, there were still big movie theaters around. The last time I saw a movie in a big theater was in 1996 or ‘97. I still remember what I saw and where. That was about the time that multiplexes were being developed. The multiplexes of today are practical—I can’t deny that. But allow me to indulge in some memories of where I saw movies as a child and teen: cavernous theaters with red velvet drapes and an Old Hollywood flair. As a child I didn’t go to movies often but the memories from those experiences are stamped into my brain. Can you imagine how huge a 1000-seat theater seemed to a six-year-old? I was so small and the screen was gigantic. The sound swirled through the huge room and enveloped you. Seeing a movie in that kind of theater was dramatic. 

A dozen years ago I stopped outside the Loma Theater Bookstar and took photos of the façade. I love old theater marquees. I dig the neon and the majesty of these buildings. From my photos I started painting a series of old theaters. I’m embarrassed to say that I did not finish some of the paintings I started. But here on my blog I do not pretend that I’m perfect and it’s refreshing when we share our human moments. When I couldn’t get the effect I wanted I put the painting aside (for years!). But these days I’m motivated by attempting something intriguing and finishing it. I accept that my art and I don’t have to be perfect. So I’m going to finish the paintings I started years ago. My costume and my painting are going to work together to celebrate this beautiful building.

This costume was made entirely from supplies I already had at home—fabric, paint, cardboard, pipe cleaners, hot glue sticks—so my total cost was $0.

The theater marquee and my marquee.

Would you like to know a little bit of history about the Loma? The theater was built in 1945 and according to two different accounts, it had either 1188 seats or nearly 1000. It was the creation of architect S. Charles Lee, who designed many motion picture theaters on America’s west coast. The theater has an Art Deco design, a style popular in the 1920-1940s, that used industrial imagery along with geometric shapes, repetition, detailed decoration and vivid colors. The beautiful ceiling murals inside the theater still remain (touched up, but in the original design). The last movie shown at The Loma was in 1987. These days, reading books printed on paper rather than a tablet is less common than it once was, so it feels especially fitting that a classic past time like reading can be nurtured within a classic building.

Photo courtesy of Shelley Hospitality.

A photo of the Loma Theater in 1957.

                              

                     

Ceiling murals inside the book store.

                             

Detail of the ceiling murals.

                            

The details on the Loma’s facade appealed to me from the very moment I first saw it. I love architecture (older buildings as well as new designs). As a teenager I began taking photos (using film!) of buildings I liked. Now I can indulge my interest without having to buy film, and I have hundreds of photos of beautiful old buildings in San Diego as well as other cities. Creating a costume inspired by a gorgeous old theater brings together several of my interests and it is a pleasure to pay homage to this building, to the theaters of my childhood, and to San Diego history.