We spent that better part of the last couple days cleaning up and tidying the garden.   As you know with any summer garden, once you get busy next thing you know you got loads of work that piles up.  The compost pile needed tending – getting to where it just as high as our back fence line.   The dead, dried up trailing nasturtiums needed to be taken off the trellis behind the row of fruit trees, leaves raked, pathways swept, mulch put out, veggie beds that showed signs of not recovering from spider mites ripped out and replanted.

The front yard, after de-grassing 19 years ago is still undergoing changes.  Every year with edible landscaping the face of the yard changes – trees grow, some perennial are to hardy while others take their sweet time.   The front yard garden used to be a mix of about 50%  annual edibles and 50% perennial edibles but Farmer D is trying to bring up the edible perennials to about 75% with fruit trees and bushes.

Yesterday we were excited to be a location shoot for an acclaimed filmmaker for an important upcoming eco documentary set to be released on Earth Day 2011.  I have a little write up about it but it needs to be reviewed and cleared with the film agency before I can tell you more.  I can’t even share photos that we snapped – oh well.

This we received a lovely little handwritten letter in the mail that made me start to think about all the stuff I want to do before I grow too gray – play a musical instrument, sew an entire wardrobe, finish the unfinished many knitting projects, etc, etc.  The woman simply wrote “how do you do all that you do?”  Fact is I/we don’t and can’t.  Lots of things are sacrificed or suffer because of the choices we make.  And somethings just take us longer to get to. So if we don’t get around to answer everyone’s question, emails or fix this or that with the website you can rest assured that we are doing our very best.

Don’t forget Farmer D’s Urban Homesteading: Sustainable living the in the middle of the city presentation at Donald Wright Auditorium at the Pasadena Main Public Library (285 E Walnut) this Sunday (July 26)  from 2:00 – 5:00 PM

Tomato forest

Summer garden

Squash and apple trees

Earthen oven

Working the hives

Building more boxes

Apple tree loaded with fruit

Pink guava flower

Dora, Estella and Sissy watches Sairey take a dirt bath

Another planting of tomatoes for late summer/fall harvest