Landscaping

 My other, other part time job is landscaping. I love being outdoors in all seasons and weather. Observing nature and learning new ways of being is something I have always done. Now, I have to stop myself from sharing my stories, prose and art on this blog since its going into my book. I have some interesting perspectives and metaphors! I cant wait to crawl into my winter burrow to write. 

   I will share one tiny tid bit story. Imagine me as a thin small child with calloused hands from climbing trees and playing in the dirt. Climbing to the very tip top trees during Georgia thunderstorms. Rain pelting my face surrounded by lightning and crashing of thunder. Wind blowing hard pushing pine trees and cracking branches. I sat there until it passed. Sometimes as a child I wanted to cry but I let the rain cry for me. I did this most of the time a storm would come through. Would I finally be struck by lightening? Those storms were nothing compared to the ones I faced inside my house. 

When I do landscaping I am thinking about seeing the space 15-20 years down the road. I can see what it will look like even in its awkward stages. I can see the slow evolution. 

Jens Jensen is one of my favorites right now. So giving of his talent and amazing community impact: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jens_Jensen_(landscape_architect) Some of his work was completed in a city I was born. Landscape architects use civil engineering, botany, soil sciences, fine arts etc to plan and execute designs. All the things I love, if only I had another life...

Meraki Journeys Studio Area

OK! Landscaping. One day, when I grow up, I will have a stand alone studio with Open Studio/ Garden Parties- maybe once a quarter. The idea is to create an inspirational, relaxing setting for people to draw, paint, chat, eat etc. I have dreams! It will likely be a house or structure on some retirement property?

Last year I moved in with boyfriend, took over yard and run the landscaping like a legit Project Manager. Schedules, diagrams, costs, materials, phases, goals etc. The backyard is a cottage courtyard design. Since my last visit to Prague I decided to do cobblestone in the designs of street cobblestone I saw. 

(There is NO aviary in the living room. Too long a story so Ill skip it.)

So far it looks pretty close to the drawing. I have visions/ideas and have a knack for seeing them through. The good side of being stubborn is that I MUST see my visions come to life.

Grading Soil, Creating Water flow

What's this? Oh just a huge grading issue! A rain storm dumped a heck ton of water and it settled right next to the house and leaked into an unfinished room. During the rain I dug a trench and got the water flowing out and away. Picture this: boyfriend with bucket, me with badass boots and shovel. Cool thing is, I later used the trench as a guide to know the depth for grading.

Takoda is inspecting my work. There was a deck in the middle area. for the life of me I cant figure out how that second hump of soil came to be. Like really. How did that happen!? No matter, it needs to be moved. 

Big ole hump of soil marked in blue

Trench as a guide, flags as markers

Time to dig and dig and wheel barrel. I learned a lesson about gripping a heavy wheel barrel. Keep the handles low in the fingers! I dumped most soil to garden beds in front of house. Some of it I put up against the house. 

1. think of the area like a topographical map, make layers that maybe dont have totally smooth transitions at first. (first layer is the shallow point, next layer is maybe 4-5 inches up etc.) Mark area with flags

2. plan where you want the water to go and flow, those are the lowest areas, make them wide and big enough

3. Smooth the edges of each layer out with a metal rake, time consuming but necessary

4. I used the following layers: straw, wood chips (neighbors recently had a tree removed) then bark nuggets

5. Wet those fresh layers down and kick out any lumps

6. Why didn't I simply install a french drain? that would not have solved the problem of the weird humps, that shit needed to go. Plus we will be adding a small lower level deck later. later..

Finished: there is a slight raised area up by the house around a window well to direct water down and away. Turned that into a planting area.

Halfway through I had sweat dripping in my eyes and shovel in hand and thought "WHAT am I doing!?" It was then I knew I was on the right track. 

It looks good, feels good and will work. The layers of straw, woodchips and bark will not only prevent a muddy area it will act as a sponge to slow the water down, give it time to soak in. The low spot (I think of as a basin) is much further out and not very perceptible. In the picture it is in front of the straw bale.

(Waht in the qwat is that red thing in the background!? An abstract water hydrant for Takoda to pee on)

Japanese Dry Rock/Zen Garden

I despise the concept of bonsai for many reasons. I'm allergic to grass and I hate landscaping fabric. I don't like meddling with nature too much. Let it be. With this next project I used all those materials and methods I "don't like" and made something really quite pretty. 

"Do I contradict myself?

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"

-Walt Whitman "Song of Myself"

There was a shady, dry north facing spot that plants shriveled and it saddened me. What to do. What to do. I woke up at 2 in the morning for no reason and sat in mediation looking at my favorite garden books. I saw a section on Japanese dry rock gardens. I thought it would be nice to have one but not out back with dogs yada yada. Later that day I obviously put 2 and 2 together. 

Before: sad so very sad

I threw a really fun block party for my neighbors at my Sunflower house a couple years ago. Someone gifted me a concrete lantern! How lovely! I give gifts and receive gifts. Its a beautiful world. Now. The lantern was completely hidden by the jungle that is a monarch waystation (Waystation is registered with cool sign and all). So we moved the lantern here. From concept to finish I think I spent 4-5 6 hour days on it.

Finished: The left backside is an area built up with some jagged rocks to reflect the Wasatch Mountains. There is a small peninsula that reaches into the sand area to represent Antelope Island. Pops of red for good luck, protection, strength, peace and power.

Mosses, small plants, rosemary "tree" in the island. Everything has a little drip hose/sprinkler to it.

A troll moved in right away! I wonder if the rest of his family will move in? I think he might enjoy the naked solitude for now. (I made a popsicle stick chair- part of a troll dollhouse I made years ago)

These stones are to represent Buddha and 2 helpers.