Empty Nest
Unoccupied
It was just about two weeks ago I first noticed there was a nest — this nest — secreted between the serrated leaves of a low-growing clump of aloes.
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5 Likes to Love
All photos Rancho Reubdidoux, except right lowest, by Debra Lee Baldwin.
As weeks go, this one was a big zero: I got nothing done (unless you think of napping as an activity). I won’t bore you with the reasons why; you already know them if you read this blog (yes — still!). So, this morning I sat up, rubbed my eyes and forced myself to think of 5 things I liked this week. You know, like when you click the little thumbs-up “like” button in Facebook. I figured this exercise would help me realize that I didn’t actually sleep the week away, and it would also help me appreciate those things, however small, that gave me pleasure. My first thought was: I got nuthin’! … then the fog lifted a little and I remembered that one thing I liked, then that other thing, then another, and soon I had to stop myself … I actually liked a ton of things this week. Here are my most photogenic likes of the week; I’m hoping you’ll like them, too!
Before & After: Contained Angles
Transformed
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ve probably already guessed that these planters didn’t begin life as containers for succulents … And, you’d be right again if you assumed that I, using simple materials and tools, transformed them into what they are now. Basically, each is a pre-welded wire shape with select areas enclosed by flexible metal to create a plantable pocket, finished with metallic paint for instant patina. From top left, clockwise — Triangle meet cube: In which the aforementioned nests inside the latter and is joined by a pink-n-green euphorbia; Angular torch afire: Comes complete with licks of haworthia flame; Corner pocket: Prickly cactus orbs nestle cozily; a stone adds stabilizing counterweight; Cube for rent: A great place for colorful foliage of oscularia deltoides to hang out. Here’s how I created them …
Putting On Airs
Reading room
A confession: I don’t really like being outside. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing things out in the garden, or eating a special occasion meal out-of-doors, or walking for exercise. But just hanging around outside? It’s not something I do. Except for last Saturday, when I was actually drawn out of my cave by such gorgeous Spring weather it seemed wrong not to. To that end I decided to put together a little seating area for perusing the latest books and shelter magazines. And, what do you know? Studying the interiors of homes overflowing with precious and super-expensive furnishings in the open air — cascades of apricot and hot pink bougainvillea overhead — was nice. Real nice …
Waxing Florid
Flores suculentes
It’s already about half done and we have yet to see April’s showers. We’ve had drizzle, a little fog here and there, and plenty of toupée-shifting winds … but no rain. Should we assume May’s proverbial flowers will be no-shows? I can’t worry about that. Because whether they show up next month or not, my garden’s awash with hot-hued blossoms right now. Here’s a short list of my succulents in bloom …
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Souvenirs
Wind fallen
I found this gorgeous palm fragment lying in the gutter during a recent walk. A windy day casualty, it lay partially upon the curb looking like an imploring hand. I stopped to check it out, deciding then that if it were still there upon my return I’d have to take it home. I could barely concentrate on my walk and actually cut it short; I had to get back and see if my palm fragment was still there. It was, so I dragged it out of the street to carry it home. Cradled in my arms, I realized it was pretty big, (about 5-feet in length) and, although light at first, it became too-heavy quickly. In my current condition I’m unable to carry much weight comfortably, so I stashed it behind a wall until Paul and I could pick it up in the car. I worried that it would be picked up by street cleaners, but a few days later when we went to pick it up it was there waiting. It’s now in my studio and everyone who visits is amazed by it. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it — maybe paint it, maybe paint onto it — but I’m inspired by its size, forms and textures.
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I wondered if other artists dragged nature’s fallen bits home … and found that they do! The photograph below is of Georgia O’Keefe’s studio with a branch as model, the obvious subject of an nearby abstract painting.
O’Keeffe’s Studio, Ghost Ranch, 1962; Photograph: Todd Webb
‘Pie Eyed
Hot stuff
Like a magpie with a technicolor fetish I can’t resist gathering colorful planters and other containers. Of course they can’t just be any ol’ pretty pot, they have to be colorful and special in some way. Above, my most recent acquisitions flank a gorgeously distressed old patio rocker; from the left: A shapely, Laguna pottery vase/planter in chartreuse sports an interesting textured glaze; a frilly concrete urn is elevated by a lovely, chipped turquoise-painted surface; a mod magenta/orange glazed pot from the ’60s is perched in a curvy metal holder from an earlier time; a spherical BBQ on a pedestal makes a tomato-red space-age statement; granny’s ol’ timey torchere loses its candle fixtures, gains a neon green paint job and a new green ceramic topper; a smooth yellow Gainey piece shows off a spectacularly contrasting echeveria; a wide-mouthed avocado green fiberglass cylinder from the ’70s reminds me of bygone refrigerators; a squat ceramic pot makes up for its size with a shiny scarlet glaze. Hunting and gathering these pieces? Real fun. But it’s completing their new images with just the right succulent accompaniment that is sheer joy!
See sources at the end and check these details …
