Chapter 2: Starting Over

"Chapter 2: Starting Over"
A Personal Journal by Andrew Burg

Anaheim, California, USA
Sunday, 14 June 2009

Journal / Musings Updated: Monday, 16 April 2012	Photos, Videos, More	*The 2009 Southern California* Google Earth KMZ
I've spent the morning organizing more materials (again) for my You Tube & Blog sites. This is an on-going activity to "brand" myself in the marketplace, both as an individual and a company.	SCROLL DOWN
Then it was off to Home Depot with Michael to pick up yet another garden hose, tools, rooting hormone (vitamin B) for the transplants from yesterday and last weeks rescue. As well as some new herbs and palms about the house. I'm back in my element and feeling good. Although there's been a marine layer in the mornings for the past six weeks, the sun is out and I love the climate even when it struggles to reach 70º each day. No layers of clothing needed here, like in the Pacific Northwest.
I love air-drying my clothes. They dry wrinkle-free, save energy & water and I leave a smaller carbon footprint for the future.

Photos	Andrew Burg BLOG	Andrew Burg YOU TUBE	Andrew Burg LINKED IN	Andrew Burg CONTACT
My newest website creation ... Gardens of Gratitude Orange County House & car at 2365 West Canopy Lane. See April 27 for front of house pictures & videos.
House interior. More interior pictures and a video walking tour on June 7.
Yesterday, Michael and I attended a gardening seminar. And part of this gardening is about creating a demonstration project on urban gardening. I guess I'm the designer, installer and chronicler, so far. As part of this, I'm thinking ahead to create education materials (part of my "brand") to post to this website and turn into Powerpoint slides for future presentations. See also Michael's Facebook page.
Previous weekend work included about 4 hours of landscape preparation: limbing up the trees, removing hedges and other non-native vegetation, fountain grass plant rescue and installation, adjusting sprinklers and assorted ground "prep" work. The actual planting of seeds, watering and sweep up took about 2 hours.

Today I spent another 4 hours in the garden. Continuous replanting to larger containers takes a few hours each weekend. We picked up some free thyme, rosemary, aloe and cactus cuttings at the gardening seminar. They required rooting before planting. And so we potted them in rooting hormone & permalite until they establish roots and can be planted in soil.

Last month I let loose a container of several hundred ladybugs. They stuck around for a few days until the insects were gone. Then they, too, took off. The two praying mantis nests still have not hatched due to continued cool weather.
I spread a number of sunflower seeds all about for color, including in the parkway next to the curb.
Roses, both ours and the neighbors, have finally bloomed and need some care in the fall. No aphids, but some mildew. I reviewed one runt that we're replacing with more sunflowers.
The urban gardener, farmer, landscaper

Backyard / Alley includes sunflowers scattered throughout.