Green Regards - The San Joaquin Valley is My Home

Just a few images that include Mexican Sage, Daylilly, Spanish Lavender, Ground Bark Groundcover and small Fescue Lawn

2011-10-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Creative Landscaping removed our entire hybrid Bermuda lawn - replacing it with drought resistant plants, bark groundcover and a much smaller Fescue lawn. The work went very quickly. We told them what we wanted and they did exactly that! We are very pleased.

Images of plantings after landscape project completed in Visalia, California

2011-10-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Images of Lawn soon to be a naturalized setting

2011-08-31T08:40:00.000-07:00

Images of Water Garden - Purple Water Hyacinths - Visalia, California

2011-08-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Images of Mallard Ducks and Ducklings Swimming in Mill Creek in Visalia, California

2011-07-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Image of Cat on Fence - Hunched and Looking Like a Bird's Shape

2011-07-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Striper was scheming on a woodrat - getting ready to pounce.

Images of Purple Speckled Flower and an old Cockatiel

2011-07-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Images of Trees - Valley Oaks & Cottonwoods - Mill Creek Trail in Visalia, California

2011-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Images of Flowers - Celosias Blooming April 2011

2011-04-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Images of Spring Flowers - Roses and Daisies Blooming Today

2011-04-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Images of Spring Garden - Flowers and Ferns - San Joaquin Valley of California

2011-04-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Belated Posting of Garden Images 2010 - Flowers, Tadpoles and Herb Garden

2011-02-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Images from Spring and Summer - San Joaquin Valley - My Garden

2011-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

Image of Queenie - Poodle-Terrier and Cat Door Framework

2010-08-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Queenie and Cat Door Framework

Queenie chased a cat through a cat door and got stuck. The frame was removed after these pictures. Queenie was not injured - only embarrassed.

2010-08-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

When Abby Was Young

Images of Blue Flowers - Cape Plumbago

2010-08-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Cape Plumbago Blossoms

Images of Blooming Potato Vines - Purple and White

2010-08-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

Potato Vines

Image of Graffiti Overnight - August 3, 2010

2010-08-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Notice the nice little pathway that is clear. Makes it so easy to deface private property. Why?

Update: August 5, 2010, City employees painted the entire fence black. I was grateful.

Oops! I must be color blind. The fence is dark forest green and it hides other colors very well.

Images of Mimosa Tree - Pink Blossoms in Summer

2010-08-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mimosa Blossoms

Image of Blue and White - Summer Clouds in a Summer Sky - Southern San Joaquin Valley

2010-07-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Image of a Goldfish and Summer Flowers - Southern San Joaquin Valley of California

2010-07-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

Images of Flowers - Blooming in my San Joaquin Valley Garden Today

2010-07-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Images - Beach Scenes - Bandon on the Oregon Coast

2010-07-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Images from My Garden in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California

2010-07-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Image of our Honolulu Grandsons

2010-07-12T13:59:00.001-07:00

Image of Driftwood on Bandon Beach

2010-06-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Image of Sunset - Bandon, Oregon

2010-06-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Images of White Flowers - Roses, Honeysuckle and Daisies Blooming in My Garden Today

2010-05-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Images - Roses Blooming in My Garden Today - Two Bushes

2010-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

The top two rose blossoms are blooming on a miniature bush.

Images - Homegrown Red Potatoes - San Joaquin Valley of California

2010-04-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

We grew these for fun. I had never been involved in potato growing before. I cut small pieces, with "eyes", from purchased red potatoes. The vine is beautiful. This is our first crop.

Images - Pink Geraniums - Spring Blooms - Visalia, California

2010-04-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

Images - Apple Tree - Blossoms and Fruit Development - California's San Joaquin Valley

2010-04-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Images - Pink Hollyhock Blossoms, White and Purple Butterfly Iris, Red Single Rose, White Dusty Miller

2010-04-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Images - Queenie - Our little Chihuahau-Wire Terrier Mix is sniffing Begonias and Green Onions

2010-04-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Images - After the rainstorm - cacti, succulents with yellow flowers and white apple blossom with a bee

2010-04-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Image - Redding, California - This is our favorite place to stay "on the river" with our little dog.

2010-03-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Images - Yokohl Valley Scenes - Sierras, Wildflowers and Oaks

2010-03-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers are mainly Fiddlenecks and Meadow Foam.

Images - More First Blooms in My San Joaquin Valley Garden Today

2010-03-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

Images - Spring Flowers - Pink Geranium - Pale Gerbera Daisies

2010-03-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

Images - Yokohl Valley, Wildflowers, Cattle, Foothill Scenes

2010-03-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

White flowers are Meadow Foam and the purple are Lupine. Orange flowers on distant hillside are California Poppies.

Images - Yokohl Valley, Tulare County in Southern California Sierra Nevada Foothills

2010-03-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday drive through the flowering hillsides - here we see mistletoe on an Oak Tree plus white snowflowers and golden fiddlenecks. (Clarification 032310 - I think the white flowers are "Meadow Foam".)

Images of Apricot Blossoms - Very Early Spring 2010

2010-03-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

Images of Mushrooms and Wildflowers on Hillside - Tule River Area in the Southern Sierra Nevadas

2010-03-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Images - Frazier Valley in Tulare County, California - Cattle Pasture and Windmill

2010-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Images of White Potato Vines - "Jasmine"

2010-03-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

We have 3 of these vines - two white and one purple. This one provides a great privacy hedge.

Images from Frazier Valley - Pasture and Fencing - Early Spring

2010-03-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Images of Vegetables and Herbs - Container Gardens - San Joaquin Valley Home

2010-03-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

Most of our garden is grown in raised beds are containers of various sizes and shapes. Posted here are images of ruby chard, collard greens, potato vine, green chard, strawberry plant, dill, chives, and fennel.

Images Along the Tule River - March 7, 2010, Highway 190

2010-03-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

Images of Spring Flowers - Hyacinth, Chinese Fringe Flower and Yellow Daffodils

2010-02-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Spring flowers starting to bloom in our San Joaquin Valley garden. Our planting is underway beginning with strawberries, violas, poppies, shallots, garlic and a variety of greens.

Valentine's Day Images of Our Little Dog - Queenie

2010-02-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Queenie's good friend, Sally, sent her this pretty pink parka for Christmas. It's the only pink item Queenie owns.

Two Images of Former West Park School Houses: West Park School is located on Valentine Avenue in Fresno, California

2010-02-14T11:02:00.000-08:00

These photos were sent to me by my cousin, Doug.

Today is Valentines Day and I was thinking of

Valentine Avenue.

Sunrise Over the Sierras - I like the red sunrises on rainy days.

2010-02-08T15:49:00.000-08:00

Two Images of Little Dog at Nap Time

2010-02-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Queenie is a Wire Terrier, Poodle, Chihuahua and "who knows what" mix. She is a good girl.

Looking like Spring already at my home in the Southern San Joaquin

2010-01-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

Two Images of Orange Sunrise - Sierra Nevadas with Snow - January 26, 2010

2010-01-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

Images of Sunrise Over the Sierras - January 23, 2010

2010-01-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Snow fell on the foothills as well as the mountains. This crane is visible from my home. I was surprised to see the SCE tower as well. I didn't know how close it was to our home.

Images of Snow on Sierras - January 16, 2010

2010-01-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Snowfall may be down to 3,000 feet by Monday.

Watching "the factor" - Sarah Palin is on.

2010-01-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

I admire Sarah Palin. She knows how to vote.

Sunrise Over the Sierras - January 10, 2010

2010-01-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

Several images of cacti with blooms - hillside in Springville, CA

2009-12-02T09:53:00.000-08:00

Images of Smoke from Yosemite Fire drifting down over the Southern Sierras.

2009-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures around 6:30 a.m. today. Last evening - we saw smoke from a fire burning directly east of us. It appeared to be a small fire. I saw no smoke there this morning.

Scenes from Morro Bay, California - these are as seen from beach by Morro Rock.

2009-08-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

Time to start blogging again.

2009-08-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

This year has been totally hectic. Home and cabin improvements with tree removals and lots of tree trimming in the mountains.

Image of the New Melones Reservoir before it was filled with water.

2009-08-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is me circa 1976 or 1977. That bridge is way up there. This was our last visit there before the reservoir was filled. Makes me think of Hetch-Hetchy and wonder if the "other Yosemite Valley" will ever be restored.

Image of Lizard trapped in wire mesh. Lizard has aqua spotting on back.

2009-07-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

I was able to release this lizard using wire cutters. I was careful not to touch him. He fled as soon as the wire's tension was released. He is now in my fern garden. The wire has been removed. He looks like an alligator lizard but the coloring is new to me.

Images are Pink Single Oleanders in my San Joaquin Valley Garden

2009-07-06T16:41:00.001-07:00

Images of Purple Water Hyacinths Blooming in Garden Fountain.

2009-07-06T16:37:00.000-07:00

Images of McDuff, a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd. He was a pup then.

2009-07-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

Home Improvement Project - June 2009 - New Roof and A/C Unit by End of this Week

2009-06-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Our shake roof was removed and will be replaced by composition shingles.

Garden Images - Apricots ripening in San Joaquin Valley Garden

2009-06-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

These are homegrown apricots. Birds peck them and foxes gather fruit as well. Most will be totally ripe by Friday due to higher temperatures. Snails and insects also gather on the fruit.

Images of White Daisies with Winged Insect - San Joaquin Valley Garden

2009-06-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Images from my Garden - Purple Water Hyacinth and Sunlit Cactus Bowl

2009-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Images of Pink Oleander Blossoms - This is summer to me!

2009-06-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

I know summer has come when I smell the heady fragrance of oleander blossoms. The competing summer fragrance is that of honeysuckle. My paternal grandmother's home was surrounded by oleanders, honeysuckle and petunias and my senses recall those scents to this day.

Images from the San Joaquin Valley of California - Ripening apricots and a purple potato vine.

2009-06-19T08:38:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we picked 10 pounds of apricots and 8 pounds of zucchini. Now that the days are heating up tomatoes to ripen as well. We certainly have enough to give to our friends and neighbors. We will probably turn more of our back yard into vegetable garden as the years go by.

Here are two of my favorite dogs.

2009-06-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Maggie was almost totally blind and deaf. Most of her last photos were taken when she did not even know I was there. The other is Bailey on a Dinkey Creek camping trip.

This is Rainbow Chard from my naturalized garden.

2009-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Our herbs and many vegetables have naturalized now. We still plant seeds every spring and fall to try new varieties. I had a great vegetarian meal last night - all from our garden - and all up from last year. I am not a vegetarian but eat mainly vegetables. We have "wild" tomatoes now too.

These images are typical valley views - wild turkeys and riverbottom land.

2009-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Pictures of McDuff in Hollyhocks and Abby under a Purple Potato Vine.

2009-06-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Image of Hummingbird and my dog - Queen - just a typical valley morning.

2009-06-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Images of flowers and zucchini grown in the fertile San Joaquin Valley that may soon become another "Dust Bowl".

2009-06-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

Seems like some people want to end farming in California. Even more water has been shut off cutting off crop production and jobs. Is the plan to turn the valley into a big prison system or windfarm for the Bay Area and L.A.? I think it is ridiculous to whine about "foreign oil" while wanting to outsource our food production. For those who condemn all "chemicals" - think about what you are putting on your hair daily. Maybe perms and hair color should be eliminated as well as stinky pefumes.

Three images of succulents blooming on Easter Sunday 2009

2009-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Images - My Various Iris began their blooming season in late March.

2009-04-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Visalia Rain on Wednesday, April 7, 2009

2009-04-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing that "Visalia had zero inches of rain on April 7th". We had heavy rain at our home.

We had a dry windstorm with blowing dust in late afternoon. Rain began around 5 p.m. Then, around 9 p.m. - rain, hail, strong wind and thunder and lightning continued through the night into early morning. I saw lightning in all directions.

At times - the rain came down in "sheets".

Picture of Purple Blossom on Purple Potato Vine

2009-04-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Buds on my white vine are visible in the background. Carpenter bees are already gathering pollen from these vines.

Views Out My Kitchen Window Today

2009-04-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

Images of Pinkish African Violets Blooming Today

2009-04-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

Images of Flowers Blooming Today - These are some of my African Violets - My Favorite Houseplants

2009-04-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Images of Tomato Plants - Hanging Upside Down in a White Plastic Bucket

2009-03-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

We planted this tomato vine on March 29. It hangs from my patio roof and has morning sun due to its eastern exposure. The white "tendrils"

in the planting hole are "scrap" left when the hole was drilled. We used Miracle Gro potting soil. We used screen cloth (with a hole cut in it) to keep the soil within the bucket.

Images of Tomato Plants - Growing Upside Down in Brown Buckets

2009-03-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

These tomato vines have a western exposure with sun all day long and were planted Mar. 29.

Four Pictures of Apple Blossoms on Our Only Apple Tree

2009-03-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Images of Hollyhocks -finally some flowers this spring.

2009-03-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the "Early Girl" Tomato Vines that we will be potting "upside down".

2009-03-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Spring garden to be planted this upcoming weekend - finally!

2009-03-25T08:59:00.001-07:00

These are Sally's tomato vines (Cumming, GA) planted upside down. We're going to try this with our 6 Early Girl's. We're going to make our own planters from buckets as in picture to right. Sally had wonderful results with delicious tomatoes. Another first will be Kung Pao peppers among others. We'll be starting the seeds and then transplanting to the garden containers.

These pictures were taken on March 22nd. Snow was falling low on the mountains by the Tule River.

2009-03-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

These Images are from February and are my of my winter cabbage beginning to head.

2009-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Images of Puppy and Cat - Playing Outside on Sunny Visalia Morning

2009-03-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

Poindexter the cat and Queenie the puppy are not fighting. They are just playing "dog and cat" games as they do each day - for several hours.

Snapshots from my front yard today - Clouds on the Sierras and flowers blooming.

2009-03-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

Images - White Potato Vine Blossoms and Seedlings of Spanish Moss Rose

2009-03-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Images of Maggie and Queenie - Two dogs enjoying a sunny Visalia morning.

2009-03-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

Maggie is our Golden Retriever - German Shepherd mix. She's 14, partially blind and partially deaf. She gets around really well as she stays inside most of the time with Queenie. Queenie is this six-month old terrier mix.

Images - Finally some flowers are blooming in my yard today.

2009-03-03T10:34:00.000-08:00