Casa Serenidad in Bloom

“La verdad es que mientras más enojado estoy con este país y más lejos viajo, más mexicano me siento.”
― Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Instrucciones para vivir en México
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Christine
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Casa Serenidad in Bloom

Post by Christine »

I haven't shared much from my home life lately. I've been too busy between shop tending, long deep conversations, and work at home. Slowly the garden comes together, little vignettes of plantings and some of last years plantings bearing their gifts. Today seem to be a good day to share some beauty and the gratitude that comes with it.

I'll start with a few cat photos, they continue to make their way into my heart leaving paw prints. They also roll in the dirt and leave dusty paw prints everywhere.

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A happy moment with Catrina, she only took two years to accept me.

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This is Midnight the starving black cat who found the shop, Michael adopted him and now he's in cat heaven.

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Cooper in his favorite doing, cat napping until he can eat again.

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The surprise plum on my baby tree. The more mature one blossomed too early to bear fruit this year.

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This hydrangea has been in the same pot for over three years and she just keeps on blooming.

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Borage gone wild, it pops up everywhere.

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Lemon Balm survived the grasshopper attack from last summer.

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Blackberries in bloom and berries forming. My six plants are getting trellised next week.

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Comfrey, another surviver and thriver. This medicinal should be in every garden.

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Looks like I may get a few peaches this year.

Life, with all the challenges and obvious nefarious goings on, is still beautiful to behold. I started walking again for my neglected body was crying out for journeys along paths, even well tread ones work. Here is a view of the town here on a bright sunny morning.

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Just had to add a few more. It's blazing hot in the sun today even though they have been chemtrailing the sky for a few weeks now and it's starting to get that silvery sheen. Read my mind on how I feel about that.

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Both Jacaranda's are in full bloom this year, first time I've seen them this way.

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With so many rocks and boulders on the property I keep making little vignettes, lots of grasses and cacti going in too.

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Had forgotten about this portrait of Catrina, she loves being photographed and asks me to share.
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The journey, the challenge is to step into the
projection room and stop being lost in the script.
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Re: Casa Serenidad in Bloom

Post by Christine »

Almost a year has swept by and Spring is again in the air. We even got three afternoon thundershowers a few days back, most unseasonable but welcomed by everyone and the plants couldn't be happier. Here is a few photos of this year's blooms and growth.

If I can somehow eradicate the plague of grasshoppers that have eaten everything the last few years I feel that my garden will really take off when the monsoons come. I lost a few trees this past year, sadly one large Jacaranda got root rot because a water pipe was put through underground near the roots and it broke, I didn't catch it in time. I will prune all the dead branches back and perhaps it will survive. Learning so much as I go here; pruning fruit trees is an art and I haven't mastered it yet. Also soil rehabilitation, weed control and plant placement. (Thinking of Laurie as I write, no plan to get animals and actually farm but who knows what might happen in the future.)

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Front porch with Luci and some new potted flowers and cactus.

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Side view of the front porch.

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Ángel eyeing Luci eating some raw dog food, I don't think he is thrilled.

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Front door with Fern, Calla Lily, and Jasmine.

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Trumpet vine found it's way up the porch post, I coaxed it the first few steps but now that its reached the roof rafters its on its own.

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Happy with myself for getting the wood trellis on the wall, a task that I wasn't too thrilled to take on but it's done and the Passion vine is happy too.

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Passion Flower, so exotic.

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Thin Bamboo is taking off, when it spreads it will be a complete living fence for privacy for and from my neighbors. I have planted fifteen stands in all and they are all sending out new shoots this year!

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Planted the Mezquite last year and it hardly put out any new growth, this year it's taken off.

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My pines, planted them right after I moved in. They were the height of my knees with a pencil size trunk. Now they are a foot over my head and thriving.

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One final shot, wild orchids and the Aloes that are one of my favorite plants for its healing properties.
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The journey, the challenge is to step into the
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Re: Casa Serenidad in Bloom and New Work

Post by Christine »

On Sunday I got busy and cleaned out what is now my gardening shed, it was full of plastic boxes and pretty dirty. A few critters crawled away as I moved the boxes, a scorpion and a black widow spider which are common here. This impulse to beautify involved hauling the heavy boxes out and carrying in the pots, soil, and tools I would need. To be honest I haven't worked my body that hard in a long time. Once I got going it was non-stop until the sun started to set.

As the weeks pass I am more drawn to be home—to work the land and finish a myriad of projects. This morning I planted my sweet pea seeds in some long pots so they can trail up the wire inclosure of garden shed. I finally remembered to put the seeds in my mouth before putting them in the soil. "According to Anastasia, the seed is thus able to take in information about the person who plants it, and then during the cultivation of its fruit it will pick up from the Universe and the Earth the optimum blend of energies needed for a given Man." I don't know if this is true or not but it makes sense to my senses.

While my deep impulse is to beautify the environment, there is a practicality to my work such as conditioning the soil with compost and mulching with alfalfa. I will update as I go along. I know I have a battle ahead when the rains start and the grasshoppers return, they truly are a plague and I haven't figured out how deter them yet.

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Gravel walk to gardening shed, on the stone wall the dragon fruit has taken off, planted from a few cuttings when I moved in.

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Comfrey and where I planted some sweet peas, doesn't look like much yet though I am looking forward to some climbing peas.

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Sunflowers dried from last year, ready to be seeded soon.

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After a long day laying on my sofa looking out the front door as the sun begins its descent.

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Lovely Luci enjoying the last of the sun's rays.

To end my little update I want to thank Spiritwind and karelia for sharing their gardening adventures with us all. It's the little things in life that seem to be evermore important these days.

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“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground, there
are a thousand ways to go home again." —Rumi
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The journey, the challenge is to step into the
projection room and stop being lost in the script.
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Christine
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Re: Casa Serenidad in Bloom

Post by Christine »

It's hard to say if people are interested in the progress at Casa Serenidad, I do like sharing though and today has been a hard-at-work day so I'll share some progress. Last year I didn't have much enthusiasm, must have been like a seed inside of me that didn't blossom until now. Honestly I am working with grit and trust that what and who I need to help will arrive, so far so good.

My one day a week gardener went to Louisiana for his annual crawfishing gig and through a friend of another friend Jaime arrived, and has been working with me on Saturdays for three weeks now. He is one friendly good natured guy and nothing deters him, today we finished a rough large rock terrace wall to define where I will soon put in a small patch of grass so I can ground and lay on it. Being situated in a high semi-arid landscape it's mostly rock, dirt, grasses, and cactus; not conducive for barefoot walking.

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One of the medium size stones that Jaime got into a wheelbarrow and is rolling into place.

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Rolled into the shallow trench to hold it.

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The house from the view on the lower part of the property where I was watering the newly planted skinny bamboo, aloes, and plumbago flowers.

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Plumbago, so happy they are well adapted to the climate here. They grow to heights and so I've planted more along the lower fence line.

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The corner living area windows, looking out over the now thriving trees. The patch of grass will make the view even more delicious.

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The sun shining a pure ray of light, it feels like a blessing and good omen to have captured it.

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Angel all tuckered out and sound asleep with his eyes open. I think he felt he was helping by supervising all the work today.
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The journey, the challenge is to step into the
projection room and stop being lost in the script.
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