HAPPY 4TH!

Mid-week Mini-break

Took the day off today to rendezvous with Barbara in Richmond at Annie's. I don't know how Barb found out about the plant nursery, but she was eager to visit. When I found out the place has speciality native plants I was just as anxious to visit Annie's; neither of us were disappointed.

I got to the nursery a good couple of hours before Barb, and an hour before Annie's even opened, so I read the newspaper, did the crossword puzzle, then I took a walk to look at the plants growing in the parking lot. There were loads of interesting plants growing all over - an immense Passion plant grew over the gate surrounding the nursery, and its fruit were large, but not ripe yet (or you can bet I would have eaten one). Then I noticed some lovely blackish flowers I know as 'Bachelor Buttons' but I could be wrong. I love dark purple flowers!

Right by the flowers was an old dried out bed of skeletal poppy plants. I was fascinated by the big fat poppy pods, which held fist fulls of tiny seeds.

Scarecrow mystery Poppies

My friend Don and my mother, is/were what Don calls, 'Klepto-biologists'. I walk proudly in their steps. The Poppy pods are like a rattle when shook. The seeds fall out of the little holes around the pod top.

Shake that Poppy thang!
Plump-arsed Bumblebee sampling Annie's flowers
The weather was coolish, but grew sunny enough that I went beet red so it was time to call it quits. I only bought four plants; an apricot, double flowered California Poppy, a Chia, some Deer Grass (very exciting native!) and a Western Flax. Barb has fun and bought more than a half dozen exotic looking beauties.

Annie's must be at least two acres of plants
Talk about turning Bulls (in our case, Cows)loose in a candy store...uh.. that's not quite right, is it?
Worn out and hot, we then beat it over to Berkeley for a late lunch at Skate's by the Bay - one of my favorite restaurants. We had window seats overlooking the ocean, and the sky line of San Francisco could be seen in the distance. As I brought my binoculars into the restaurant with me, birds and sea lions stayed clear - oh well. There was still a thing or two to gawk at through the big picture windows though, before we finished our strawberry/rhubarb cobblers and headed home - east to Sac O' Tomatoes for me, south to Prunetucky (Castroville)for Barbara.

Arrgggg... thar's the Jolly Roger flying above that skurvy lot
You can just see the San Francisco's skyline just above the Berkeley pier on the left

Love my new native plants! I'd better get them into the Gulag Garden before they croak!

Decision at Last

So! After mulling this over for more than a year now, I finally made up my mind - I'm going to get a couple of chickens, or rather chicks. I am totally starved for pets, and getting pets that supply fresh eggs is quite the little bonus. I ordered this Chicken hutch & run. Won't be here for weeks but while I'm waiting, I can get all my ducks... er, my chickens in a row.

Ordered 'seconds', slight dings so saved 50%.
When possible, I LOVE saving money that way.