Outside my window!

Work is being done outside my window today. This orange tree produced abundantly every year for decades and the oranges made the best juice you've ever tasted. We believe it was part of the original ranch's orange grove and was probably here when the house was built in 1951. But it's been dying, little by little. Not long ago we spotted piles of very fine sawdust at the foot of the tree and chunks of bark were peeling off... it was being killed by termites! Or so we thought!

This is what we found inside! Not termites but carpenter ants! They are just as destructive. If I had a better close up or a video of this stump, you would see thousands of ants crawling out of the center! It was disgusting and made me want to scratch an itch that wasn't there! YUK!

The gardener and his helper made good work getting rid of it and they're hauling all of the cut wood to the garden waste center.

Before they fill this in, they're inserting some Termite/ant sticks in the hole and in the top layer... that should take care of these pests!

Much better looking!

Now I'll have an unobstructed view of the yard from my sewing room. I had the gardeners put my large poinsettia planter in this spot. This is a plant I've kept alive for the last 5 years; I cut it back aggressively in Feb/March, replenish it's food and soil and it hasn't disappointed. One year in September I built it a tepee that I would drape over it every evening and remove every morning to get the leaves to change color. It wasn't necessary; the leaves change naturally in late December or early January and it looks spectacular. Just not before Christmas!

Meanwhile, daughter no 2, our rocket scientist, (she's an engineer and works at SpaceX), came to visit this morning to work on Lolah! She has a project that needs quilted fabric so she got a quick introductory lesson then she was flying on her own with little supervision.

She was done in no time at all, quilting some patriotic fabric with wavy lines across the width using Perma Core red on the top and dark beige on the bottom. The backing is navy.

Not bad at all for a first shot at longarm quilting. Once she gets the proper measurements for the piece, she'll return to use the regular sewing machine. I promise photos of that! It's really cute! Did I mention this is for a friend's birthday gift and he's in the armed forces? 

Before I leave you to return to my sewing room, I have to show you another picture of our "pet" hawk who has returned everyday since that first sighting! I took this one yesterday... for a brief period, he was sitting on the roof of the pool house but flew up here when I got too close. He hardly looks like the same bird... looks darker! I say "he"; it could very well be a "she"!! What do I know... It's free entertainment...

And lastly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to my little grandson who turns 5 today! 08/08/08 was a great day when you entered our lives! Grandmaman & Grandpapa love you very much! We miss you... Have fun today!

Toodles,

Lorette