February 12, 2013 by Born To Organize

Waiting for the Birds

Tick-tock…the waiting game

I’m tracking my various nesting materials in the garden, but no discernible visitors just yet. At first I was hoping to spot a bird swooping by. Now I’d be happy with any sign that they’ve found the super-soft bits of wool and yarn. I hung the wreath in the Magnolia tree outside my home office window.

Nesting Wreath

After our last big storm I found remnants of what may have been a nest from last year under the pine tree. The bits of blue lint were unmistakably the color of our flannel sheets. So…I remain hopeful.

On the subject of birds, I signed up for tweets (I crack myself up) about Phoebe the Allen Hummingbird. I learned today that she’s already laid the first egg of her next brood. These hummers generally lay a pair at a time, the size of tiny breath mints.

Phoebe’s nest. First egg, February 10th

Here is the link to the live webcam in case you missed it. Warning: watching the nest all day is habit-forming. That said, it’s a habit worth forming. Enjoy!

December 27, 2012 by Born To Organize

Garden Social: If Only Squirrels Had Facebook

My favorite part of the holiday season is all the visiting. Friends stop by or invite you out for lunch or drinks. Calendars fill with parties and Facebook is abuzz with everyone’s photos. It’s that wonderful social connection that makes us human.

Today, the sun came out and I noticed the socializing spilled over into the garden. I couldn’t make out all the conversations but the body language was pretty clear. We humans aren’t the only ones socializing. Wouldn’t it be great to have one of those Universal Translators from Star Trek so you could understand what the birds and four-legged critters had to say?

Three different squirrels raced around the pine tree, then disappeared into the neighbor’s yard for another peanut. It was hard to keep up. At times they appeared to be chasing each other, but it wasn’t always clear. There was very little squirrel chatter and trust me, when they have something to say, it spills forth loud and clear. It was near impossible to capture the activity, and I’m wondering now why I didn’t take a video clip. I ended up with lots of shots of empty tree trunks.

Squirrel hide…

…and seek

Hummingbirds don’t seem to mind the rain, so we’ve seen them visiting the feeders all week. It was more pleasant taking pictures, however, on a clear day. A pair of hummers seemed to dance midair, less a courtship than a race to the feeder.

Hummers dancing

Our neighbor Roger stopped by with his adorable pooch, Freckles. Will you look at that face? Freckles had a few choice “words” for Mouse the neighborhood cat who also came over for a snack. Mouse is awfully brave most of the time, but he cleared the deck for Freckles.

Freckles, why are you licking your lips?

Oh no! Not that dog again!

Garden snails were playing hide and seek under the strawberry plants and a tiny slug figured out the best hiding place ever: inside a peanut shell, dropped through the hole of a garden pot.

Hide and seek in a peanut shell

As kids we too loved to play hide-and-seek or chase for hours. We stayed out in the cold, teeth chattering. We didn’t want to risk going home for a coat, only to be called in for the night. They say play is the work of children. I would like to add that the garden is the playground for all creatures.

I’m off to see if one of those squirrels left a Facebook status update.

October 8, 2012 by Born To Organize

Hiking the Quicksilver Trail

Hiking Buddies

We officially launched our back-to-school hiking season today along one of the beautiful Quicksilver trails. It was a perfect fall day! I hike with my friend Karen, and her sweet dog, Dylan during the school year. With four children between us, we rarely find time for these hikes in the summer. It’s good to be back.

Dylan was so happy to see me, that he climbed in my lap and prepared to stay there…all 58 pounds of him. Dogs have an innate ability to make you feel loved. I adore him! He was also happy to be back on the trail with his senses working in overdrive.

Almaden Quicksilver

Almaden Quicksilver boasts a vast web of trails throughout Almaden Valley, a suburb in Silicon Valley. Once home to Quicksilver Mines, it’s now a 4,152-acre county park “encompassing several historic remains, including abandoned towns, cemeteries, old equipment, and mine entrances.”

Almaden Quicksilver Hiking Trail

We’ve had no measurable rain for months, so the trails are a dry, brown hue. Though I love the verdant green winter and spring days, there is something magical about this time of year. Evergreen shrubs and trees cast shadows on the well-worn trails. Patches of dried bramble shelter rabbits, lizards and birds. The soft rustling adds to the experience.

Flowers going to seed or popcorn on the vine

Just as I bemoaned the fact that we’d not seen deer for a while, we spotted some near the head of the trail. Their legs blend in with the dried grass. I took my eyes off of them to adjust my camera, and they seemed to momentarily disappear. My heart sings a little when I get a close glimpse of them. Wildlife continues to flourish in the heart of Silicon Valley.

A pair of deer at trail head

Always on the alert for predators

Halloween Countdown

Man of La Mancha Pumpkin
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

August 11, 2011 by Born To Organize

Cats in the Garden: The Cat Fence-in™ System

Over the years we’ve lost a number of cats to moving cars, Feline AIDS and wanderlust. Others have endured abscesses from fights and other assorted injuries. My cat Grant set the record for cats trapped in inappropriate places such as neighboring garages, attics and vacated townhouses. I bailed him out of the Humane Society three times. When we tried to convert him to an indoor kitty, he started (and continued) to spray the indoor perimeter of the house. My husband constructed an outdoor cat run with a cat flap allowing him to come and go through a window, but he remained restless and bored.

One-eyed Estare

Then we discovered The Cat Fence-in System, developed by a company in Las Vegas. I spent a weekend pruning vines and shrubs away from the fence line while my husband traveled out of country. When he returned we added lattice to the fence to make it taller and installed the system. Sunday night we let the cats explore the yard so we could test for any flaws. They tried climbing the fence a few times but were thwarted by the netting. They quickly settled into a happier life as indoor/outdoor cats.

The system has been in place for nearly 15 years now, without a single escape. The peace of mind has been such a gift: No fights, no accidents, no communicable diseases. It’s also a good-neighbor system: if someone’s cat is digging up a flower bed or fighting at 2:00 am, I can rest assured it isn’t one of mine.

If you can keep your kitty happy indoors, go for it. But if you love a rabble-rouser like Grant or a roamer like Estare, this CatFence-in System may by the perfect compromise.

Cat’s in the Garden