All the Mod Cons

Now that we've got hot water, I feel like I've got all the mod cons. Here's my "kitchen sink". Admittedly, I have to haul everything upstairs to do the washing up, but I've got hot water!

We keep the refrigerator in the garage between the toolchest and the lawnmower. Handy, don't you think?

Here's my "laundry room". It's actually the master bathroom with the washing machine wedged in

and water supplied by the garden hose (cold only), but its better than going to the laundromat.

Here's my "free dry" just like the laundromat. The towels end up a little crunchy, but we think of them as exfoliating.

See, we've got all the mod cons. 

And in the distance you see Handyman taking a well deserved nap.

The Highly Anticipated Water Heater

Isn't this the most beautiful thing? You might ask, "What is it?" and I'd  tell you, "It's the flame inside the water heater!"

Lauren from PG&E came today and gave us a new, larger gas meter, made the connections, and fired up the water heater. 

In about 30 minutes Handyman will have the privilege of taking the first shower. He earned it, don't you think?

After all, he framed up the walls and fitted all the plumbing pipes and electrical connections. Then he drywalled the tiny closet. Then he painted and installed the special vented door, and we all grunted and groaned to slide the water heater up a long ramp and into the closet.

Here it is in all its glory.

We are thrilled.

As a side note, we tiled the floor with the tile we plan to use in the kitchen. 

We had to drill a hole for the gas pipe. Have you ever drilled a hole in tile? It's easy with a carbide hole saw.

Positioning the hole was the hard part, but we made a tile sandwich with two pieces of plywood and a pilot hole in the top one and it worked quite well.

Garden Finds

With the same family living here for  sixty years, and then ten years of neglect, the garden at New Acorn Cottage holds many secrets.

Early on, beneath the overgrown shrubbery, we found large items like cement lanterns and sculpture and candle holders and even a little bird fountain.

Everything is rusty and has two coats of paint on it. Just like the interior wall colors, it appears the property went through two color phases: pink and turquoise.

We also found things hanging in trees: chimes, bird feeders, tiny cages, planter baskets, and lanterns.

Then we found smaller items as we weeded and cleared flowerbeds.

Many of these items have been dusted off and placed around the garden in more visible locations. The butterfly now guards the "lettuce bowl", and the quail greet visitors at the back gate. The candle holders hold citronella candles to ward off mosquitoes when we sit outdoors.

Lately, as we dig out rocks and adjust paths, we've been finding buried items like this glass float and this little "Doll-E-Toys" baby bottle.

One thing we've found that's really cool, but extremely scary, is several sets of decorative garden lights connected with wires laying right on the dirt! Thank goodness those wires aren't connected any longer, but imagine a gardener's shock at finding one of those wires with a shovel.

Along with all these blogworthy finds, I've found bottles, broken tiles, abalone shells, lots of rocks, rotten branches, stumps, and stepping stones.

Have you ever found anything interesting in your garden?

Ferns at Acorn Cottage

Fern identification can be tedious because so many of them look the same and require minute inspection of the sori and fronds. However, a few are so distinctive that even I can make a positive id with just a little research.

First one must educate oneself on the terminology: rhizome, stipe, rachis, pinna, pinnule, sori. Then one must crawl around in the garden taking photos. Then hopefully, find a match online or in a good plant guide.

So far I have found seven different kinds of ferns here at Acorn Cottage. I am confident in the identification of the first six.

Leatherleaf Fern

Rumohra adiantiformis

Deep green, glossy, leathery fronds, a favorite of florists, 2-3' tall.

Japanese Holly Fern

Cyrtomium falcatum

Coarse, shiny, dark green fronds, 2-3' tall.

Tuberous Sword Fern

Nephrolepsis cordifolia

Invasive fern with grape-like tubers,2-3' tall.

Giant Chain Fern

Woodwardia fimbriata

Large, coarse fronds, native to west coast of North America, 4-5' tall.

The sori show why it's called chain fern.

Rabbit's or Squirrel's Foot Fern

Davallia fejeensis

Soft, silvery, tripinnate fronds. Spreads by creeping rhizomes that resemble an animal's foot, 12-18" tall.

Delta Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum raddianum

Black wirey stems, bright green, tripinnate, delicate fronds, 1-2' tall.

I'm not sure what this last fern is; maybe someone can help me identify it.

It looks like it could be a Male Fern, or perhaps a Shield Fern, or maybe even Wood Fern?

The distinctive arrangement of the sori on the back of the fronds should help.

Tentative identification: Coastal Wood Fern, Dryopteris arguta?

I also have this primitive plant; Scouring Rush, Equisetum hyemale affine. Like ferns, it doesn't have flowers or fruit, and spreads by rhizomes and spores. Clumps of it make a dramatic 3-4' vertical accent.

That's the list of fern-like plants in my garden. What ferns do you have and can you recommend your favorite?

May Garden Report

It's only May 9th and it's already been a very busy month. We have moved in permanently, even though we have no hot water or laundry facilities. We are forging ahead with plumbing and wiring. And I keep picking away at garden improvements.

There was an old rock patio at the back of the house and we didn't like the irregularity of it. It was also right over the sewer line that we had to tie into, so all the rocks were lifted up and piled to one side. In an effort to get rid of this pile, I decided to make a rustic rock path through the "Jungle".

The Jungle is a sort of ignored area about 25' wide that fronts the public sidewalk. Hardy shrubs, tons of ivy, hidden sprinklers, and many fallen limbs make walking there risky. I thought a path would help and so the rocks are slowly being moved there.

The rhododendrons continue to amaze. The plants look lanky and sickly, yet they have some gorgeous blooms.

A white clematis that scrambles over a little arbor has finally bloomed.

And this sweetly scented Mock Orange, Philadelphus coronarius, is blooming too. It's a huge tangled bunch of stems, but I think a little pruning will bring it back into shape.

We have several Japanese maples.  This green-leaved one is showing tiny winged seeds now.  The seeds are less than an inch across.

This abelia is starting to bloom and smells wonderful.

And I have found a third rose on the property. Normally roses would be the queen of the show in May, but since I only have three, the show is rather sparse.

I plan to remedy that as soon as possible.