I have the same routine every morning as I get up. Coffee first of course, then I open up the front door wide open to let in the cooler dawn air as I walk outside and start the fountain. I now have four hummingbirds coming, literally, at the crack of dawn every morning to start feeding and it continues voraciously throughout the day. I have found they even hover above the first tier of the fountain and either drink or bathe. They perch in the Palo Verde tree out front and cheep and guard: they have moved in.
Marc and I continue to make improvements to our space here but on a slower schedule than previously due to the days heating up. We usually hibernate during the afternoon hours. Evenings have still been pleasant however, so we frequently have our neighbors stopping over for a cold one and some chat as we sit outside by the fountain.
Marc is accomplishing some shelving and new wiring (220) in his sea container, trying to sort the other sheds and truly turning it into his Happy Place. We finally finished all the touch up painting on all the sheds.
I determined that my potted plants purchased earlier just weren’t going to make it with their roots cooking so I transplanted the bougainvillea and hibiscus into the ground and they started behaving much better. Our neighbor had given us a small palm which needed some TLC so that remains but in a huge, new pot. I myself (with Marc’s instruction) ran the irrigation lines to all of the above. The jury is still out on whether our three tomato plants will truly produce this far into the summer; they get blossoms which aren’t setting too well. If we remain in the area we are thinking of building a raised bed and trying for fall planting of a full blown vegetable garden. Believe it or not, I have never gardened before and I am actually looking forward to the experience.
Best of all, we had some custom made shade-cloth drops made to enclose the two sunniest sides of our front porch to cut down on direct sunlight. The front one will roll up in winter if we want. As an added benefit it seems to have cut the temperature on the porch by about ten degrees as well; a much needed improvement since our front door is entirely glass. So far our two small air conditioners are keeping up with our moderate needs since we set them about 82-84 degrees trying to conserve on electricity. It’s very expensive here as compared to what we are used to in Oregon—more than double a KWH! Yes, we’re aware the park model is not level; Marc is allowing it to settle into the gravel all its wants to find its final skew so he can work from there to level it. Makes cooking on the smooth cook top a fun and exciting new adventure!
