Pitter Patter.. First Rain for Topanga this Season

I woke at 4:30AM to the sound of wind chimes, low and compelling, singing out in perfect harmonic tones, in a song the wind was writing as it went.. I heard an owl hoot and then a baby owl, with only 2 notes in his call.  Then, I didn't hear them anymore.  I felt warmth fill me as I realized all 4 of my pets (2 black cats & 2 dogs) were sleeping in the bedroom with me.  The wind chimes continued; the song had turned to low notes when I heard the unmistakable patter of what could only be .. rain! Rain, tapping on the roof.  Rain, pitter patter against my wooden house. I took a deep breath, smelling the moisture through the open window.  The wind began to pick up; the song became more vigorous. 

One cat decided to leave us, jumping off the bed and running to the living room door.  She meowed relentlessly until hubby gave in and let her out on the deck.. in the pouring rain.. in the blackness! When she did not come right back, I wrapped myself in my pink robe and went out to try to call her, very aware there are coyotes out there and that she would not be able to escape to the roof in this rain!  Luckily, she came back, all wet and done exploring.  I think she must have felt like I did:  so excited with the first rain we've had since June, that she just had to go investigate.

I will be out there as soon as it is light, with my dog and my yellow umbrella.  But for now, I am enjoying the pitter patter of rain on my wooden house.  It is as if I am in a wooden box afloat, separate and safe from the elements, with my warm cup of coffee and the warm light from the bedside lamp.

Washer Woman & the Rattler Snake

    Young Southern Pacific Rattlesnake,  photo courtesy 
    of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Well, it figures. Just as I was bounding out the door to throw a load of delicates into my outdoor washing machine, I happen to look down. There, looking up at me from the other side of the glass door was Rattler! With his tongue out all slitherin-like!  He was looking into the house, and the door was just slightly ajar, enough so that he could slither right in if he liked. My guess is he was thinking about it!

It's funny, most Rattlers are more brown, whereas this one was black, but still the unmistakable diamond markings.  I did what any Washer Woman would do:  I got hubby and handed him a broom!  He started to sweep it on out of there, which caused Rattler to start up hissing loudly. (If you ever hear a sound like water running, when there is water nowhere about, it's Rattler.)  Of course, he was as scared as I was.  Hubby held him off while I got the delicates going.  We shooed him down the hill, but who knows when he will come back.  We saw this same Rattler just the other day, in a standoff with Cat!

As if Washer Woman hasn't got her work cut out already.. I really did want to get you a photo, really..

Washer Woman, Washer Woman Won't You Put Out the Wash?

White towels hang neatly in rows. They catch the breezes and flutter gently.  The sunrise lights them with an orange glow…

I never was much of a laundry lover... (some folks take so much enjoyment in it)…  that is, until I started doing laundry outdoors in Topanga Canyon! 

My little wooden house came with an outdoor water hook up, not an indoor one.  So, I bought a washer/dryer and set it up.  It wasn’t long, maybe a year or two, before the dryer broke, likely from being outside in all kinds of weather.. including rain.  No matter: I had a clothesline!  That is much more fun anyway.  No need to replace a dryer, just to have it break again, I thought. 

Now, I take my time hanging up the clothes, pausing to feel the sun on my face, or take a glance at a new rose bloom.  My sheets smell like the Canyon, not like some generic perfume smell.  How neat is that?  Now doing laundry is a welcome excuse to spend just that extra bit of time outdoors and drag me away from the computer.

When my mom came out for a visit, the first time, I said she could use my washer if she needed to.  Say no more:  Mom was hooked.  Suddenly, she had to wash her & my dad’s suitcase-size load of clothes seemingly every other day! 

Next, my sister got jealous and during a remodel jumped at the chance to move her W&D outdoors, too!  Now here is a woman that has always looked forward to washing clothes for her family.  Still, she hasn’t moved up that one more step to ditching the dryer altogether.  I can appreciate that.. it IS a hassle in winter trying to plan laundry loads between rainstorms!

Using the clothesline instead of a dryer: what a great way to conserve electricity.  I use the sun instead; we have plenty of it after all in Southern California.  In case you wondered about the laundry water run-off, not to worry, my green, eco-minded friends.  I can use the gray water on fruit trees with no negative impact on the native plants.  (Of course, you have to use organic soap to make this work out.)  So, my laundry does not interfere with any of the natural ebb & flow of life in the Canyon for either the plants or the critters who share my yard with me.

Okay, so there is a down side to outdoor laundry in Topanga Canyon... Here come the Santa Ana winds and then, where are my socks? Blown all amongst the cactus and succulents on the hillside.  Okay, who is going to go down there & collect them?

I walk between the rows of white towels, and they make me smile.

Today the Firemen Came and Visited my Garden..

Today the firemen came and visited my garden.  The two of them were sitting together on my garden bench, enjoying the dappled shade that the big Pine tree makes, and no doubt marveling at the tangle of Iceplant at their feet.  They chose to write their inspection notes from this spot, rather than going back to their truck.  I have to say, it was a bit strange to see the dark blue uniforms on my garden bench. 

It's July and time for brush clearance inspection in Topanga Canyon.  Of course, I passed.. I always do.  As usual, the firemen were mostly concerned with clearance around the perimeter of the house, so in case of a fire they can get in there to put it out.  Some folks in Topanga think you have to scalp your hillside yard of every living thing for 100-200 ft from the house.  THIS IS NOT TRUE.  In fact, a good thinning of bushes and low tree branches is much more effective at stopping a fire than removing everything.

"What's happened to your house numbers?" one of the firemen asked me.  "They must have come loose.  I promise I'll take care of that," I replied.  He reminded me how important house numbers are to the firemen: in the event they get called out to fight a fire they have to know the correct address.

Well, a wonderful breeze has picked up on this warm July day and strewn more leaves onto the deck from the Walnut trees.  So, off I go to sweep them all up.  Another pile of 'brush' is born!

Making Honey with California Native Flowers

                  Phacelia grandifloria, Topanga Canyon, Photo by Kathy Vilim

We’re making honey out here in Southern California. How do we do it? Well, beekeepers are taking advantage of some of nature’s finest resources: flowering native plants! Luckily, the hillsides are covered with blooming natives in the coastal mountains from Santa Barbara down to Baja, including here in Topanga Canyon, home to Topanga Quality Honey.

Many California plants have nectar that is delicious to the honeybee. Beekeepers take their bees to a meadow where wildflowers such as largeflower phacelia (above) are blooming in the spring. When those blossoms fade, they move to a hillside of white sage or buckwheat (below), which bloom into fall.


      California Buckwheat, Topanga, Photo by Kathy Vilim

California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) has an abundance of flowers—creamy white, tinged with pink. As they mature, the flowers turn to a rust color. "Viewing wild hillsides covered with the coppery seed heads of California buckwheat is a uniquely Western experience," wrote Carol Bornstein, co-author of California Native Plants for the Garden. The honey made from this plant is sought for its dark, full-bodied flavor as well as its nutritional value."—Kathy Vilim of Topanga Canyon, California

The above post was written in June, 2010 for the National Wildlife Federation's "Gold Medal Favorites" feature. Thank you, Kelly Senser, for the opportunity to share my photos of plants for pollinators. 


For full NWF article: http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Native-Plants-for-Pollinators.aspx

Nature At My Doorstep

                   Wild Mustard, Topanga Canyon, California by Kathy Vilim

A hawk glides silently overhead, above the top of a Eucalyptus tree.  Below, the Canyon is bejeweled with splashes of yellow wildflowers.  The wind is high and the wind chimes sing.  "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy sits on my garden reading bench, and I reflect how lucky I am that I don't have to bring nature home here in the Santa Monica Mountains.  Nature is already at my doorstep.  All I have to do is "get out of the way," let Nature alone, let things grow wild, and watch the story unfold.

One of the most important things for me is keeping chemicals out of the garden.  I never use pesticides.  Instead of chemical fertilizers, I compost.  I purposely did not put in a water-needy lawn.  Instead, I created a small garden next to the house for my Roses, Iris and Herbs.  They get the water that the lawn would have taken.. actually they take less.  The rest of my water goes to the Citrus trees and vegetable garden.

As a result of being pesticide free and letting nature be, I can delight in seeing Quail walk through my vegetable beds, in hearing the endless chatter of new baby wrens that have nested in my utility box (somehow!), and in watching the squirrels chase each other up and down the trees.

@nativegardener

Happy Easter from Topanga Canyon

Penguins on Quail Egg (left)  Ukrainian Easter Egg- Pysanky (right)

Easter is here: time for me to enjoy these hand painted treasures. Thought I should share them with you.

The Pysanky is an ancient form of Ukrainian folk art. Sometimes the eggs are decorated in lines & geometric designs in which the colors have meanings.  Other times eggs are painted with pictures such as animals, birds, or in the case of the one above: plants.  The eggs are painted using a wax-resistant method or batik.  It requires the use of a special tool called a kistka which is used to design in the wax. Artists are still making the Pysankys today. I have tried my hand and can tell you it is quite an intricate process, involving many layers of wax.

The Quail egg hand-painted with a trio of penguins is another folksy expression of egg art by an artist who exclusively paints animals. Visiting her tiny shop (It is amazing how many eggs you can get into a tiny place) , you are treated to every size egg, from quail to ostrich, painted with any number of animal portraits. She will even custom paint an animal portrait just for you from a photograph, if you like.  

Thanks for enjoying my treasures. Hope you will have a wonderful weekend!

For more on the Pysankys, visit the Ukrainian Museum

We're Making Honey Out Here in Southern California!

 Phacelia grandiflora

We're making honey out here in Southern California.  And how do we do it?  Well, beekeepers are taking advantage of some of nature's finest resources:  Flowering Native Plants!  Many  California plants have nectar that is delicious to the honeybee:  Buckwheat, Sage, Cactus Flowers and Wildflowers.  Beekeepers take their bees to a meadow where Wildflowers are blooming in the Spring, and then when those blossoms are done they move to a hillside of Sage or Buckwheat, which bloom into the Fall.

Luckily, the hillsides are covered with blooming natives in the Coastal Mountains from Santa Barbara down to Baja. including Topanga Canyon, home to Topanga Quality Honey.  This diversity makes for a delicious variety of honeys, and makes for some happy local bees, as well.

California Buckwheat. (Erigonum fasciculatum) 

This drought tolerant native blooms all Summer, even into Fall.  It has an abundance of flowers, creamy white, tinged with pink.  As they mature, the flowers turn to a rust color.  "Viewing hillsides covered with the coppery seedheads of California Buckwheat is a uniquely Western Experience." As expressed in Carol Bornstein's California Native Plants for the Garden.  The honey  made from this plant is sought after for its dark, full bodied flavor, as well as its high antioxidant and nutritional value.

Purple Sage (Salvia Leucophylla) Introduced into cultivation in California by Theodore Payne.

The bees of the Santa Monica Mountains are lucky to have such an abundant and diverse source of native plants to feed from.  And, we are lucky too, as this allows us to enjoy a variety of unique tasting honeys.  By adding native plants to your yard or garden, you can help add to the biodiversity in California or the State you live in.  As 'top dog' on this planet, the job falls on us to act also as good stewards of all we have inherited.



You can visit a Honey Tasting Room at Bennett Farms, Ventura, CA.
And find out more about the Research they are doing into Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

Now it is June, and the yellow daisy faces have gone to seed..

Now June is here.  The yellow daisy faces (Bush Sunflower, Encelia californica) that used to greet me on my walk have gone to seed, replaced by the soft yellow of mustard flowers (Black Mustard, Brassica nigra), naturalized long ago from Spain (that grain weed from the "old world").  Normally, I might overlook them, as I commune with the daisies. Yet, they were here all along, waiting to take their place in my focus.

Soon after that, some efficient landowner came and cut down the daisies, the mustards, and all the tall, yellow waving grass in the meadow.  It's the annual "weed clearance time".  I will miss the cheery yellow faces as June ushers in Summer. 

I walk further.  The man who owns this property is not as efficient!  I enjoy his mustards.  I collect his daisy seeds. And I spread them like Johnny Appleseed on my way back home.

Gardeners Pick Their “Gold Medal” Favorites

Want to add beauty and wildlife value to your yard? Consider planting natives.

“Perfectly suited to the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains, orange bush monkeyflower is a pretty, drought-tolerant native that always makes me smile when I run across it. A shy, unassuming plant with yellow-orange blossoms, it is a magnet for hummingbirds. In Southern California, monkeyflower's most common visitors are Anna’s hummingbirds and Allen’s hummingbirds. Also, it is a forage source for common checkerspot and buckeye butterflies. Monkeyflowers do well planted alongside buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), which brings in bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects to the yard or hillside. Monkeyflowers grow naturally on rocky cliffs, hillsides and borders of chaparral.”—Kathy Vilim of Topanga Canyon, California

Original story at NationalWildlifeFederationMagazine

My Old Pine Tree Friends

I recently lost my pine tree friends. All the time I lived at this place in Topanga, these 2 were always with me. Together. Partners. Their branches touching. Stopping spot for birds flying across the Canyon. Resting spot for me, my back to the tree trunk, respite on a hot Summer day, looking out from there to the hillsides beyond.

Now they are no more, thanks to Mr. Pine Beetle. I tried to save them.. Had a tree man come out & shoot 'em up. To no avail. Watched them lose all their pine needles. Still, the birds came & enjoyed them.

Now, I have taken them down, after one broke in half & crashed to the ground quite loudly! Pine trees are not native to the Santa Monica Mtns. The 100ft pines were planted in the '50s back when the fire dept was giving them away for free to encourage planting. Now, the hillside will have a more native look. More open. Goodbye my friends, and now we move on.

Sedum Brings Color Every September

Every September, I look forward to my Sedum blooming faithfully on my deck. It blooms only once annually and always in September. How does it know? It is a welcome first sign of Autumn at my Topanga home when I see the red blooms, every year.

Hawk Circles gliding effortlessly

It was the loveliest day yesterday in the 80's, instead of 90's. I sat on the backyard steps, watching a hawk gliding effortlessly on the breezes. Behind him a jet plane made its stiff flight.. unreal. Soft breezes made their way up the canyon to me. I let them wash over me & soaked in the dappled sun. So much life all around me. The heads of the Buckwheat dark brown now after Summer. The ground so dry. Everything waiting for the first rain. The long golden grass, matted down. My eyes adjust to take in the little houses on the opposite hillside far away..

Sky Over Topanga - Smoke meets Storm

On my walk with Buddy this Topanga morning, the skies were quite interesting. In the East, smoke cloud could be seen.. gray with pink .. but overall, the clouds were gray & fluffy, rain clouds.

Hurricane off of Baja met Smoke from the Angeles Forest Fires.. An unusual coupling, for sure. The storm clouds kept the sun at bay, so though it still reach 100dgs, it didn't feel like it. There was a soft morning breeze and not so much smell of smoke.

Hoping some light rain might find its way to Topanga and help with the Station Fire in Tujunga.

My Buddy in a field of wild Mustard.

Wild Mustard grows throughout the hills of Topanga Canyon. Originally donated by Europeans after a massive CA wildfire in an effort to stabilize hillsides, the Mustard plant decided to make the Santa Monica Mtns its home!