Garage, Week One

 We are officially under way with our garage renovation.

Here are a few pictures!  Stud walls on the sides this week, next up is the back wall and the floor!

Garden!

New Concrete Path

First wanted to show what we did to the side yard after breaking up all of the concrete!

And here it is now with some new plantings starting to grow in:

Parkway!

We first decided to turn the parkway over from just grass over to a native garden.

Here were the first steps!

Here it is now, with some walking pathways for our neighbors:

Front Yard and garden!

I initially intended to take a full year and plan it all out, but welp, we just went for it, turning the front yard native and planting a big garden.

Here was how it looked before we started, except for the one thing, the very first thing we did when we bought the house - we planted an avocado tree.

Then we got a little garden box from a neighbor and added another avocado tree:

Then Dave built two paths from the busted-up concrete from the side yard, and we started smothering the grass:

One more garden box, then one more laid out:

I put some fairy lights on the garden boxes, cause why not?!?

Once the huge oak trees shed their leaves, we used them as mulch in the front and started doing a little planting:

Kept working on the front rose and succulent garden:

We had to put a bunch of cardboard down to keep smothering the grass during the rainy season.  It looked pretty trashy.

But now, we are taking the cardboard off and look!  Almost there! (There's Rey making an appearance.  She loves working with me in the garden.)

Here is my poppy field:

The Hass avocado tree is flowering!

And here are the garden beds - kale, carrots, onions and garlic here:

Radishes, beets, celery and cauliflower, and more carrots here:

Your Matty-Ism of the Day

Matt, finishing up his homework:

"You know, I'm basically an expert at student reflections at this point.

You basically say a little about what happened this week...

Say they're a GREAT teacher...

and add a little comedy."  [Said with a sort of jazz hands move.]

He reads it:

"This week has been very fun, and you've been so nice to me.  (My mom's making brownies, so it's hard for me to focus.)  I just wanted to say if I could get moved, because Joanne is just being so mean to me.  This week my friends went through a lot and I had to help them.  But other than that, your kindness made the week great."

Me:  "Now, is this true, or are you making this up???"

Matt:  "Mom, it's true!  She's been very nice to me."

[Picks up the pencil.]

"Now if this was a mic?"

[Drops it.]

Pasadena Half and 5K!

A Thursday Night

Matt had a hurt pinky toe, and wanted me to look at it.

"I need to get up on the bed, Danny," he said, before hopping up.

"Oh, you have maggots!" says Danny, helpfully.

Matt hops up, and we take a good look - there was a little blood on his pinky toe, next to his disturbingly long toenails.

"I think it's just a little blister, Matt," I said.  "But you really need to trim your toenails."

Danny moves his head into position.

"I can trim them for you, with my teeth!" Danny announces.

"Oh God, you're really going to put his maggoty toes in your mouth?" I ask.

On his way to get a band-aid, Matt turns at the door and fixes me with a stare.

"Think about if there really were maggots coming out of my toes, mom.  And then think about my SELF-ESTEEN (sic)."