Working around the house

While I was off I got a few things done around the house including re-caulking my main bathroom and thoroughly cleaning it.  We have sliding aluminum and glass shower doors in that bathroom which were completely removed, dis-assembled, soaked in bleach, de-scaled, then re-assembled. It was a lot of work but the doors look almost new. 

I also re-landscaped an area of my front yard near my front door.  Various factors combine to prohibit any grass growing in this small area:  lack of light, poor drainage, and foot traffic.  My solution last year was to re-sod part of the area but the grass drowned during the long wet summer.  This time I think I've fixed it for good.  I built a raised bed with green metal landscape edging then I filled the raised bed with pine bark mulch (which may float away the next time it rains.)  I placed flat rough limestone rocks on top of the mulch for stepping stones. 

Finally, I finished off the design with a potted Texas Hibiscus plant (its leaves look like cannabis!) and a very large potted bamboo.  I've wanted a bamboo plant for a long time and I'm so pleased to finally have found a place for one to live.  I bought black bamboo (phyllostachys nigra) which has the capability to take over an entire yard if planted in the ground (unless a special rhizome barrier is implemented.)  Since it's planted in a very deep pot, I shouldn't have a problem with it taking over the yard but eventually I'll have to dig the entire plant out of the pot and divide it, otherwise it will choke itself to death. It's such a handsome plant with its dark green and black canes (a.k.a. "colms") and its dark green leaves.  I guess this shows what a miserable tree hugger I am.  I've crossed over from tree-huggery to giant grass-huggery.

Filip and I also took some time to get our garden into full swing.  We re-arranged some things in our herb garden in order to make room for green beans and we harvested spinach.  Also, we've planted pickling cucumbers, sweet basil, and a variety of peppers and tomatoes.  Other plants in our landscape which survived the winter and are now putting on leaves include two grape vines, one passion vine, an apricot tree, and a pomegranate tree.

An update on my friend Jason G.

Being on vacation but not away from home gave me lots of time to visit with my terminally ill friend Jason and his family.  I need to make it a priority to continue seeing him at least once a week from now on.  It's been great to catch up on old times with Jason's sister and to enjoy some time with Jason during his rare bouts of lucidity.

Photography stuff

I made my annual pilgrimage to the Zilker Botanical Gardens last Friday but I didn't get any good photos.  I intentionally packed just my camera (no special lenses, no flash) and this limited me creatively.  The real problem, though, was that the one good battery pack I have for my camera has decided to die.  I need to start trolling Ebay and local camera shops to look for the best replacement.  Spring has only begun, though, and I plan another trip as soon as I work out this technical difficulty.

I sold two prints through my photography website, Photon-Art.Com, and shipped them today.  These were the first sales in a while.  I need to go over my material costs now and decide if my pricing is still good.  It probably isn't.