JM Perez

501 posts

Poet, Writer and Published Author. Insatiably passionate about gardening, Health and Wellness. I enjoy collecting Vintage and Antique choice pieces.

Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Warm Days are Ending

By JM PerezOctober 11, 20171 min read719 views

Today I made myself happy by getting my hands dirty in the garden!

Rose Moss are popping pretty much everywhere in the backyard and I planted as many as I could in pots. They are extremely drought tolerant with vividly colored blooms.

I have a variety of Lavender, all of which are adding a burst of color to the garden and the bees are loving it.

I have a couple of Silvery Cassia which I planted a couple of years ago. They are now about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide each. This evergreen plant with its silver, sickle-shaped foliage is extremely drought tolerant as well as cold-hardy and blooms almost all year round.

The Crimson Glory Tea Tree is still growing strong and for the past years, I’ve enjoyed having it as a shrub. Now, however, I am training it into a small tree.

I have been growing Horsetail reeds in barrels for the past five years, cutting every shoot back to ground level to keep them in bounds and from invading the yard. A couple of weeks ago I found one shoot growing outside, at the base of the barrel and I am beginning to wonder if controlling this plant might become an issue.

The weather has been great lately, but it seems the warm days are coming to an end.

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Kids Craft Children Education DIY: Projects

DIY: Ocean Diorama [2]

By JM PerezSeptember 29, 20171 min read1.4K views

Below is a beautiful Ocean Diorama we helped our daughter create for her school project.

Materials/Tools Needed

Paper Clips
Plastic Boulder
Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Box/container (we used the base of a Plastic Cake Container)
Plastic Sea Plants
Plastic Ocean Creatures (or cutouts from drawings or Magazines)
Spray Paints

Step by Steps (for this project):

Spray paint the base of the plastic cake container to look like water.
Figure out the placement of the animals, boulder and plants.
Straighten out a couple of paper clips and then bend them to shape to hold the animals in a floating position.
Hot glue the stones and synthetic plants on the floor of the diorama.
Make sure that you are able to put the cover back on at the end to protect it.

Have fun creating your own Ocean Diorama!

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Construction DIY: Projects

Backyard Fencing

By JM PerezAugust 22, 20172 min read721 views

Good fences make good neighbors

. This statement has always been true for us, except this year. Since the beginning of the year, we have been tested so many times and in so many ways by one of our new neighbors. Neighbors who do not respect boundaries are a pain. To save ourselves from aggravation and not wanting to start a fight (with people who are clearly in for one), we had to turn to the law. We installed a security camera last month and decided to put up a fence, nice and high. The next step will most likely be to electrify the fence to keep animals and intruders out of our yard.

Yesterday we dug out four holes for the posts and used concrete to set the fence posts in place (keeping the fence away from the property line). This morning we installed the supporting rails and screwed in the individual fence pickets to the support rails. As of this moment, the left side of the backyard fence is almost done. Even thought the height blocks part of the mountain and we will miss seeing some of the beautiful sceneries, it’s just a small price to pay for peace of mind.

*Left side of the backyard fence, almost complete.*

Four years ago as we put in the privacy fence slats, we dug up and disposed of the mature Oleanders growing along the chain link fence. I don’t think I will be planting anything on this side of the backyard since it’s too far back. I am growing trees (the pomegranate, Navajo Globe Willow, Bird of Paradise Bush, California Fan Palm, Mimosa tree, Mexican Bird of Paradise) and shrubs (Silvery Cassia, Texas Sage, Scotch Broom and Berkman’s Golden Arborvitae) almost at the end of the backyard as well as its left side.

Breath of fresh air …
With most of the fence up, I will begin implementing a few of my design ideas.

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Birds Nature Flowers Shrubs & Trees Gardening High Desert

Peaceful Morning

By JM PerezAugust 16, 20171 min read700 views

Today was an absolutely beautiful day here in the High Desert. I got the kids ready and drop them off to school and head right back home to tend to my garden and spend a great time in the backyard. The weather was great, the air was fresh, nature was peaceful and plants were covered with beautiful blooms.

Our newest addition to the garden is the Pygmy Date Palm. Last year I got rid of all the rose bushes from the right section of my front yard (view here, picture captioned “Front Yard, Right“) and planted the the Pygmy Date Palm six months ago.

I came across a young bird this morning. It seems like the little bird came out of its nest for the first time and fell down to the ground. I spotted its mother on a nearby tree, so I left the baby alone.

The squirrels are keeping me quite busy this summer, particularly the little ones. Early in the Summer the Pomegranate tree was covered in fruits and just a few days later, those little critters stripped almost all the fruit from the tree. I read somewhere that squirrels do not like the scent of spicy foods, garlic, peppermint and mothballs. I will try some of these to deter them and will be looking into other ideas since they have no problems climbing fences.

Happy Wednesday.

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Life Lessons People

Dangers of Greed

By JM PerezMay 23, 20172 min read1.4K views

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” ― Socrates

The type of individuals I dislike most in this World are those who believe they are the beginning and the end. Those who, in their sick minds have convinced themselves that they are always right and will bow to no one regardless of the situation. Evils individuals who will go as far as stepping on their target’s head to reach for their goals.

I personally do not think wanting more in life is being greedy. However, when those desires get out of control, they become very dangerous and lead to other sins. When your desires to acquire more blinds you from your purpose in life and the reality of your very existence, then you’ve gone too far.

*“Greed’s worst point is its ingratitude.” — Seneca the Younger*
*Image source: QuoteFancy.com*

Characteristics of greedy people:

Self-centered
Ungrateful
Arrogant
Manipulative
Impatient
Hypocrites
Scheming
Receivers, even at someone else’s expense
Commit fraud for personal gain
Silent killers (gaining strength from someone else’s pain)
Live in the moment (regardless of what lies ahead)

Uncontrollable greed is sin. It destroys relationships, tearing family and friends apart. Greedy people don’t think about the “what ifs”; they are lost in the moment and have fallen so low that they lose touch with their reality.
By wanting and desiring too much, we end up losing everything.