Weather

Nature at its Best in the High Desert

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read431 views

It’s always a blessing when the Universe conspire in one’s favor as it was the case for us this weekend.
The weather was at its best and we finally (5 years later) completed one of my most important projects in the backyard, which is privacy. The front yard and the sides of the house are covered, all we needed was something for the far end of our backyard, which was overlooking a huge empty lot. We chose Chain Link Privacy Slats.

I planted more gorgeous flowering bulbs yesterday, including Belladonna Amaryllis, Pink Impression Tulip and Ice King Double Daffodil. The pictures below are a few of my fragrant roses from the front yard. I picked a few yesterday to make a centerpiece and I pruned most of them.

Beautiful Fragrant Roses. Find their name on Pinterest.

Below are some Fall colors in my Garden. The leaves on my Raywood Ash tree are slowly changing too.

Purpleleaf Cherry Plum . Heavenly Bamboo . Burning Bush.

The plants and flowers are thriving in the garden and the bees are busy collecting Pollen. It was fascinating watching them go back and forth as I was carefully taking pictures. Click here to learn more about Bee Pollen.

Honey Bees Collecting Pollen.

Since the beginning of the month I’ve seen quite a few Grasshoppers in my garden. As fun as they are to my kids, who enjoy watching them hop around; I am beginning to worry about their number and looking into Organic Pesticide to get rid of them. Click here or here to learn more about Grasshoppers and how to control them and click here to learn about some of their usefulness (serving as food for birds, for instance).

Seaside Grasshopper . Baby Bird . Heart Shaped Stone.

The best part of the day was video conferencing on Skype with the Family in France. My Parents traveled late last month to attend the Graduation ceremony of my big brother. The kids (cousins) got to see each other and talked to their grandparents, uncle and aunt. They even got a sneak peek at some of their Christmas gifts.

I am happy that everyone is safe and having a good time. I am looking forward to a peaceful week ahead.

Beautiful Day in The Garden

JM Perez By JM Perez2 min read652 views

I am so grateful for the bright and warm weather we’ve had since the beginning of the week, contrary to what we had last week. As much as I enjoy Fall season; I am not fond of the cold nights, especially when the temperature goes down to 32 degrees °F (Fahrenheit) and I begin to wonder whether or not it will snow (how bad and for how long)? Snow is really not something I look forward to.

Yesterday, the kids helped their Father finish putting together the Halloween Robot he built for them. They used Solar Cells to light up the chest area (red) and eyes (green). As cute as the project turned out; I wouldn’t want to stumble upon such a thing at night as I might be scared out of my mind.
We will create a separate post with pictures as well as a DIY Tutorial.

Partial View of My Front Yard.
Partial View of My Front Yard.

I planted some California Poppies in the backyard as well as some Roses from the 99¢ Only Stores. I’ve come to love Roses from this store. The store carries so many varieties and they are so gorgeous. Some of my favorites are: Let Freedom Ring, French Lace, Moonstone Hybrid Tea, Madame Plantier, among others.
Determined to help me garden, my kids’ favorite activities were watering, drawing on the dirt and of course, splashing about! No matter how things turn out, family time is very much cherished in my house.

I will setup my new Hammock and enjoy the rest of my afternoon reading.

First Day of Fall & Meetup

JM Perez By JM Perez1 min read576 views

Today was officially the first day of Fall and the weather was at its best. Some leaves from my Fruitless Mulberry Tree and my Sweet Almond Tree have started falling. With a cooler weather allergies are always on the rise and I have to remind myself to dress warmly and spend less time outdoors (to avoid weed pollen and other allergens carried by the high winds here). During this time of the year, I get very excited to enjoy the colors of autumn foliage and the dancing of the leaves as the wind brings them to life. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me.

Fall Leaves.
Fall Leaves.

I met up this morning at Starbucks® with some bloggers from High Desert Blogging meetup group to discuss Marketing concepts. We shared and learned so much from one another. For me, being in the presence of knowledgeable Women is motivational. This was a very informative and fruitful meetup.

Red Sun on a Dark Sky

EPEngineer By EPEngineer1 min read592 views

While working on my garage, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a plume of smoke over the mountains. It was not big in size but dark on its intensity. As the hours passed the smoke plume got thicker and wider and darker. It was quite a sight to behold since its not every day that something like this happens. The picture here was taken in the evening and it’s quite a sight.

Due to the intensity, I wondered about the origin of the fire. It seemed to me that the fire was towards Irwindale, CA/Pasadena, CA mountains. The radio made no mention of the fire nor the location as the hours passed on this day. Having witnessed some fires up close I can surely say that it looked like a very fast moving fire. And so, The cycle of life continues with the rebirth of the hills.

Flammagenitus clouds.

By night time, my wife decided to check the Yellow Moon out and capture it on film. Isn’t it so close and yet so far? Isn’t it lovely?

Yellow Moon.

What a beautiful sight and night.

Summer Showers: Much Needed Rain

EPEngineer By EPEngineer1 min read607 views

So I woke up today to a cloudy day. The sun hiding behind the dark puffy pillows waiting for their tears to fall upon the earth. As the day continued I heard the thunder very high upon the sky and knew what was to follow.

After informing my wife and children of the rain that was coming we readied ourselves with camera and sandals to go outdoors. And then the rain hit. It came in the form of big fat drops and hail that suddenly came down the size of skiddles.

Umbrella In The Rain.
Umbrella In The Rain (Source: Desk7.net).

It continues for around 10 minutes and finally the hail stops falling and only the rain remains. suddenly the smell of wet earth fills our home, the cent of nature bringing out a peace and serenity that seems to be within humanity since the beginning.

We see as the rain has washed over the garden and has brought life back into the hills and landscape alike. The land has become anew. Is nature not amazing?