Rome wasn't built in a day.

My apologies readers for taking so long to send this up. Alot has happened and I have been so very busy. When it comes to this house I have to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and this house will take some time as well!

First, that old, crazy grapevine that has been the bane of me. A few weeks ago my husband had a team of landscapers come in to help around here. These gardeners, four of them, Worked very hard around here to try and get the back garden area under control. The first thing they tackled was the old vine. Out of the trees, out of the flower beds, off the grass it went. They were relentless in the way they went after it.
 The poor thing didn't have a chance.
These guys were in such a focused frenzy to rid the yard of the monster vine that they didnt stop until they had taken the trunk of that old vine that Mrs. Broadbent herself had planted all the way to the ground.
When I came home from work I was shocked at the devastation in my yard. what had been a crazy amount of greenery became a barren landscape.

Before gardners.....

And after.

I stood in the yard and wanted to cry. So much destruction. I never meant to have it ripped to the ground. just wanted control of the wild thing. As I wandered around in the yard that now seemed so large, (we gained alot of ground back.) I found something I had never seen before. A bright yellow grasshopper. He had been living in the grapevine and now was exposed.

So the old trunk of the vine is gone. but some young ones have now been uncovered in a couple of different places in the yard. So not dead completely, good. We will start fresh with the new growth and train them properly. All is not lost!
Our house warming party was a hugh success. Around 50 or so friends came to see the new place and wish us well. The yard looked great. Robin's crew showed up the Friday before the party and whipped the other yard into shape just in time. Thank you guys.
This week my very dearest and closest friend Gloria came down from South dakota to see the new place and spend time with her mama for her birthday. She took us the the nursery and told us to start picking out plants and trees for the house. The three of us had a wonderful time! i've been in the mood to plant things for about a week!
We came home with two different kinds of lime trees, four Bougainvillea, two pink, two dark red, a Night Blooming Jasmine, a Fragrant Snail vine, (smells amasing!) Some Eveing Primrose, a Hemp Plant and a hanging Fuchsia. A very big thank you to Gloria and her man Dennis! we love you!  I would also like to thank Elizabeth Durst for bring us a beautiful hammered brass tray and a poker table from her man Dave to my man Robin. Also to Bill the Reliable, who brought us a beautiful hallway table. We love you guys!
Im thinking that the next project needs to be to lay down the gravel in the driveway. Much dirt comes into the house on a regular basis.

This Old House!

So I decided I wanted to keep some kind of journal on this old house my
husband and I bought. It sits in the middle of the orange groves in Riversides
Historic Citrus Belt District.

This is my first attempt at Blogging, so readers, bare with me!

First, facts about the old house. Built in 1930. White adobe walls, dark
hardwood floors, some exposed dark beams in the ceiling of the living room. 3
bedrooms on the main level. (they added a 4th up on the flat roof, with a
French door leading outside so you can sit on the roof!) There is only one
bathroom, its on the main level. There is also a full size basement! Its not a
finished basement, but this way Robin and I can build it to what we want! (I
intent to put another bathroom down there! Robin? He wants a man cave of
course!)

So you can see the front of the house. Kinda sad, isn't it? The house has not
really been lived in for awhile and it needs some T.L.C. But Rob and I have
nothing but time, and we think we can fix this place up to shine! (eventually!)

There is no paved driveway, its just dirt. Gotta fix that before the rain
comes! At the very least we're going to put down some grave to drive on .

The house sits on a half acre of land, in the shape of Nevada turned upside
down. at the very back is a large, old avocado tree that a grapevine, running
wild, tried to kill.

Yes, I said a grapevine and its an uncontrollable monster! Its taken over
half the yard! Running up all the fruit trees and across the lawn!

So far I have found on the property a fig tree, a pomegranate, two citrus,
(maybe orange or grapefruit) two apple, a peach, an I think an apricot, and of
course the old avocado! I'm sure theres more, as I find them, I will add them.
I have also found some old gardening beds, the boards sunk down into the earth.
Planning on reviving those A.S.A.P. It would be nice to grow veggies again!

The man who has been the caretaker told me he has seen a large Varity of
wildlife and to watch out for the pets. He's seen owls large enough to care off
a cat; (Must have been a barn owl!) also he's seen possum, skunk, raccoon and a
really large feral cat, (bobcat?) and the occasional wayward turtle from the
Gage canal. We are very close to the canal. No problem about that turtle, one
of my plans is to put in a koi pond, that turtle can just make itself at home!

I guess thats all for now. Getting ready to go back and clean a little more
today. The years of neglect shows with the amount of dust and debrie! The big
move happens next weekend!