Sep 29 2009

Finding warmth on a cold day–Revisited ;)

Bigsby has found a friend in Gloria “The Chair”, and on a chilly, blustery fall day like today I can see why he would want to just simply curl up an snooze away the afternoon with Gloria.

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| posted in Bigsby, fall, Gloria, sleep, The Chair

Sep 25 2009

Make it so.

My little project for the past few months has been developing a portfolio for myself so that I can start working as a photographer professionally.

Many of you know that I have a desire to go to school eventually (next year?) but in the meantime, this is what I will be working on when I can.
My hope is also to put together a book of some of my favorite shots from our travels all over the world over the last year.
If you are interested in letting me practice on you, then by all means–contact me! I’d love to have as much practice as I can.

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| posted in Photography, Travel, Work

Sep 25 2009

Death of a Legend.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the above quote applies to English Ivy.

Our new place has a lovely porch out front. It has two lovely maple trees that are situated in front of the porch. However, the porch has been eaten by the English Ivy Monster. It’s been about 20 years in the making. It’s pretty extensive. In the siding of the house…heck, it was in the kitchen when we first moved in. So we made the decision to get rid of it.
It’s taken about two weeks, and we’re just now starting to see the end of it (though I’m sure that we’ll have to start fighting it again in spring!) Our plan is to put some black tarps over the area over winter to kill any of the roots that are left over.
But I must say, I have grown to detest this vile plant quite profusely. Whoever planted this stuff 20 years ago…
If I had one piece of advice to offer after all of this: Don’t plant ivy. You think it’s an easy garden? Hah. Wait till it eats your house. It’ll eat your plants. It will cover your lawn. Once you plant Ivy, you better be prepared to pull out the big guns if you ever change your mind.
Here’s what Wiki says about this “charming english ivy”
“Hedera helix is considered an invasive species in a number of areas to which it has been introduced, such as Australia and the United States. Like other invasive vines, such as kudzu, it can grow to choke out other plants and create “ivy deserts”. State and county sponsored efforts are encouraging the destruction of ivy in forests of the Pacific Northwest and the Southern United States. Its sale or import is banned in Oregon. It is considered a noxious weed across southern, particularly south-eastern, Australia and local councils provide free information and limited services for removal. In some councils it is illegal to sell the plant. Ivy can easily escape from cultivated gardens and invade nearby parks, forests and other natural areas. Ivy can climb into the canopy of trees in such density that the trees fall over from the weight, a problem which does not normally occur in its native range. In its mature form, dense ivy can destroy habitat for native wildlife and creates large sections of solid ivy where no other plants can develop.”

See that??? It can even invade nearby parks. Not even your children are safe from it. ;)

Agh!
Don’t ever plant this stuff! It’s awful!

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| posted in gardening, Ivy, monsters, renovations