I just hooked up one more drip line to the little Antelco eZyvalve valve box. I think I’m done for the season reconfiguring our drip system. Time to see how reliable this thing is. I’m not sure what I’ll do with the last two valves. Spares for now. 🌱
Spring mornings in our front yard. Sage and Ceanothus are in full bloom. 💚🌱
Our native California grapes have been very busy over the last week! 🌱
This morning, two Northern Mockingbirds briefly hung out on our backyard patio. It seems super rare to see a pair of them.
We planted all our indoor pepper and tomato starts. The Serranos looked most distressed prior to transplant 🤞🌱
Sunday, March 28, 2021
I rapidly made a iOS 14 Shortcut that automatically pulls the last 24 hours of helicorder plots from your #RaspberryShake (it assumes a rs.local hostname). Handy to have on the Home Screen. Let me know if there’s any problems. If you’re not in the US west coast, you’ll need to adjust to UTC from your time zone (look for Add 7 hours). Get it here. Older 3/28 Shortcut version
I just installed this Antelco eZyvalve 4 Zone Valve Box. I’m very pleased so far. We’ll see how durable and long lasting it is. I’ll be connecting drip to it. It’s wired to my Rachio Gen 2 irrigation controller.
I used the Controller app to create an automation that triggers upon press of my Logitech doorbell button. Then I converted it to a Shortcut so that upon doorbell press, my dining room lights will flash. Real cool. So the light is Set on or off and then reversed depending on the light status.
Ceanothus (California lilac) is magnificently blooming. 🌱
Row Crop irrigation kit from Drip Depot installed. Really pleased with this so far. I need to stake the tubes in a bit. Will be planting in a week or two. The peppers & tomatoes are hardening now. 🌱
The nectarine is about to start shedding its flowers. Leaves are growing. Since it is pretty young starting its second year in the ground, I’ll be super impressed if it successfully fruits. 🌳🌱
A slow, rolling bloom for the apricot this year. It didn’t fruit at all last year. Here’s hoping for a fruitful year. (it has fruited before so we know it is possible) 🌳🌱
In-flight water drops.
The monster alligator lizard in the shed still lives! Maybe 6 inches long. Been well over a year since last seen.
Took a Potensic D58 drone photo today of the backyard (bottom photo) to compare against January 2020 (top photo). Looking real nice. Fun to have unusual views of the yard.
We’re finally eating our backyard Valencia oranges. Sooo good. 🍊🌳🌱
We got some pea-sized hail today!
How it started (Mar 2020) and how it’s going (Mar 2021) in the backyard. All lawn is removed! Garden rows are ready for our indoor started peppers and tomatoes. 🌱
Sunday dinner: Sous vide Arm Roast followed by Boston Cream Pie.
Slowly preparing the backyard garden rows over the past few months 😅 Almost time to plant the peppers, tomatoes, and direct sow the herbs. No more lawn!!!!!! Tilling is amazing at removing thatch and dead lawn. 🌱
This is quite the year for catchweed (aka bedstraw aka genus Galium). It is everywhere! It even manages to grow in thick mulch with impressively long taproots.
Our “Bacon” Avocado flower buds are developing nicely. Also, the fig is waking up. 🌱🌳
First apricot bloom. Hopefully, as in past years, far more will follow. Figure this flower puts pollinators on notice. 🌳🌱
The front yard blue oak has awakened! 🌱
This should be my last nectarine flower photo. This year. 🌳🌱
Easiest way to deal with (perhaps) hundreds of mandarins once ripe: juice them. These have brightened to very red-orange I wonder if they are closer to tangerines?
The nectarine is up and at ‘em with many glorious blooms. 🌱🌳
Pompasetting nectarine.
Not my favourite 3/4”-minus gravel as the rocks definitely didn’t come from rivers with their headwaters in the California Nothern Coast Range but it’ll do in the backyard. Just as back breaking 😝
One of these days I’ll paint the PVC pipe to hide my poor PVC cementing job and a few barcodes. 🌱
