Thank you, Sandi. It is a good, happy house.

Maybe you should share the story???

Karen

It is my daughter's nick name because we already had a Audrey.

kqcrna said:Maybe you should share the story???
Karen

@lovemyhouse yes Deb give us a background. I came in on the story with the major overhaul last year. Or a link where I can read about it. That might be easier on you.

It was in a Garden Tour article that Trish and Sharon Brown talked me into writing in 2012. Lost my job in December of that year, and the house and the yard (!) have been through even more changes. But, no matter what else is going on, always and forever I still love my house.

https://garden.org/ideas/view/...

Very nice Debra, both the story and the house!

Karen

Thank you, Karen.

I got my user name from a neighbor. When we first moved here 22 years ago, our last renter had started a wall and a flower bed. Because there are more rocks than dirt here, I continued the wall and the flower bed. I rolled a lot of rocks down the hill to where I was working and whenever the neighborhood ladies would get together and ask what each was doing, I would tell them about working on my walls, so one of them started calling me Rocklady.
@Philipwonel I got it I've been hearing that from my DH for the 60 years we've been married.

My name combines the first word of Baja California (the state and peninsula where we live) with the Spanish word for "coastal" to indicate what part (there are mountains and deserts here too). With one exception (the state capital Mexicali) the big population centers here are all along the coast, for the obvious reason that it is infinitely more habitable (for humans, anyway, if not cacti and ocotillos).

Deb that was a great story and what a blessing to have those co workers helping out. Now you said you lost your job, this is from the same boss that was dragging you around to houses? If so that was kind of sucky.
Also I am not fond of red mulch but I really liked it in your beds. Now it's my understanding that the back yard is not touched? I think I read that somewhere. I laughed about the orange azaleas, one of my first gardening faux pas was planting a row of them in the full sun south side of my house. Like George Hamilton, they were extra crispy.

I used to be Ginger_H at Dave's Garden. When I was working part time at a plant nursery my boss watched her DGS a lot. He was just a "diaper kid" and called me gingin so when I joined Cubits I switched to gingin. Brings back lots of fond memories...always had gummy savers for him and biscuits for the dog in my work apron....and they both knew it and helped themselves

Kabby, yes, same boss. Sucky at the time, but one of the best things to ever happen.

Back yard untouched--it is the dogs' domain.

Oh, my. Full sun would certainly crisp 'em up good!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Hi, Ginger! {{waving}}

Hi, Debra that's my two handed wave

@rocklady
Jean. Howdy there partener :tiphat:
You just got it ! Funny funny funny. !
Ho ho ho ! 😃
1 st. I'm proud of you tolerating a man for ? WHAT !!! 60 years 😮 !!!
Especially ! With a name like. Philip with one L !

Hay ?😕??? Why do people just automatically spell philip with two L's ???
WHAT !!! They have never read, seen, or heard of the Bible ?
Latter Girl ! 😁😁😁
😎😎😎

Thank you all for the acorns.

Dang me ! Dang me !!!
Why don't, they, get a rope, an hang me !!!
Debra girl. You really get excited about acorns. Huh !
So.... Have...another.
🎵🎵🎵Girl ! 🎵🎵🎵 i cant help myself ! 🎵🎵🎵 i like you and nobody else 🎵🎵🎵 da da 🎵
dant dant dant ! 🎵 dant danta 🎵🎵🎵

Philip: The cool gardener 😎😎😎

I love the story of the @rocklady name!

@LizDTM There is a sequel to the story. Because my wall wasn't cemented, the deer kept misplacing (kicking) my rocks and sometimes I tripped on them, and I was forever putting them back in their place. DH was also upset about our "lawn" which looked pretty good in the spring but went downhill fast. He called the local rock people, who replaced my wall with a lovely cement one (just tore it down and cemented it together with a nice flat surface to sit on). They also covered our "lawn" with rocks. It is more manageable now but don't think that the rocks are no maintenance. We still have to pick up leaves, sticks and twigs but I don't think I will change my name to "Twiggy."
Front Yard

Back yard

Thank you, Philip.