flashback

i'm still having flashbacks.  i woke up extra early on thursday for a 7am conference call with a director in prague and a storyboard artist in nyc.  i took the dogs out for a spin, then came inside and rolled up the blinds in the den.  that's when i saw him.  fresh off the bus, and stepping between a break in the brush cherries that line the chain link fence along the front of the property. the fat little man proceeded to drop trou (including his yellowed, oversized briefs) and squat to take a crap.  on our property.  in plain view.  i pushed the window open and started yelling, but he was unfazed.  then i ran outside in my robe, barking dogs following me, and confronted him.   i expected him to bolt, but he didn't even look at me and continued as calmly as if he were in his own bathroom.  if i was thinking more clearly, i would have turned the hose on him, or taken some incriminating snaps with my iphone (alas, i did neither).  the only thing i could do so early in the morning was to continue screaming at him, how he should be ashamed of himself, that i would call the police if i ever saw him here again, that he should go home and crap in his own yard.  this really takes the cake.  i'm more determined than ever to get a higher fence installed on the property line (which is nearly at the curb).  then there will be nowhere for people to crap, or piss, dump their shopping carts, or throw their trash.  in the meantime, i am hoping to catch him on another morning when i can get his picture and follow him home.  the nerve!

we live on the border.  this forgotten corner of los angeles has an identity crisis.  to the north, lies the disneyland that is santa clarita.  to the south, is the industrial wasteland of pacoima. to the east are the rugged mountains of the angeles national forest, and the western border is the golden state freeway.  not so long ago, this was an agricultural pocket populated by exclusively by white americans.  in the past 20 years, the demographic has shifted from majority white to majority latino, with nearly a quarter of residents here illegally.  this area has remained the bastard stepchild of l.a., lacking the basic city services enjoyed by the more affluent parts of the city.  our councilman doesn't even live in the district (ok, maybe on paper he does).  with a population topping 100,000, we have one fire station, but no hook and ladder.  last year, the city tried to take away funds for our sole emt unit.  much of the area has no sidewalks, and many have no city sewer hookup.  the city continues to approve zoning changes, pocketing the money from developers like kb homes without investing any of it back into our community.

before we moved here, our little neighborhood tried to secede from sylmar.  they erected a hideous granite and river rock monument to their dream - rancho cascades.  the marker still stands on the corner of our property, while the residents who built it have all moved out of the state.  the secession movement grew into a feud worthy of the hatfields and mccoys.  some yuppy homeowners moved in, and tried to join the local chamber of commerce.  they were met with a less than enthusiastic welcome by the old timers.  the older (white) members of the women's club turned their backs on the upstarts.  the newcomers continued to push their way in and tried to shake up the system, but the oldsters wouldn't budge and tried to shut them out.  eventually, the newcomers had the bright idea to split away, so they could have their own chamber and clubs.  what they didn't realize is that the city won't allow a split like this for an area as small as our neighborhood.  

now, we live in an area where the whir of police helicopters at night is nearly as common as the clip-clop of horses on the streets.  mariachi parties are a popular pastime on the weekends, so the lapd has thoughtfully designated a "party car" to address noise complaints (while denying us basic police services).   you'll see chickens running loose on the streets and "vaqueros" riding their horses while chatting on cell phones.  one thing you won't be seeing soon is that awful monument, which will hopefully be hidden behind a six foot fence within a few weeks.

june gloom

our plans to shear this weekend were foiled when the blade sharpener guy didn't show last week at east valley feed & tack.  would have been nice to get it done, but it'll have to wait until next weekend.  the weather is uneven - hazy and cool most mornings, warm and sunny on others.  temps are hovering in the high 70s and low 80s. 

instead of shearing, i spent part of the weekend building a chicken tractor for the bantam roosters.  a "tractor" is a pen on wheels, that can be moved from place to place.  figured it was the best solution until we're able to completely relocate the bantam pen away from our whiny neighbors.  the pen i'm building is 4 x 6, with a lockable hutch for nighttime. i'm recycling the wood from the old bantam pen, and cannibalizing parts of the old hutches. hope to have it finished next weekend, with the help of my dad, who'll be visiting.  james gave me some pointers (like reinforcing the corners), so i think it'll turn out well.

the garden is underway.  had to break down and buy some heirloom tomato plants from sperling, since all of my seedlings died after i transplanted them to the garden.  i should probably have planted them earlier, and transplanted them to transitional containers until they were bigger.  i also picked up a couple additional varieties of cucumber (persian and lemon), along with a yellow zucchini plant.  not buying hybrids this year, so hopefully i'll have more seeds to start next year (and greater wisdom, based on this year's experiment).  a couple of cuke and zucchini plants grown from seed have survived and seem to be thriving, and the heirloom lettuces are growing fast.  lettuce always does well in the garden, even during the hottest summer. we also have a couple of eggplants, some tiny pepper sprouts, and a few corn stalks growing. the sweet potato slips that pattie gave me are now in the ground.  i also have a few small herb plants started (purple basil, garlic chives and rosemary), and last year's oregano and thyme are still going strong.  my giant rosemary plant died suddenly last month, so i've been missing fresh rosemary.  pattie and scott gave us a clove of russian garlic to plant, which they received from a friend.  it's supposed to be especially delicious and expensive.

lamb abe has become especially friendly.  he'll approach me now, and let me rub his head.  he's started spending more time with the big rams and less time with mom.  the twins are curious, now that they see me touching abe, and will let me pet them briefly but aren't convinced that i'm harmless.  little maggie is still shy, just like her mom, but still enjoys jumping and romping (usually around the chickens and dogs) in a little dance.

the first mission figs are ripe - just a dozen or so ripen early every year as a teaser.  the trees are covered with little green fruit that will soon be plump and sweet.  it won't be long before the sheep are running for the trees every morning in search of figs for breakfast.  by then, it'll be warmer and the sheep will be enjoying their new haircuts.