11/06 2eme semaine/ 2nd week

Comme en 14-18, nous avons passe le milieu de semaine dans les tranchees. Et ca tombe bien, parce que nous avons finis pour l'instand et j'ecris ce mot le jour de l'armistice.
Il fut en effet decide que nous n'avions pas assez de vert dans notre jardin. Les plantes que nous avions plantees au printemps n'ont pas tenus l'ete torride. or il est moins cher que d'investir dans le jardin, que de demenager et chercher une autre maison dans un coin des Etats-Unis, et de quitter ce paradis du vol a voile, que l'on peut sans doute comparer au climat du Maroc puisque nous sommes sous la meme latitude.
Du coup, nous avons creuses pour trouver le tuyau d'irrigation, ajoutes quelques 4o trous avec raccords, car nous venons d'acheter 40 Oleanders, j'ignore comment on dit la chose en Francais. Nous avons rapiecer, reparer, forer, evider, pousser quelques jurons, suinter, lessiver, detacher, et enfin admirer le resultat.
Je pars au boulot la semaine prochaine, mais rendez vous est pris la semaine suivante pour le plantage, pour qu'enfin on pretende ne pas vivre dans un desert.
Affaire a suivre donc.

Merry Christmas! :) :) :) :) :)
It's beginning to look alot like Christmas everywhere I go.... Well howdy folks! So, how is everyone? Terrific? Well, that's special, ain't it!?

First, ode to Miss Abby.... Sorry to hear about your recent snip snip operation. Did you know, however, that Auntie Katie had the same operation when she was a bit older than you are now? Oh, it wasn't fun for me either. In fact, it was a pain in the pooh pooh. So, sorry for what you are going through. However, word to the wise, milk the whole "I'm in pain" thing for lots of ice cream! :)

Second, to ma famila, I know your woes and worries continue as we enter this Holiday season. Cheer up! At least now you'll have woes and worries with presents! (Sorry, it's the best I can do. Though I am looking everyday for the cure to cancer through massive use of chocolate and cabernet sauvignon. WIth just a bit more government funding we may either have a cure - or at least we won't feel a thing if we get sick!)

Lastly, my dear sweet husband worked like a dog this week trolling through our yard to dig up our existing irrigation lines first, to find and fix leaks and second, to add to the line for new plants. Boy, it was a lot of work and sweating and we thought it would never end. However, in the end it was more a physical chore than a complicated one. In fact, we were happy to have done the work ourselves (he digging, me fixing and laying new lines) because now we can handle future problems without having to call for (expensive and non-responsive) help. :)

With our additional to the lines we will be planting the grand survivor Oleander all along the two side walls, wherein we will have an entire backyard enclosure of Oleander. The Oleander survive the desert with no issues (drought, bad soil, etc) so they are the best investment for such a thing and, further, the type we selected grow to 25ft tall, so they will not only block our very VERY close neighbors but will act as a sun screen for the house and cut down on AC bills. Since this will only be a perimeter screen, we will be left with an open view of the beautiful sky above from the remaining part of the yard. And we are happy, as birds visit in droves to our yard now, with Pepito happily chasing them. (We have many kinds of birds now that we planted fake snakes everywhere, which scare away the doves. Before, all we had were messy doves.)

So, alas we heartily await the planting of our new Oleander, which will come Thanksgiving week. And since our average growth is 5-7ft per year for the Oleander, it will be in short time that they will be at or above the fence line. Oh yeah - we're also adding a little to the front yard - using Oleander as trees, again, because they are so darn hardy and in short time can be removed from watering.

:) MERRY CHRISTMAS. Send all gifts to Kate and Richard, in care of the AZ desert!