Dark Secret Garden

Shortly after purchasing our lot, the description reads 2 1/2 to 3 acres(it's difficult and expensive to measure boulders) we discovered a couple of deep mining pits on our property. Mr. Pierce, the prospector who first owned the land, must have grown weary waiting for rain in order to prospect in the wash and started digging for gold. The pits were deep enough to present a danger, but fortunately we discovered them before falling in. The most shallow pit was located a few yards from our house site. David shoveled all the dirt, rocks and decomposed granite from the excavating process into that hole which almost filled it completely.

I continued with our effort to transform an unsightly, dangerous problem into a more acceptable part of the landscape. This involved bringing several wheelbarrows (we do everything around here with a wheelbarrow) of granite from the wash to level the area. All that was left to do was cut back a bit of the chaparral and move in some outdoor furniture.

It was a glorious morning when that task was completed and I could sit in this spot with my early morning cup of coffee.

From the day it came together, this pit was renamed "My Dark Secret Garden" because all the planters were painted with a shade of purple labeled dark secret. Leslie gave the paint to me. The large planter is an old ammo box given to me by a neighbor who survived D-Day in World War 11 and went on to serve America in Korea. The furniture was once pristine white, a princess touch to our daughters' bedroom when they were four years old, now repainted black. The parrot's cage was a gift from another junk-loving friend. I just added the secret garden sign, purchase from my favorite Yarnell store, The Emporium. Indian paintbrush provides a touch of red to the east and the wild sunflowers add color to the west border. This summer both a Colorado four-o'clock and a sacred dactura sprung up, not in the most convenient places, but they're still here. Deep shade is always welcome in AZ and this is one of few on the civilized part of our property. The Dark Secret Garden exudes good vibes for me--even if my day is so busy I only smile as I go by it.

FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Hey, it's me, up here, keeping an eye on things, except what goes on in the dark secret garden. I will never tell.

a parting shot from bbman: buy american.

DIY Tile Floors,Another "Green" Effort

Because we live in the wilderness of AZ, images of javalinas, mountain lions, scorpions, and rattlesnakes--not to mention an occasional Gila monster--represent many people's perception of our yards and gardens. In reality what we live with day in and day out is lots of granite--literally tons and tons. I'm especially fascinated with the boulders strewn all over our mountain but the granite that I deal with most is of the decomposed sort. Folks who've lived here twenty years or so just refer to it as DG. It doesn't just cover our driveways and paths, it works its way into our houses. And that is just one of the reasons that tile flooring is wonderful. Vacuum, mop and it looks new again.

We did discuss many options but always came back to tile.

Thirteen years ago, an artist in Scottsdale gave David and I tons of tile. We rented a U-Haul truck, brought it up the mountain and hid the tile in a grove of manzanitas until we had some floors constructed. This tile is better traveled than I, originating in Turkey, Brazil, France, Spain, Mexico, the good ole USA but most are from Italy. Colors include every shade of beige known to man, browns, blacks, greens, white and terra cotta. We found a picture of a mosaic arrangement of broken tile in a Lowe's how-to book and went with it. One of my jobs in the tiling process is to don some astonishingly gorgeous safety goggles and smack tiles with a hammer. I actually like this a lot. We use all the pieces, both great and small, adhering them to cement board with a masonry product called thin set. The tiles are grouted with Mapei Keracolor sanded with Polymer in a straw color purchased at Lowe's. Six inch Tuscan bone tiles, also purchased at Lowe's, are used for baseboards. I smash a few of these to mix with the random others to tie the look together.

In order to personalize the floors, I have incorporated favorite pebbles collected from those life-enhancing moments--weddings, christenings, vacations. The floors also sport an element solely for fun, small brass turtles. My absolute favorite store in Yarnell, The Emporium, sells these little garden gems for about $3.50 each and I have purchased enough to cement at least one in every room. When we finish each floor, all my little visiting friends and most of the adults search for the turtle. I do place the turtles in an area that receives little traffic as too much scrubbing will wear off the paint a bit exposing the brass which isn't a bad thing.

The finished product says a lot about who we are and where we've been and I like that.

I consider this floor tiling project green because we used tile that was headed for a landfill and because the tile floor requires little maintenance--one squirt of detergent and a cup of vinegar in the mopping water which gets poured on a weed I don't like when I'm through. That's not too bad in our chemical infused world. Perhaps the best green of all is the green it saved us.

FROM THE KNOTHOLE: Well, here I am, that's me, the guy who runs around the world with his pocket full of pebbles that Badboulderlady has dropped into them once her purse is full. She's pretty nuts, don't you all think? And how about that free tile she is gushing about? Free, huh? Cost me a whole Sunday, a very hot one at that. Drove a hundred miles to Phoenix, rented a U-Haul truck that was truly on its last leg, drove to Scottsdale to pick up the tile, loaded it by hand, hauled it back up the mountain to Yarnell. The U-Haul truck had a full half turn of play in the steering wheel, had no A/C, overheated coming up the Yarnell mountain, and belched out very noxious odors and smoke into the cabin. So we piled the tile out in our front yard, and quickly headed back to Phoenix to turn in the truck in order to avoid an extra day of rental charge. Because of the heat, the smoke, and physical exertion, I really didn't feel that great. But, you know, anything for "free" tile.

parting shot from bbman: don't buy cheap tools.