It just keeps going on and on.

It’s mid September and who would have thought we’d still be in this pandemic. For some of us wearing a mask has become normal. An inconvenience but somewhat normal.

Now that we are no longer caretakers for Bluebird Ranch, my focus has shifted back on work as a community gardener for Farmscape and a yoga teacher. For years now my goal has been to offer classes about gardening and yoga to help people find a way to manage stress. So what am i up to now?

Growing lots of food for the residents here at the agrohood. This is a condominium complex that has decided to grow about 85 percent of the landscaping as edible. Meaning that there are lots of fruit trees that line the streets and lots of container vegetable gardens. We manage the containers which is a lot of work but fun. The residents help out.

I also want to start a garden club where we can have seed swaps, potlucks and other garden events. I’m partnering with the Rubel Castle next weekend to offer our first seed swap.

I’m also teaching yoga classes.

Finding peace in a hectic world is essential for me these days.

More later….Happy gardening! J

Life as we come out of this pandemic

Who would have thought that this pandemic was going to last this long. It’s nice to see that the numbers have finally gone down enough to feel comfortable venturing out to see friends and family. I think most of us are a little nervous gather wondering if the numbers will jump back up again.

For us here on the ranch it felt like we were living in a bubble since our lives didn’t change much through the year. I continued to work at my garden job because we grow food which meant we were considered essential workers. I’m very thankful for that.

Coming out of this pandemic i’m more convinced that we need to work together to grow food and stay healthy together. When i say stay healthy, i mean mentally and physically. I think in some communities people are already doing this. Walking together for exercise during a work lunch hour, walking together with neighbors, starting garden support clubs. I know that i’m more motivated to practice yoga or walk when i have a friend to do it with me. Imagine if in a block you had neighbors growing food and flowers together and trading. One person could grow fruit trees and herbs if they worked while people that have more time could grow the squash and tomatoes. This idea could include reaching out to shut in senior and leaving them some flowers to brighten their day.

working at the local community garden(not there anymore:(

So as i write this post my mind is hashing out ideas for this “connected community”. See our work here on the ranch as caretakers has come to an end and we are moving back down to the city. When they first gave us our notice of course we were sad but a little relieved. I was also freaking out as this is the worse time to be moving since it seems like lots of people are also on the move. Living in Los Angeles is hard unless you have lots of money. Owning anything here is so out of reach that we even considered buying a mobile home. It’s amusing seeing the faces of people that own homes look at you with that worried look when you mention buying a mobile home. When you look at the alternatives well it sounds nice to be able to somewhat own something where you know the chances of being booted out are much slimmer. Renting is crazy. These property owners know that they can pretty much ask anything for their places because well someone will be desperate enough to pay it. We are ok though because we found a place where i can still grow a small garden.

I will miss the deer, the bobcats and that cute fox that has been coming around. I will miss the beautiful views and sunsets.

The view towards the house

view from our dining room table

i won’t be missing the ground squirrels that eat EVERYTHING! I won’t miss living in a house with no heating and worrying if i’m going to be cold all winter long(i’m a wimp in even California winters)

my compost companion

But most of all i have good memories of this place and feel fortunate to have lived here. Stay tuned for our next adventure…

Happy gardening, ~J

Living in uncertain times…

Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s been six months since i last posted. I kept thinking of posting but my mind was so full yet i couldn’t put anything down into words.

So this last year was a tough one and although we have left that year behind times still feel uncertain. How do we move forward from here. I guess just putting one foot in front of the other and staying in the present moment. I think forming stronger community connections is the way to get through this. We need to help each other out.

The last few months I have focused on my yoga and gardening business so that i could support people in ways where they could manage all the stress that they are experiencing. I myself leaned heavily on my yoga everyday practicing and sitting in nature and meditating. I managed to plant a small winter garden.

I feel thankful to be able to connect to nature right outside my back door.

Bluebird Ranch continues with the projects like our pond restoration. We will be fundraising because we are low in funds to be able to continue projects like these.

Neighbor dogs enjoying the pond as we try filling it.

This year we will continue to clear dead wood and restore the pond. We also want to slowly open the ranch for tours and workshop.

Stay tuned for more project at Bluebird Ranch and my yoga and gardening classes. You can check out my weekly classes at http://www.gardenyogijuanita.wixsite.com/adaraluz

~ Happy gardening! Juanita

Drought, Covid and food insecurity.

Lately we have had little to no water to live on. Imagine turning the faucet on and nothing coming out! Sounds crazy huh?

We here at Bluebird Ranch get our water from a spring that we share with about six other neighbors. I imagine that with the dry winter we had this year that our spring didn’t get to be replenished. There are a couple of other issues here but i won’t bore you with the details.

The fact that we have had to go into serious conservation mode really hits home how much water we use on a daily basis. From flushing the toilet, taking a shower, washing dishes. How about just wanting to rinse your hands if they feel dirty. I never realized how fortunate we are to have running water. Seems like something that should just be there for everyone.

This brings me to think about the many people that experience this in other countries. Also it makes me more conscientious of where i can cut back. Don’t get me wrong, i also feel like a princess feeling frustrated that i don’t have the water pressure i want so i can wash my hair. Next time you brush your teeth I’d like to challenge you to see how little water you can use. I’m down to half a drinking glass:)

working all covered up.

So we are going on how many months of this corona virus? I feel like i’m in a weird dream that i can’t wake up from. I am so thankful for those amazing people that are still working. Especially people working in hospitals or nursing care facilities that are exposed every day to the virus. Although i’m still working, i’m lucky enough to be working with only two or three people at the most. Our residents come in to harvest but we restrict it to one family at a time so there is plenty of space to social distance. It feels like it’s been forever since i was able to hug a friend or go out without a mask.

I think this virus is shining the light on some serious issues in our society that we can’t ignore anymore. Like food insecurity. In a country that has so much money it seems crazy that anyone should go hungry here. As a farmer i constantly think about how i can help to get good local food into the hands of people in need. I thought that i could grow a bunch of food here and find a pantry to donate it to but NOT ENOUGH WATER! Actually it’s not just the water issue but the damn ground squirrels and bugs that have been the biggest issue.

But seriously food insecurity is a serious problem. All people should have access to fresh local and organic produce. In Pomona their farmers market has a program where people can use their EBT coupons.

For you gardeners and farmers, next time you have a bumper crop of veggies or fruits, find a food pantry to donate to or get creative and find ways to get that amazing food to people in need.

Happy gardening and stay safe!

~ J

Social distancing in the mountains

I think we have been self quarantined for about two months now and for the first month and a half i felt little change to my daily routine.  I am part of the essential workforce(thank goodness) because i’m a community farmer.

Being up in the mountains and only having one neighbor has been probably the biggest adjustment in the last year and a half since we moved here and so the “social distancing” hasn’t effected me until now.  I find myself planning to call a garden friend to come and hang out or work in the garden with me but then realize that this is not possible for now.  So what am i up to here at the ranch?

Growing food!  Last year i didn’t feel like fighting the pocket gophers or insects to grow food but now with people losing their jobs and pinching pennies i feel the need to grow as much food as i can (with my time permitting} and offer it or donate it to my community.

The succulents have been doing great in the spiral garden.  Nothing seems to be too interested in even a nibble.  My initial goal was to plant as many succulents and native plants in the spiral garden.  Now i’ve decided to sink a few big pots and try growing a

few tomatoes.  I’m also growing tomatoes in a few big pots above grown with netting.  I’m determined to get some tomatoes this year.  In addition i seeded cucumber, sugar snaps, onions, pumpkin, and some herbs.

We are also in the thick of weed abatement.  All the rain we had that one week gave all the weeds we cut down a boost of energy.  I like mowing with the tractor and can easily lose track of time until i realize my butt has fallen asleep.

My husband has been busy with his projects too.  Now that he is home he’s been weed whacking like crazy and fixing some things around here.

This fence was completely off the hinge and the hinge was broken.  He added wheels to the bottom so it’s so much easier to open and close.  The projects always seem like something that can be done in a flash but then become a few day projects.

Lastly we were visited by the painted ladies this year again.  For some reason they really liked the hoop house and congregated in the bunches to the point that some were getting stuck which was sad.

Here’s to a plentiful bounty this summer.  Happy gardening!

Juanita

We made it!

I can’t believe we are going on our second year as caretakers here at Bluebird Ranch.  As beautiful as it is here it took us a while to adjust to living in the mountains.  We’ve never considered ourselves as wilderness people.  In fact in the 20 years we’ve been together we have never gone camping.  We do love animals though and especially deer!

growing in our new greenhouse

The amazing view from our back door.

Trying to out smart the ground voles by lining our garden box.

During this year we experienced a wet cold winter, Learned how to use a tractor and weed whacker and watched many beautiful sunsets.

Stay tuned for what’s to come next year.  We plan to offer classes, more retreats and a kids day at Bluebird Ranch.  If your interested in volunteering feel free to message us.

Happy holidays!  J

 

The greenhouse is done!

The greenhouse project was part of a grant given to the SGMRC to provide the funds to build a greenhouse to grow food for our local food pantry.  Our amazing volunteers got the job done.  I have to admit that when this project was proposed to me a year ago when we moved in, i was nervous that they wanted me to build it.  I’ve never build a greenhouse so i was thankful that we had a retired contractor heading this project. It came out really nice.

Here we are getting ready to cover the frame.

The last bit went pretty fast with the extra volunteers we had.

The weather was cool(believe it or not) and it was a beautiful day.

Here are the hard working volunteers(Ray and Sue) that stepped up to make this project happen.  Now time to plant plant plant!  The soil here is heavy clay so i will be trying two different techniques.  I will be growing in above ground boxes and straight into the ground.  The boxes will only be 12 inches high so it won’t take as much soil to fill.  To plant straight into the ground i will chose a cover crop which will then be cut down after it gets to about a foot high. I’ll let this break down and cover it with a layer of already finished compost . Since fall and winter will be a small planting, i will be focusing on adding lots of organic matter to the soil over the next few weeks and months.  Wish me luck!

Happy gardening!  J

Surviving the heat in the wilderness!

This is our first summer here at bluebird and it’s been a hot one.  I planted a few things in the spiral.  I planted a lot of echeveria succulents because i know they can be ignored and still look good.  The plan was also to plant some veggies and not get too attached since the ground squirrels have come in.

We had a lot to mow this spring with all the rain.  That was a bit overwhelming but I think we did ok.

If areas around the stone house or roads looked like this then we needed to mow it down.   Now that we are in summer, it’s especially important to keep our back roads clear in case of a fire.  Looking at how dry everything is around here we know that campfires, even if they are contained, is a big no no.

When we moved in last year in September there were so many deer around that when winter came and they disappeared, i expected to see tons of them back with their babies in the spring. I also realized that the deer start coming back as it gets hotter.  Not sure if it’s because they are looking for water or if their food source has dried up.

Here’s one grazing on the grass.

Since i’ve come on as caretaker i’ve been thinking about how i can better serve this wild land.  I’m not a tree trimmer which is a lot of the work that needs to be done here so i’ve focused on bringing in more revenue so we can pay someone to take care of the many trees that need to be tended too.  The eucalyptus trees eventually need to come down and some have already come down on their own.

  You can see this tree is leaning and actually fell down on it’s own.  I never realized how much work it is to cut down a tree and to get rid of it.  A lot of times we just move it out of the road.  It would be ideal to have someone cut it up and shred it but that would take a giant chipper which we don’t have.

So this year i’ve worked hard in offering Yoga retreats, classes, workshops and i’m thinking later in the year I’ll have an art show and or small holiday craft fair to bring in some revenue.  We have also joined Hipcamp in offering camping here.  We want to add an eco project component to it but haven’t nailed down what exactly that will be.

Lastly our lastest project that we are very excited about is our new green house.

This green house is the result of a grant we received to grow food to donate to The Shepards Pantry which is a local food bank.  I think it will serve to also grow and sell plants.

If you love the wilderness and would like to be part of Bluebird Ranch as a volunteer contact me by emailing me at jrivasraymer@yahoo.com.  Our hope is to build a strong community of friends that have the same passion in conserving this beautiful land.

Happy gardening   ~ J

Wow, that was a real winter!

So our first winter was a surprise.  It was dark and cold and wet.  The days seemed shorter here too.  Yet still had the most beautiful sunsets.

I’d wake up and eat breakfast as i watched the deer grazing on the lawn.  Now that we are in spring I haven’t seen many deer which leave me wondering why they haven’t come back. I was expecting to see baby deer running in our back lawn.  Not having concrete covering every surface outside really connects us to the changes in weather.  I’m sure it was still wet and cold down the mountain but something about being in the wilderness made it feel colder and wetter.  We survived and now are in spring which so far has been beautiful.  There are about five birds nests in the carport that we love watching every morning.  The rains were so plentiful that not only did lots of wildflowers bloom but the weeds are the size of small trees!  Our job now is to mow and weed wack down all the brush.  This could easily be a full time job.  It’s nice to see how willing neighbors and student groups are to help.

So I’ve been thinking of what my goals for Bluebird Ranch would be this year.  Besides keeping an eye on things and mowing I really enjoy sharing the space, touring people around and teaching about why it’s so important to support conservation land.  The amount of wildlife that this land supports is incredible.  This is why i continue to invite the community over for potlucks, retreats and garden workdays.  We even had a group of college kids come and spend the night.  They couldn’t stop raving about how beautiful it was here.

 

In the near future i plan to have a Yoga and gardening class together where we focus on using yoga and gardening to manage stress and anxiety.  Follow me for updates on classes and events on instagram under “gardenyogijuanita”

Happy spring,   J

A real winter!

Wow, so being up on the mountain we really experienced the rain a lot more intense.  We mulched and spread sand in the area where we drive a lot but the rain still puddled.  I’m also hyper aware of checking any trees that could be uprooted with all the rain and wind.   I love how many birds come out as soon as it starts to clear up.  I do spend a lot more time just looking out and noticing the wild life.

 

This month we had our first event of the year.  Our seed swap/potluck was great!  We were so inspired that we ended up working in the garden before the rain came.

With all the rain I’m excited to see what comes up.  I also broadcast some native seeds that day after making a few seed bombs.  It would be lovely to see native flowers like poppies and lupine.  The problem will be to keep the deer from eating them.

I’ve been re-reading Gaia’s Garden which talks a lot about permaculture and how to live in harmony with nature and wildlife like the deer.  I’m up for the challenge of seeing what i can grow with the idea of sharing the harvest instead of fighting with the wildlife.  I may feel different in a few months 🙂

Happy gardening!  J