Rain, trees, vegetables, pie and a cockatoo named Bunny

The rain began here at about 4pm.  It is a beautiful sky...black and gray clouds overlapping each other.  The sky out over the ocean is dramatic.  Beautiful.

We have been transplanting trees around the property this past week.  Ideally we'd like to be lined with Peppers and Pines; with a few bushes thrown in.  Privacy would be nice.  Right now the neighbors behind us chat on their cell phones looking out over our yard, like it is their own personal park - while we rake or mow or something.  It feels like we are their landscaping company...I don't like it.  They don't mean any harm, but I do like privacy.  Anyway - with this rain, the saplings should take off and thrive. 

I will have a larger garden this season.  I have been reading my garden books trying to decide what to plant and when to do it.  We need to fence for rabbits and gophers (and dogs)...and we need to start some seeds indoors.  I think I will try to do a pumpkin patch out front this year.  Pumpkins, corn, sunflowers make such a nice fall dispaly.  Maybe I could sell them!  That might be fun.

Melons, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, carrots, cucumbers, radish, cabbage, corn, cauliflower, brocolli, chard, beans, peas...I've got a huge list of desires - but I will try to keep it to a 50 x 50 foot plot ... so i still have some figuring to do.

And a mulch pile needs to be started...
And we will be getting chickens again this season!  A better coop is being constructed near the veggies so I can use the poop to fertilize.  The guy across the street said I can have all the horse manure I need - and use his loader to move it around!  Cool.  Maybe we can trade veggies for that stuff...and maybe a horse ride?  :)

I made my strawberry orange pie again today, only with a few changes.  I added a dark chocolate.  It is cooked and chilling now.  Should be yummy.  I hope my recipe can win me some money in a magazine or something!

So, today we got a call from a neighbor who knew a person who died of cancer recently.  He had a 2 year old cockatoo named Bunny and she needs a new home.  She is being held at the Animal Keeper ( an animal daycare and boarding facility nearby)  We visited her today and she is lovely.  An affectionate and charming white bird.  We will find out more about her tomorrow when we meet the owners kids. (who do not want her).  We used to have a Love Bird named Zoe and Zoe loved Boyd - and Boyd really enjoyed Zoe.  I've been thinking about another bird for a few months now.  Bunny could last 40 years or more, so she will outlive Boyd and I.  I hope my kids would want to inherit a big white bird.  :)

I began looking at a Child Psychology book that I've had around forever...looking at things that the characters in my story might relate to.  I learned some things that would be good additions/changes;  things that might help to make a better theme and plot line for the story.  Still working on that whole "Caroline and Me" - idea...starting over.  My initial story got lost in all the translations, all the re-writes.