Hallowen Party 2008

This year brought new props to the mix of Halloween decorations throughtout the 4 years that I have had the annual party.

If you are not familiar with the 3 main themes I have for Halloween, they are: 1) Haunted Mansion, 2) Nightmare before Christmas, and 3) Pirates of the Carribean.

This year I had decided to make a life-size Jack Skellington and Zero from the Nightmare before Christmas. It was challenging to build a 6 foot tall Jack and that was Dawn's project. I also did a large clock that was hung in the front of the house.

This was design after the one featured in Disneyland during the Haunted Mansion Holiday where the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is converted by Jack Skellington.

There were approximately 40 people that attended and have a great time every year. I had movies playing in the backyard and a garage that was converted into a music/dance room.

Next should be even better. I plan on doing more special effects using: animatronics and X10 electronics which provide a way to programmtically turn lights on an off and other electonic devices.

If you have any ideas for the next year I would like to hear from you!

Garden Finds

Well, after donating the hungry worm (AKA: Hornworm) to science, Dawn and I decided to see what was actually in the garden. You see, I planted all this stuff, water occasionally, and then let it grow. Very seldom would I go in and pick veggies that were growing!

After untangling the watermelon and grape tomato plants, I was able to pick tomatoes and peppers and found another watermelon that was hiding underneath the Cuban Mojito mint plant. The other watermelon was growing outside the garden in the grass. It had split, probably due to heat, but it wasn't sweet anyway. There is another melon growing and we are thinking about picking it early to see if it might be sweeter.

I had built another shade for the garden and bought 40 retaining bricks to use for an additional wall. The hard part will be to re-route the watermelon vine that has seemed to take over the area! I think partial shade is key to growing in an arid place like Phoenix.

Well, enough for now as this is another LATE post!

G- Gardener

Garden woes

I found out that something has been chomping away at my garden lately! I have Anaheim pepper plants, cherry tomatoes, crook neck squash, watermelon, and Cuban Mojito Mint. I was enjoying the fruitful returns of the garden all summer and watched the ecosystem taking place in front of my eyes. I have seen grasshoppers, preying mantis, ladybugs (mostly purchased from a local nursery), busy bees, ants, worms, and the latest guest of the garden, but unwanted, the Tomato Hornworm. I had found this guy too late after he had chomped away most of the pepper plants. I think they will survive though because there where some blooms on them. I think the secret to growing a garden in this inferno of a desert I live in, is to have a significant shade construction to provide partial sunlight and not the blinding oven heat sunlight that you would have without it.

So Dawn and I found this Hornworm Friday and donated him literally to science. (he went to the Chaparral High School Science Department).

And now on to rebuilding the garden for the Fall! I need to find the listing of Fall plants that I can use for the season.

Keep you posted!

G Gardener