I am the very proud recipient of the 2010 Volunteer Spirit Award! I was nominated by Habitat For Humanity and the award was given in the category of the Environment. I do the landscape designs for all of the new Sacramento Habitat Homes - Pro Bono. This is very rewarding work. The homes that we have built this year have all been LEED certified (Leadership in Environment and Energy Design). Our house have made Gold and the last two, Platinum - the highest level. The landscapes are all no-lawn and drought tolerant. Our ‘charette’ or group that designs and builds these homes just won the National Green Building award. We are very proud.
I strongly urge folks to go to the Sacramento Habitat for Humanities website and find out when their tours are (generally once a week). You will learn about what the families need to do to qualify, you’ll learn about the families that have been chosen for the Homes - there stories are amazing and moving. You’ll also get a tour of the Habitat Re-Store - a great resource for finding building materials and other odds and ends cheap!
Also, a word about VolunteerCenter of Sacramento: they have many programs that allow people to get involved in our community be it with animals, our parks, food banks or even assisting in giving birthday parties to children that live in shelters and have never had the opportunity to have a party. You can find them online at info@volunteersac.org or call: (916) 567-3100
Regarding energy efficient homes: Did you know that SMUD was given a Federal grant of several millions dollars to give in rebates for Homeowners to retrofit their homes to make them more efficient? The call the program the Home Performance Program and you can qualify for up to $5,000.00 in Rebates. You start with selecting a contractor. There is a list of approved contractors on SMUD’s website:www.smud.org/rebates or call them at 1-888-742-7683 ext. 18.
My garden is winding itself down. I still have many little orange tomatoes hanging on stringy vines. These will all come out as well as the pepper bushes. I can harvest my beets, although I have been doing that throughout the summer. All in all it’s been a good season. It ended up that the slugs left me only one squash plant...normally gardeners are inundated with squash but I could have used a little more.
Because I now have a plethora of cats (the feral mother cat, ‘Mimi’, bequeathed me with two litters before Happy Tails came out and assisted me in trapping her) I’m having a hard time keeping the cats out of my vegetable garden. Cat feces are toxic and should not be anywhere in the soil around your vegetable plants. I have tried all sorts of tricks and products, but once it rains, you have to apply all substances again! So, instead of fighting this I am going to change my garden over to flowers and herbs. The bulkier the plants get, the less the cats find room to dig. I’m okay with this decision - I am an avid frequenter of the Farmer’s Market and usually substitute what I haven’t grown with their vegetables - except for tomatoes, and by next year I’m sure I’ll be able to squeeze some plants in between the herbs without the cats getting in.
By the way, I have 3, 4 month old kittens that I would like to find homes for. Because the mother is feral, the kittens are shy and need some time and TLC to help condition them to a new home. They are outside cats, and after they stay indoors for a couple of weeks, they would be happy outside. They are excellent hunters...the squirrels tend to hide their nuts in other yards now, not mine. The kittens are all Tabby.
A week ago I needed a break and decided to slip out of the office and head up to Apple Hill.
If you ever want to get away and not have to drive too far, I highly recommend this trip. The fall is the best for Apple Hill. Besides the colors and the natural beauty, apple desserts are such a treat! There are also wineries to stop at to wine taste, Jack Russell Brewery and of course, lots of apples to buy. The picture was taken at the Boger Winery.
