Fall November 2010

It’s Fall! The leaves are all changing colors and dropping to the ground forming a blanket of vibrant hues...that’s the beautiful part, the other part is that it’s time to rake! The fall weather lends itself to being outside and doing a chore that is also great exercise, not to mention, rewarding; you can instantly see the results of your work.

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.

Food Critic

As I drive throughout the city to my various clients, I'm always on the lookout for good coffee and good food that I can pick up fast. I am amazed at the number of eateries with less than wonderful food... I'm being kind. I thought that since I get around town so much and so often, I would stop at a new place to check the menu and review the food. Here is my latest:

Good Eats. It used to by Andiamo! on Folsom Blvd. It' is now a big, beautifully renovated building with (what I thought was) so much potential, but it turns out, it has very little to offer. When I came upon it I was excited. I had heard something about it before it went in. Now, here it was AND it was lunch time! As I walked through the door I marveled at the space. It reminded me of the Elephant Deli in Portland, Oregon. When I browsed through the counters of available choices, the comparison quickly fell to pieces. In the front of the store is their restaurant where you can sit down and order a salad for $11.99, or you can go by the hot food counter, the fresh salad counter (there were four salads to choose from) or the pastry counter (the cakes are from Freeport Bakery) . There was also a sandwich cooler. The hot food selection had less of a selection than Raley's or Bel Air - complete with Macaroni and Cheese as one of the wonderfully exotic dishes. Pizza was also in the offering. The salad I chose was recommended by the guy behind the counter...the salad was called the 'Chop Chop Salad'. It had an assortment of chopped vegetables along with artichoke hearts and iceberg lettuce, which at the time I ate it, was soggy. I grabbed a sandwich, turkey and jack cheese. It was dry and hum-drum even though it came with a packet of mayo.

Please Google the Elephant Deli in Portland - check out their menu! Their soups are made from scratch, as are their pastries and everything else they offer. They have opened a deli with the intention of creating and serving the best and most unique tasting foods. They even deliver sack lunches. When I see a deli or restaurant I see pure potential. It seems though in Sacramento, people spend fortunes on interiors, only to replicate every other tasteless joint! Did you see Meryl Streep's bakery in the movie 'It's Complicated'? Yes, it was a movie, but that was a real bakery/coffee/restaurant. The tables were loaded with delectable pastries, scones, cakes, etc.

Okay, I'm starting to rant. Suffice it to say that I was not at all impressed with Good Eats.

New Website!

New Website! Finally after years of neglect I have a new website...created by Genevieve Walker, my daughter, and me; although Genevieve did all the graphic design and technical details. I now have new pictures in the gallery and a before and after page. I’m very excited about this and I hope that you take a minute to check it out: www.robertawalker.com

Newsletter Update

You may have noticed that the newsletter is late...the new schedule will be on a quarterly basis instead of monthly. You can always check in at my blog to see if there are any new updates or events that I think everyone might be interested in.

Kittens and Garden Update

Another update - Juniper in the garden. I have two kittens now instead of four: Juniper and Violet. I also have the mom and the dad, and they live in the backyard. I love having them. The kittens like to get up on the fountain and let the water drop on their heads!

Earlier in the year I wrote about my new garden beds. The beds that I had double-dug, etc. Here is an update on what the garden now looks like. I was able to plant so much more because of the new space and close plantings. My only problem now is keeping the cats of the beds...they love the soft soil - it’s so easy to paw! I have started to stake the Dahlias, cage the tomatoes and continue to pick strawberries.

Real People, Real Savings

Check out the new Ad Campaign, "Real People, Real Savings," from the California Water Board. You can click on the picture of me and see a video of me talking about my garden (you can also see the video on the "Press" page of my new website, www.robertawalker.com). They are working hard to provide tools for the public to change over to water-wise gardens.

Filoli Gardens

Something wonderful to do this summer is to take a trip to Filoli Gardens in Woodside California. This beautiful mansion and several acres of English-sytle gardens are open to the public. There is an entrance fee, but it’s well worth it. There is a restaurant and gift store, and if you make reservations on-line beforehand, you can have high tea there. Visiting public gardens is a lovely day trip. There are also the gardens in the Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Garden, not to mention the glass conservatory and dahlia beds. Also, UC Berkeley has a great botanical garden. There are many others in and around the Sacramento and Bay Area.