Annie DeMoranville

Surviving Drought

Why am I showing you a photo of my dead lawn? So you can compare and contrast it with my drought tolerant lawn.

The photo above is the small patch of lawn in my front yard. A mix of blue grass and fescue that was here when I purchased the home. You can see why I removed three-quarters of it and replaced it with a drought tolerant native perennial garden.

I have amended the soil in this section, overseeded and fertilized. Still, during the drought this year, it looks like this.

Compare that to this lawn:

Garden Bounty

Bowl of ripening tomatoes, a few jalapenos in a bowl

Last night’s harvest

Tomatoes are coming in. I have an entire plant filled with San Marzano that I will do whatever it takes to see them to the ripe stage. Beyond that, it looks like several other varieties are already done for the season.

Again, not enough to process, but plenty to eat sliced, on sandwiches or in salads. I’ll turn a few into Chicken Tortilla Soup today.

What’s on your Saturday to-do list?

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Furry Friday: New Friend

Maine Coon looking for pets skeleton sitting in a chair

I bought a second skeleton for this year’s Halloween display. It sits at the table while I decide where to stash it until then. As with last year, the critters are all fascinated.

Willow seemed particularly fascinated this week. While I was on the phone, I heard her yowling. When I turned around, I saw her trying to get its attention.

All books available here

New!
All books are now also available directly from the website, as well Amazon.

The Evolution of TJ Wilde: Full Sail, Pt 2

If Underway was a love letter to Boston, Full Sail was my love letter to Los Angeles and Hollywood. Once I finished the first Duxbridge Mystery (Recipe for Murder), I made my third pilgrimage to LA. This time I decided to go alone, much like when I moved to LA decades ago.

The hotel I had stayed at previously was closed for remodeling. While looking for another beachfront hotel, I stumbled across an absolutely charming motel, right on the beach in Santa Monica. From the moment I stepped onto the property, I knew it would become a location in Full Sail. Everything about that trip renewed my sense of what the story should be, from the dolphins on my walks to the sunrise photo at Venice Pier that would become the book cover.

Lunch and dinner with old friends gave me some Hollywood stories to incorporate, and drives through the canyons reminded me of the beauty and mystery in those hills. This was the Los Angeles I loved.

Welcome to Hollywood!