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monrovia canyon park, originally uploaded by chiggins.

Fantastic shot of Monrovia Canyon Park. This past week I was Morthern California, and walked a natural area in Carmel Valley that is very similar in feeling to Monrovia Canyon Park. So Pretty!

With our warm climate in Monrovia, it seems natural to grow lots of tasty things here, which I am doing more and more of. I’m taking out grass and planting fruits and vegetables. Click on the image above to watch an inspiring video about urban homesteaders in Pasadena. I’ve recently found a great website for getting “low chill” varieties of things that nomally don’t do well here, such as raspberries and blackberries. Visit Sperling Nursery to get started. Monrovia has an average of 380 chill hours per year, which means that when you are looking for varieties of fruits that require chilling to produce well (like apple trees), it’s esssential to purchase a variety that requires fewer than 400 chill hours.

I don’t know about you, but the supermakets just aren’t cutting it with fruit anymore. The last several times I’ve purchased pears and peaches and watermelon, they rotted before getting ripe!

I grew up around horses, and used to ride them from the stables to my house, on the side of the road. I miss seeing them, and was happy when I spotted some when driving through Bradbury the other day.

I’ve been noticing more deer in my neighborhood lately, and spotted these four out while walking my dog. For some reason when I see them am overtaken by a sense of wonder and awe and delight. I want to just stop breathing and bask in the magic that surrounds them. It’s like people that seem them are momentarily overcome by a delicate and fleeting sense of bliss.

The best part is seeing the effect they have on cats: uttter and complete mesmerization. Somewhere in the mad kitty brain they are linking into a remnant of their big cat ancestry, and suddenly the cement under their paws becomes an african savannah, and they hunker down and wait for an opportunity that never really comes, despite their best efforts to calculate all the possibilities.

Winter Oranges, originally uploaded by Living in Monrovia.

It always surprises me when my fruit starts to turn color in December. These are from my neighbor’s tree, illuminated by the late afternoon winter sun.

Tangled Beauty, originally uploaded by Living in Monrovia.

There are so many lovely oak trees amidst the residential streets of Monrovia. They add such majestic beauty to a home, or even a street.

Leaf, originally uploaded by ucicsboy.

The last few days we in Monrovia have been admonished to stay inside. I have done so, for the most part, but would step outside periodically just to see what was happening.

I have been watching the fires off and on for days, and feel the sadness and the devastating power of nature unleashed. At first, when my black poodle came in with white specs on him, I didn’t know what it was, but then it sunk in that I was seeing ash that had been carried for miles on the wind from one of the many fires that continue to range on our landscape. This might be part of someone’s home, I think.

I feel grateful that I am not in immediate danger, however, I know that our local hills are as much of a dry tinderbox as the areas that are currently burning. So if you are thinking of taking a hike, think again, as the local hiking trails are temporarily closed, as noted by the Monrovia Weekly:

A severe fire danger exists in local hillside areas. Monrovia Canyon Park and Chantry Flat Road have been closed to visitors. Bailey Canyon and Mt. Wilson Trail are also closed.

Local firefighters and police officers are patrolling hillside neighborhoods. All fire personnel have been recalled to duty and the Department is at full staffing.

Photo by Ray Vadnais

TheTree.jpg, originally uploaded by Living in Monrovia.

My version of the Library Park tree…I should know what kind it is…anyone?

Tree - Monrovia Library Park, originally uploaded by MR38.

Great shot of the Library park tree by MR38!