The English Maximalista

It’s been a peaceful couple of weeks over here at Chez Maximalista. The weather has been glorious, and feels like it might be the last hurrah of Summer before the nights start drawing in; we have already begun to notice that the evenings are getting longer and cooler. The changing of seasons is bittersweet.

It’s great to be able to keep our bedroom window open again, as we drift off to sleep, even if that means we get awoken at Stupid O’clock by howls from the pack of coyotes which live in the nature preserve behind our house. We sometimes see their pawprints in the mud on wet mornings — it’s comforting to know that they can’t get over the fence.

Another nice thing about the end of summer is that the garden centers have their end of season sales, which I am always eager to plunder. Although it looks like I left it too late, this year, as I have been looking out for a pair of hanging solar lamps for one of our little outdoor seating areas, but haven’t seen any left.

This past week, I was working on clearing weeds from the upper part of the retaining wall on one side of our house. It’s a rather narrow area, limiting its uses. It faces northwest, with a distant view of the mountains… a perfect seating area for watching the sunset with a glass of wine after dinner!

The other morning, it wasn’t until I was almost nose-to-nose with the drainpipe that I even noticed my furry friend hiding there. After which, I was keenly aware of its presence!

Mr Maximalista insisted that it was dead, although I had kept my eye on it all day and had seen its legs moving, albeit this only happened whenever Mr M wasn’t around. It’s almost as if the tarantula sensed my husband’s presence and froze as soon as he came anywhere nearby.

Finally, Mr Maximalista asked me, “why don’t you poke it to see if it’s alive?” Excuse me, sir? Do I really look like that kind of fool? Why don’t YOU bloody poke it?!

Both of us were a bit apprehensive, so in the end neither of us poked it, and the tarantula continued its silent and still vigil, twitching occasionally. [Update: It’s still there!]

*****

I have been collecting a pile of rocks and stones for some time, with the intention of eventually using them as a border. Naturally, I don’t move them without wearing my Bravery Gloves, since there are scorpions and snakes in this neck of the woods… tarantulas, too, apparently. My senses were thus on heightened alert as I gingerly transferred the pile of rocks from one spot to another.

The mulching didn’t take too long. Neither did the replanting, although I was extremely careful to only use metal implements when transplanting the spiky cactus. We were warned by our realtor, a long time ago, to not drive over cactus as they will puncture car tyres! In fact, one pierced the sole of Mr Maximalista’s shoe a few years ago, causing the poor guy to limp for a few hours after. It’s astonishing how prickly they are!

For the time being, I have only planted half a dozen perennials on this side of the house, but will eventually get around to planting more when I have time. In the meantime, this will have to do! As will the AstroTurf, temporary until we get more sprinklers installed, which could be next year, could be ten years… I shall keep you posted.

The pair of teak Adirondack chairs with detachable footrests were from Goodwill last year, for the grand total of $12, which I thought was the deal of the century; I bought the little side table for $25 from Home Goods shortly thereafter. It’s a close enough match.

Transforming this barren little patch of ground kept me busy for a couple of days and, with a little bit of elbow grease, I’m really quite pleased with how it turned out!

Lots of love, 

M xo