acacia

acacia

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Critters great and small

Ok, today I found this crawling towards me:

It is a very large Black Widow! I screamed (I can't believe my clients did not hear me) and then I had to take a picture of it. Ok, and then I killed it. They have a small child who runs around the back yard. I think that it was living under the outdoor lounger and I was trying to clean up and dislodged it. I run into a lot of black widows but never do they walk around. CHILLS it gave me! Serious Chills!

Later I was cleaning up some stairs and found this little fellow amongst the dead wet leaves:

At first I thought it was a worm because when I brushed it with the broom it started flipping out on the step. Worms do that as well. I have always thought it was a strange reaction to being touched. I think it is a newt, but I may be wrong. I do not see them very often but I think that it is very cool. Such tiny legs!

The most common critter I see is this fellow:

Lizards are everywhere. One of my clients has an old Ginko tree that was once cut down but is now resprouting. I really like it because it is a Ginko, but it should probably be cut down again. Anyway, one day I looked up and there was a little lizard amongst the leaves. I wondered how he could hold himself up as the stem are very delicate, but it just sat there and looked at me.
Another day, another critter!

Monday, October 11, 2010

My Dad is so great!

It has been way too long. I cant believe how crazy september was for me! I made one of the classic mistakes in business. Too much commitment, no organization. For the first three years in business, I was so thankful for whatever work came my way because I was actively building up my client base. Up until recently, except for some hectic weeks, I did not have enough work to fill my days. Well, my clients have been giving out my name because they like my work and like me. That is awesome! However, upon reaching saturation, I forgot two very important things. Organize and prioritize. I was so busy running around trying to do everything that a lot of things, and clients, fell through the cracks. grrrr and so sorry.
I then went to NH to see my family and had a fantastic conversation with my father who is a business consultant, and an author of over 40 books on the subject and also the co-creator of a really fabulous website for small businesses (buzgate.org - check it out!)He has often told me that it does not matter how well you do your craft if you cant manage the business part of it. That is why 90% of small businesses fail in the first 5 years. Well, my business is just getting to the 4 year mark here in LA and I refuse to go down! So we had a wonderful consultation session and I am ready to put our plan into action. Because really, I love what I do, I love making peoples homes beautiful and I am so lucky to be able to do this. Thank you to everyone who has given my name out. Thank you and know that I am committed to making my business smart, organized and inspiring!

Oh, and one more thing. I went to the LA dump. Very exciting place! I finally saw where the green bins go to become mulch. Here are a few shots: