Work is too much fun! It was supposed to be temporary work until I returned to work in a few months, but that was a few years ago. Well, that is another story. Work can be very frustrating at times also though. Unlike the farm, where only a few of us work on many acres, many very different people work on less acreage here. We all have very distinct priorities.

1. Training this grapevine like this was a lot of work. It extends from a rail fence on top of the retaining wall at the lower left, to the bottom of the upstairs banister at the upper right. This is my second attempt after someone who works in the building to the upper right cut it off the banister as if it was not obvious that someone meticulously trained it.

2. Now, decorations for the summer involve fake ivy stapled to half century old wooden pillars. This is near both the grapevine and walls that we needed to remove real ivy from.

3. Is this some sort of insect repellent? Which way is ‘that’? Are fake flowers effective?

4. Ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’ makes a great hedge. This is a picture of a picture of such a hedge, sideways, on a wall. Up is right. Down is left. It is effective but needs no shearing.

5. This is all sorts of wrong! The small sign to the lower right has never been so relevant. Someone who was hired for weed whacking whacked all the Canna here, as well as a few Clematis to the right. Weeds are now growing faster than the Canna. To compensate for the lack of bloom, fake roses were installed. It gets weirder. The fake roses glow at night.

6. Chorisia speciosa nearby seems like it really should be the worst occupational hazard.

This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/

25 thoughts on “Six on Saturday: Occupational Hazards”

    1. Yes, it is strange. It is decoration for summer camp though.Those who install it enjoy doing so for the guests. Everyone has fun here, and that justifies the frustration, even if I complain about it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. Too funny, Tony. You must have incredible patience with your colleagues. Did you ever find out why someone stapled up fake ivy where the real vines had been removed? Plastic greenery is definitely easier to care for, and needs far less watering. Thank you for a good chuckle.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. The fake vegetation is decoration for summer camp, which is what this particular facility is for. Most decoration is harmless. However, the roof of another large and not so old building leaked profusely after decoration was screwed to it, right through the shingles and all.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. It just kept getting weirder. At first, I was (very) annoyed that someone could weed whack my Canna without knowing that they were not weeds. Then, I was annoyed that no one bothered to tell me that weeds were growing where the Canna should have been. Then, . . . the glowing fake roses.

      Like

      Reply

  8. The quiet desperation of the canna sign juxtaposed with the glow in the dark roses stuck into the ground like something leftover from a party the night before. Here’s the thing — I saw all of this and the first thought that crossed my mind was “This gives off a very California vibe.” Then I read your bio page and now I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Former SoCal resident here, commending your good humor.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. My colleague is a famous landscape designer in the Los Angeles region. His clients appreciate his work and excessively lush landscapes that somehow exemplify the Southern Californian lifestyle . . . within a chaparral ecosystem. To me though, some of it seems to be degrading to the plant material involved. Palms and olive trees with uplighting seem to be particularly embarrassed about their circumstances.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to Jim Stephens Cancel reply