The back section of the lot, about a quarter acre, is where we work, from vegies to crafts, mechanics to storage. The long driveway is lined with citrus trees and dead vehicles, and leads you to where you will find the woodpile, driveway, the shop and craft room, the vegetable garden, the greenhouse, nursery and compost, the hummingbird area, my old trailer and the herb garden.

The shop contains all the tools you could ever need to do wood working, stained glass, welding, blacksmithing, and house repairs. The craft room borders on absurd with more fabric and craft supplies than most small craft stores. Onions are hung to dry under the carport, and a black cat weathervane sits atop the roof apex. One of my handpainted hex designs appears on the front of the shop to ward off bad karma, or just make the neighbors wonder.

The greenhouse is an old delapilated building I love, despite it's appearance. Built out of discarded windows, it has a homey feel that can't be replaced with a new normal greenhouse. Mature plants move to the nursery, an old trellis repaired, shaded and fenced.

The greenhouse hummingbird feeder caused so much traffic that we created a sitting area to watch the antics of our favorite hummers. Add a few rose bushes, two chairs and an old wire spool (remember those?) and you have the ideal spot to sit as the sun goes down and watch nature's world settle down for the night. Peanut needed a place to permanently grab his peanuts after I trained him to hover and snatch off the top of a support pole, so Peanut's House became the solution.

The herb garden is a favorite area, overflowing with fennel, tansy, feverfew, pyrethrum, loveage, parsley, pennyroyal, bergamont, monarda, hyssop, watercress, yarrow, sages, oregano, nasturtium, mints, chamomile, thyme, chives, perilla, rosemary, alyssum, dill, and the butterfly house.

The vegetable garden has berries along the back fence, and there is nothing quite like going out to play in the mornings and picking your breakfast right off the vine. Standard fare includes an entire bed of basil for pesto, squash and melons of all kinds, tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas, asparagas and artichokes, beds of onions and potatos, sometimes broccoli and brussel sprouts, carrots, radishes and tomatiilas. Fruit trees include pomegranate, apple, plum, cherry, apricot and avacado. Grapes cover the nursery and provide the neigborhood with fruit. It's a lot of work, but worth every minute.

Way back when, the yard was an automotive and truck repair shop. The things we find deep in the dirt are so grand we have hung them up on the door of the nursery, the artifact showcase.