Showing posts with label #landscaping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #landscaping. Show all posts

Sunday, June 10, 2018

I #amwriting (live!) for INCENTIVES. How about you? by Rolynn Anderson

We’ve been talking about deadlines (set by self and others), lately, which don’t work nearly as well for me as incentives of the external kind.  Here are some examples:

San Luis Obispo county (and other state/county entities in California), entice residents to reduce the sizes of their lawns by offering a dollar for each square foot of grass we remove (replaced by a drip system watering drought resistant plants...that's the bargain).  When my DH and I realized we'd be recompensed about $6,000 for ripping out our thirsty, unhealthy, not-so-green carpet, we signed up.


The cash for grass program initially prompted our front yard makeover, but we're so pleased with the result, we've quickly taken on the back yard. See the amazing power of incentives? My husband and I have moved into  design and demolition with much more confidence and speed than we mustered in the front-scape design.  (You can see we're keeping a small patch of grass. Can't help it!)

  P. S. I promised you a picture of my giant bird of paradise, taking 10 years to bloom, so here it is, but you have to look look hard at this pic to see the majesty.  The black, narrow triangles in the middle of the plant make up the flower...in the closeup, you will see the four white blossoms poking upward (I had to hold a branch aside to give you a full view).


What entices an author to write more, and write better? Many of us are galvanized by great reviews, a growing cadre of fans, and the encouragement of colleagues, relatives and friends. Another bonus: getting the nod in a contest.  As you know, Bad Lies is a Rone finalist. Watch me work on my 9th and 10th novels with new verve now that Bad Lies has earned a pretty badge!



Money,  food (chocolate!), badges/certificates, avid fans, encouraging colleagues.  A vacation, a new outfit, an electronic thingy, a car.  Incentives always help to push me to the next level. I build on good results...energized by each success to improve the next project. 

What's been your go-to motivator lately? How about coming up with one right now?
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Posted by Rolynn Anderson at 1:00 AM 16 comments
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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Buying on the Cheap by Rolynn Anderson

Even if I don’t have to be, I remain the daughter of parents brought up during the depression…a bargain hunter, through and through.  

Watch me as I drive from one plant nursery to yet another, pricing aloe and yuccas; listen to me as I speak on the phone to palm tree purveyors, asking, “If I buy three palms will you ship for free?” Look over my shoulder as I search for coupons and Easter bargains before I buy a chair on Overstock. I lie in wait for the 20% off Saturday special at Ace Hardware, to buy palm fertilizer, potting soil and bird food.

Slate for our walkway was the best deal at Home Depot; we found a fabulous price for 18’ by 3’ pavers locally; Santa Barbara boulders are only 16 cents a pound; 3/8 inch rock is best bought from Central Coast Products.

I found out what a neighbor paid for his rip-out-the-grass landscape project. I said: “Game on! I can do it for half that price.” (I feel encouraging pats on my back from my long-gone parents)  Here's a pic of our landscape redo to this point, taken from the front door. The slate and pavers have been placed...the edging, plants, rocks and lighting still to come:



You see how competitive and eager I am to take on the challenge. You also see how much time and effort this project will require. Yes, it verges an obsession.

I would have thought that over time, I could let go of the struggle to buy the best quality product at the lowest price.  Not happening.

How about for you? Are you paying full price on stuff these days? And if you aren’t, what’s the best bargain you’ve struck lately? We may want to get in on it J

The first book in my series comes at the low, low price of $2.99.  FADEOUT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612173616


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Posted by Rolynn Anderson at 1:00 AM 15 comments
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Saturday, February 10, 2018

#Amwriting and #Landscaping, Compared by Rolynn Anderson

Here’s the ‘before’ picture of our lawn:

Today, I’m showing you the war-zone that is our front yard with the grass sliced off:

Talk about the blank page, the table rasa…whatever you want to call a front yard that won’t grow a blade of the green stuff, ever again.  And I’m from the Midwest, where acres of grass and a riding lawn mower to cut it, are common.

But no more.  In California, we have to water lawns to keep them green, wasting precious water and costing lots of money.  Drought tolerant plants, here we come!  And because homeowners can spend too much on these endeavors (much more than they’ll ever get back when they sell their home), I’ve decided to work with a local gardener instead of employing an expensive architect/company.  One neighbor spent $150,000 on his front/back yard redo.  I’m going to try to keep costs to around $30.000.  Wish me luck!

Now, I’ve seen my share of blank pages before, but they don’t scare me like this front lawn project.  Plus, in a novel, we try to come up with unique settings, plots and characters, so we can make the story our own.  We’re told not to guess what our readers want; instead, to write the novel of our heart.  Not so with landscaping.  I have to design a front-yard plan offering curb appeal to ‘enhance’ our neighborhood vibe, and entice prospective buyers.  That’s a lot of stress!  A good thing: samples of front yard plans (Xeriscaping) abound.  I can’t ‘copy’ someone else’s novel, but I can reproduce every aspect of someone else’s landscaping.  The degree of ‘sharing’ in the yard redo business is phenomenal.

I’ve gathered pictures that please me on my Landscaping Pinterest.  https://www.pinterest.com/rolynna/rolynns-landscaping/
We have a California Ranch style home, so I’m going for palms, yucca, agave, and succulents.  Some varieties of these plants are not frost tolerant, and though we rarely have freezes here, I still have to make sure all my plants can handle frost/freezing temperatures.

My writing has suffered because of this project, yet I’m exercising my imagination with every step of the project.  And who knows, maybe my next mystery could center on a landscape architect.  Stay tuned as I slog through this process...and let me know how/if you have handled a front yard makeover!

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Posted by Rolynn Anderson at 1:00 AM 17 comments
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