Sep 28, 2021
“This is my commute,” says Sacramento artist Judith Johnson, locking the back door behind her. We walk together through a lush backyard garden, pausing briefly to study a reflecting pool busy with mosquito fish and a tall cinderblock barrier that wards away the sounds of an adjacent railroad.
“When I built the studio, I build it so that I had to leave the house and lock the door behind me,” Johnson says. “So it’s like going to work every day. And that’s pretty much how I treat it.”
Before moving to Sacramento in 2016, Johnson lived in Austin, Texas, where she worked as an investigator for the Texas attorney general for 30 years. Painting has always been a constant in her life. “For about 15 years, I was painting and putting them in closets and boxes,” Johnson says. “I didn’t have the emotional strength to deal with the business side of art while working full time.”
Aug 29, 2021
Hot, sweaty and longing for the cooler embrace of fall, Sacramento gardeners have decisions and chores looming. Ready or not, transitioning from summer to fall gardening begins now. Drag yourself off the sofa and visit nurseries, hardware stores, fall plant sales and online sites, if needed, to prepare for the coming months. Need guidance? Happy to help!
Last call to fertilize citrus: Feed citrus trees for the final time in late summer. Any later and resulting tender new growth may be susceptible to frost damage. Container-grown citrus trees may accept an additional early fall application of fertilizer because more frequent watering flushes out fertilizer.
Aug 29, 2021
Vine-covered arches and vintage brickwork. Quaint gabled dormers. Hand-blown antique glass windows. Storybook turrets.
The English-style Tudor, built in 1938, is the creation of famed architect and builder Frank “Squeaky” Williams—and was once home to Sacramento native and renowned author Joan Didion and her family.
Jul 28, 2021
Orchids seduce, delight and frequently meet an untimely death. Muttering, “I killed another one,” often precedes the shopping trip to buy more exotic beauties.
When inviting orchids into the home, longevity will not be an option unless you are willing to perform basic plant maintenance. Already in bloom to attract buyers, the challenge is to keep an orchid alive and nurture it into multiple bloom cycles over several years.
Jul 28, 2021
In 1933, the United States Steel Corporation developed a very special steel. Some clever marketeer dubbed it corten, referring to its corrosion resistance and tensile strength.
This steel alloy was unique in that it used oxidation to its advantage. As corten rusts, it develops a protective layer, removing the need for paint or expensive weathering treatments. Akin to terra-cotta and adobe, corten steel’s natural patina lends anything built with it an earthiness that is irresistible.
