'The glory time' She had friends in Carmel who knew little about her past lives - including what she called "the glory time," when, working for the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, she scurried to save as many Victorian homes as she could from the Western Addition slum-clearance wrecking ball. The effort, which began in the mid-1960s, preserved more than 350 homes - mostly by providing low-cost loans and construction services - including 13 houses that were trucked to other sites. … [Read more...] about Enid Sales affected lives, not just buildings
Real estate
What’s behind the sizzling Acadiana real estate market? It may be the rise in first-time buyers
“My parents were kind of shocked I was even thinking about buying a home,” said Muesing, a native of Charlotte, N.C. “I’m used to apartment living. I just saw it as a good investment, to be honest with you. I’m paying as much in a mortgage payment as I was paying for a one-bedroom apartment.” … [Read more...] about What’s behind the sizzling Acadiana real estate market? It may be the rise in first-time buyers
Could Carencro replace Youngsville as hottest real estate market?
Sales drop outside Lafayette Parish: Home prices remain lower in the neighboring parishes, but last year more homes were sold in Lafayette Parish than the previous year. Only 2,133 homes were sold in the eight neighboring parishes, down from 2,189 the previous year when they outsold homes in Lafayette Parish. … [Read more...] about Could Carencro replace Youngsville as hottest real estate market?
‘Species columbine’: More bloom for the buck
Have you ever been disappointed with the columbine hybrids that are so common these days in nurseries and garden centers? Do you find they don’t return the next year, or if they do they don’t flower? Happily, there is an answer to this problem: Try species columbines — not the hybrids. These Aquilegias have not been tampered with and they retain two important qualities of the original columbines — a tall and bushy habit and the tendency to last much longer in your garden. … [Read more...] about ‘Species columbine’: More bloom for the buck
Bloom and doom in the biennial garden: Why you should harvest before spring
In the garden, if planting is timed right, you will be able to harvest your biennials for months. The carrots will hold in the ground; the chard will keep growing new leaves. In San Francisco, and other coastal, cool microclimates, we can plant biennials January through August. Inland, they can be started late winter and spring, then again in late summer or early fall, whenever the weather cools down. They should never be planted from mid-fall to the end of the year, since then they will not reach full size for harvest, yet are likely to bloom in spring and die anyway. (If you’re near the coast, be sure you put these crops in by August. If you’re inland, September or even early October can work. For exact timing, see the planting calendars in my book “Golden Gate Gardening.”) … [Read more...] about Bloom and doom in the biennial garden: Why you should harvest before spring