Month: December 2020

November 2020 – Re-Purposing a Slope, turning a Negative into a Positive

Welcome to our November edition. I trust everyone is just a little better with many of us going back to work. Even the WHO says we need to get back to work. The cure should not be worse than the sickness, and in poorer communities it has been. Thankfully, WHO changed their stance, and with these changes we definitely have something to be thankful for, and hopefully soon we will all be working. Thanksgiving is coming soon, and regardless of the political outcome of the election, it should be a time of thought and gratefulness. At times, things go our way and at times they don’t, but thankfulness is not due to situations, for situations can change, but on the relationships we have cultivated.  During difficult times, it is not things or situations that save or comfort us. It’s nice when things go our way, but relationships are more permanent and meaningful. Maybe that will be the takeaway from all of this. Materialism cannot compare to a hug or having coffee with a trusted friend when things are tough.  With most of us  working, the stress over finances should be less, and with the kids going back to school, or a modified version thereof, the sense of getting back to normal feels good. Let’s cross our fingers (and those of you that pray, join me) that things continue to improve. Last issue I made a statement that I was a Republican by philosophy (work hard and get ahead) and a Christian by belief (God first, people second), and this has been my guiding light, regardless of the political arena. With the election over, (I am writing this on 10/15), I can only hope that we are at peace with the outcome as well as with each other. It is so easy to see the differences. I have owned my own company since 1989, and had nothing when I started. What I have found over the many years of working with people of all beliefs and ways of life, is there are more similarities between us than differences. Only for those who have an agenda to push, do the differences become  central issues. May peace, logic, and kindness rule, especially now as we approach the holidays. God only knows we could all use a rest from all the madness we have seen.   

This month, instead of doing a part two on October’s landscape, we are featuring one that we are in the process of completing. I have decided to show this one instead because  many of us have sloping lawns. There is always the frustration and extra effort of keeping these lawns green, healthy and watered. Our client, Kevin expressed his frustration in caring for his lawn. So much of his watering was running off the hill and being wasted, and the lower 3 ft. to 4 ft. of the lawn was constantly soggy. His lawn was rather steep, and his sentiment could easily be understood. There are situations where lawn should not be used, and this is one of them. Though he has a gardener to do the mowing and fertilizing, the slope just complicates everything. He likes the look of lawn, but he was done with the care of it. We discussed how we could incorporate a somewhat “lawn look” with the Asian theme he wanted. I mentionedMondo grass which comes in are 3 sizes – tall, medium, and small or dwarf. In keeping with the lawn look, I showed him the dwarf Mondo grass, and he liked it. However, the next test were the deer. I have never seen more deer in a community than in this one, and I had never used Ophiopogon japonica nana ( Dwarf Mondo grass) where deer were so prevalent. As we were finishing up his neighbor Terry’s yard (See October’s pictures), I set out some Mondo grass as samples to see if our four-footed munchie monsters would eat them. Fortunately, they did not and that was great, for it was critical to the design. In combining Kevin’s three requests to save water, maintain some appearance of lawn, and have an Asian theme, we came up with what you see. 

The terracing, borrowed from the Asian and Peruvian cultures, “tamed” the hill allowing us to plant it, but also to maintain it. It took fifteen thousand pounds of boulders to accomplish this. Thank goodness for our small tractor because it would have been impossible without it. In planting, we alternated the plantings. The first terrace (from the top) would be the plants, the second terrace would be the Mondo grass, the third terrace plants, then mondo grass, and so on. The boulders, though numerous, played a critical role.  Apart from providing the structure we needed, they added a sense of richness to the design. Initially, before we added the plants, the boulders looked numerous, as if we were doing a rock boulder landscape. My poor clients, they must have been shocked that night, but then a day later the plants came. Everything changed, from a rock landscape, to a very inviting, high end, attractive landscape. The correct plants combined with structure make a huge difference. The plants are my paints (as in fine art), and with each year of growth, the boulders will take more of a back seat as the landscape grows.  Just like buying a size too big for our kids or grandkids, they will grow into it – it is the same concept. 

Another critical aspect of an Asian landscape is that it really needs afternoon shade, and fortunately that is exactly what we have. In Asia, though the plants are in full sun, their humidity is much higher which makes the sun “softer.” It would have been more difficult otherwise. Take a look at the before picture (I wish I would have taken it from the angle of shooting up the hill). From the top down, it is hard to really appreciate the steepness. The camera tends to “melt” the steepness with the surroundings, but I would liken it to a tread mill 2/3^rds of the way up. Walking up and down Kevin’s driveway, the same angle of slope, you definitely get a workout. (😊). To enhance the beauty and safety of the front yard, we added night lights. Both the spotlights and path lights will add such an ambiance to the yard that your company will not want to leave. Working as we do with design and professionalism, the landscapes we create are not inexpensive, but the landscapes will outlast any car, boat or combination thereof that we would buy. If cared for, which we help you with, your landscape will become one of your best investments bringing you a smile and enjoyment year after year.  

In closing I would like to remind everyone that our December article is just around the corner. It is the hardest, most soul-searching article that I write. It is personal in nature and faith based. My goal is to encourage and strengthen us, and cause us to have some reflection on where we stand when we speak of faith without stepping on too many toes. It’s a tough needle to thread, but I would be most honored if you set some time aside and read it. Thank you. 

October 2020 – Taming the Landscape Part 1

Welcome to our October issue. I cannot believe we are entering the final months of this year and the biggest month is yet coming with the election.  My guys being Hispanic, are mostly democrats  and I am a republican, and much like most Hispanics, they are Catholic.  I attend an Assembly of God church. Politics and Faith can be issues that divide people, and I refuse to let that happen. We have so much more than just politics in common. We all work hard for our families, we all want the opportunity to succeed, we want to be safe, laugh with friends and family and enjoy the life we are working so hard for. A good government, and there is much more to a good government than what I just mentioned, provides these opportunities. Each morning before I send the crews out, I pray for us that God would give us wisdom to work well for our clients and meet the problems that we will encounter with excellence. With the election approaching, I have also been praying that God would intervene in our election process. I pray that as a people, we would elect public officials that would rule over us with integrity, wisdom, and justice. Not one of my men disagrees with that prayer, and as mentioned we are a mixed bag of beliefs. There is ALWAYS common ground. As we move closer to the election, may we all seek that. I am as much your neighbor as you are mine.  ( Luke 10:25-37, if you are interested) 

I have clients that want land, and for the most part I find that finding useful land is tough unless you are in agriculture, raise animals or just enjoy space around you. I try to discourage large expansive lawns. Though the green is beautiful, it comes with a price, financially and environmentally . My client Terry was done with having lawn (though it was not much to begin with), and he was frustrated with his landscape. I saw several things with the landscape that made it a “nonfunctioning landscape,” especially aesthetically. The things I will discuss seem to be true of all large custom home landscapes, and these problems are compounded the larger the landscape becomes. It is my opinion, that by the time the owners get to the landscape, the budget is tight, especially if you are building your home. Therefore, with the landscape being one of the final things to complete homeowners tend to go with the lowest bid, which in the long run becomes the more expensive bid. It always costs more to redo something than to do it right from the start. This is not always true, and it was not true of Terry.  There can be other reasons such as lack of experience on the landscape company’s part. Unfortunately, this is a pattern I am all too familiar with. 

There are many things to be concerned about with property. For example, the irrigation might be stretched. I have talked about this many times before. If the landscape is supposed to have four irrigation valves but only has three or worse two, that is a serious problem. As the landscape matures and needs more water, the water is not there, and so the plants begin to be stressed and soon die. This is  especially true in the hot summer months. If the landscape has a dry stream bed, it often looks more like cobble on the ground than a stream bed. Another issue in a large yard is that there are many areas not taken advantage of. This is what I want to talk about in this article. Because of the property’s size,  Terry’s driveway is long. To not take advantage of all that “shoulder space” for plantings is a huge waste of space. As we all know, curb appeal is important. Look at the before picture. You will see that next to the driveway is a slope, and below the slope are the Oak Trees. We could build a retaining wall midpoint of the slope, backfill it with good soil, and create a planter bed that one could enjoy as they drive in or out. We could also continue that wall to the top where a nice landscape could be showcased. That is exactly what we did, and in a couple years it will look very inviting and give the home a nice curb appeal. Rather than just a big home, it will be an inviting and attractive home. It was hard work for my guys to dig down into the rocky ground, but it was necessary to create a strong footing. We do not want the wall to shift over the many years it will be there. It added cost to the job, however we all found value in it. A particularly good characteristic about working for Terry was that he trusted me. He could not picture what I was saying, and only had an idea from a small picture I showed him in the catalog. This is one of many reasons why I write; to demonstrate our creativity and quality of work. Trust is earned, and I seek to start earning it before we ever step foot on a client’s property. Trust is precious and priceless to me. It is one of the few things money cannot buy. The wall solved one of the problems – unused potential. Next issue we will discuss the dry stream bed and plant selection. 

I was just informed that the magazine is broken up into two mailing routes, A and B. That means this month you will receive it, but the next issue, you will not receive it until the following month. If you want to receive it every month, all you need to do is call the office. Make sure you tell them that you read Executive Care’s articles, and you would appreciate receiving it monthly. Gardeners, I hope you have your Fall/Winter garden planted. This is my favorite garden. Most Fall gardens contain spinach, lettuce, Swiss Chard, broccoli, though I can never get a crown from them, and white and red cabbage. We have this month before  potential frost in November, so I would encourage you to build cold frames now, and then just cover them over with sheet plastic when the temperatures start to drop. We use ¾” PVC schedule 40 and bend it over the garden boxes as our framework. Until next time, good gardening – Arthur 

September 2020 – Taking Advantage of Your Hill

Welcome to our September edition. Our response from August was overwhelming. It pushed our appointments into October. Thank you for the response, however, it stresses me out when clients have to wait so long. We will continue to do our best by being as efficient as possible, while completing each job with pride and excellence.  

Every now and then, an opportunity to do something quite unique comes along. That opportunity occurred for us with Larry and Bell’s yard. Like many homeowners in the Rocklin, Folsom, and El  Dorado Hills  area, you inherit a less than desirable yard, but a home you love. Such was their case. They live in Rocklin, and their home is right on the edge of a relatively steep slope. Everything with the landscape is impacted by the slope. I have noticed over the years that people do not take advantage of the hidden potential of a slope because it is intimidating. It is hard to know where to begin, and it is a large and costly amount of work. There are not many companies that have the knowledge to do the job right. That is another reason why more slopes remain unsightly. When a slope is landscaped improperly, they normally lose 30-50% percent of the plants within a few years. There’s not much to show for the investment. This was my client’s situation, and we were the second company they hired. In this situation, I have to work twice as hard to gain the client’s confidence. No one likes to be burned – especially twice, so the initial lack of confidence is expected. I always ask them, “Why did you not call me the first time?” Normally it is cost related because our company is perceived as being most expensive, and we might be. I do not know what others charge, but I do know that doing the landscape a second time becomes  really expensive, and our prices do not even come close to that! I have met clients where we were the third company they had worked with. Talk about having to break down a wall as well as the cost! Therefore, I write to help the clients in need to feel confident with Executive Care. We will do the job right the first time, and once completed, the client will be able to enjoy their yard. It will still be pricey when we are talking about slopes, but not like paying two or three times for the same piece of real estate. With patience and knowledge, slopes can become welcoming and attractive.

I often wonder about the landscape companies that came before us, and what they were thinking. Some companies put the valves at the base of the hill, or by the house, forcing the water uphill. How far did they think they could push the water uphill before the water pressure stopped? What about the plants higher up the hill?  Did they consider this at all? They should have at least installed a 1” valve and  ¾” drip line. The standard  ¾ valve and ½ inch drip line, which work fine if used correctly, could never have enough water pressure to go uphill, or to cover the face of a hill, even if its downhill. With our client, the prior landscaper installed one ¾ inch valve for the whole slope and located it next to the house, a distance away from the slope. The correct way would have been to install two valves, which would havegiven the backyard a total of three. One valve for the level portion of the backyard, and the other two for the slope. When doing two valves for the slope, we divide the slope into moisture zones.  One valve covers the lower half of the hill, and the other the upper half.  With two valves, the watering could be more customized. The upper portion would always receive 30 to 35 minutes, and the lower portion would be about 25 minutes, and it quite possibly would need no water at all in the winter. This method gives you more control and prevents plants from becoming too wet or too dry. 

Another issue we see is that too many clients do not understand the concept of drip irrigation. As they program their timer for lawn, they assume the same time should go for drip. I tell my clients that half my grey hair came from my daughters, and the other half continues to come from clients that do not understand drip irrigation programming. They think 15 minutes is enough for drip, and when they turn down the time for their lawns in the winter, they assume the same time should go with drip irrigation. It is not that way AT ALL.  Drip irrigation is a gallon per hour, and most landscapers, for reasons unknown to me, only add one emitter per plant. From the start, we use two, which makes a huge difference in plant growth. With two emitters, at a gallon per hour, a half hour watering (1 gallon) is right for a new landscape. However, if there is only one emitter and the program is for 20 minutes the plant is only receiving a 1/3 gallon, which is not enough. Also, some clients split the watering by doing 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, which also does not work. By the time, the second cycle starts, evaporation has occurred from the first cycle and the plant never receives a deep watering, which is what drip irrigation is designed for and what the plant needs. PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THIS! Almost all my first-time appointments have these errors when programming drip irrigation.

Back to our yard. Though irrigation is a huge deal, it was not priority number one for our client. There is a lot of wasted “air space” on a slope, which our client Larry realized. In other words, if you had a platform as opposed to just a narrow path traversing the slope, one could appreciate the view and enjoy the hill. If that platform turned into a patio overhang, then patio furniture could be added as well. Since the backyard becomes shady in the afternoon, it could become a great place to relax and hangout while enjoying the view. This is what Larry had in mind, so we built his patio overhang using columns 4”by 6” treated lumber with 16” spacing between the joist. Larry wanted a Trex deck on top without seeing the screws. Due to the way Trex can be laid, the screws are “invisible.” I was very proud of my foreman and men, as it was major hard work, especially digging the two foot (deep and wide) footings through the rock and boulders, but in the end it turned out great. We also built steps going down into it, and rebuilt the switch backs, which were very unstable prior with mixed pieces of rock stuck into the slope. Finally, and probably  because I am getting older, I am becoming more conscious of safety. At my insistence, we added railing to the pathways, which earned me an “air hug” from Bell. The patio overhang was Larry’s “man cave” without the cave, and the landscape was Bell’s joy. She will enjoy seeing the plants mature and develop and be much more comfortable with Larry going up and down the pathway with a handrail and stepped switch backs all the way to the bottom. 

Gardeners – we are winding down. It is time to get ready to pull your summer crops and allow the ground about two weeks until you start your fall/winter gardens. Fertilize heavy, and water well prior with an organic fertilizer. 

Until next time – Arthur

Christmas Message December 2020

Who do you want to see?

This may seem like an unusual title for a Christmas article, however if you stay with me, it will
make sense, I promise. I am writing this article on November 9, which is a Sunday night.
Yesterday, Mr. Biden claimed the presidency for himself. I have my personal feelings about all
that has transpired and have shared my views in November’s article. The last thing I want is to
make this writing political. This article has always been a time to set aside “business as usual,”
and talk about matters that help us to win in life, which goes much deeper than politics. This
article is about living with peace, happiness and confidence regardless of the environment
around us. We do not have to live with insecurity, fear, regret or compromise which is a great
trade off, and when it comes to matters of the heart, we are all the same.​ ​ Whether we be
Democrat or Republican, we have all experienced negative emotions. We do not need to
continue to live with​ ​fear, jealousy, envy, insecurity, lacking peace, etc. I fully believe we can
limit these emotions, or “corral them,” but we need the tools to do it. These “tools” are nothing
you would learn from a psychologist. These tools are what I would call the “Gold Standard of
Life.” The Bible calls them the Beatitudes, and following these we slowly but steadily gain
control of our emotions. Before I start, I will give you a disclaimer.

This article is a spiritual talk,
or​ ​what I call “straight talk.” There are no ​“​feel-good shallow platitudes”, but rather it is truth
said in love. If you are open to that, then I invite you to continue. My hope is that you will.
In Matthew chapter 5, the first book in the New Testament, we find these Beatitudes (or said in
reverse, Attitudes to Be). In other words, we are created to operate, or live in a certain way.
Just as computers have operating systems, so does the most complicated “computer”, the
human soul. Applying ourselves to this will give us the greatest opportunity to experience
everything God would have for us. Your concept of God may be very sophisticated or simple.
The God I have come to know is very caring, loving and kind. However, He has His way, and I do
not tell Him how I want to live my life, but rather,​ ​He tells me. This is no different than an
expert in his or her trade. If you want to learn their skill, you do as you are instructed. God is
The Expert at Life, and if I want to experience a life in harmony with His, I must order my life
accordingly.

All I can say is that after 40 years of seeking Him through all my ups and downs, I
have absolutely no regrets. I am a much better man than I could have been on my own. The
difference cannot even be measured. However, it was and is not easy. In fact it has been the
hardest thing I have ever done. There have been plenty of tears, worry and fears, as He was
and is pressing me and molding me as a potter does clay. I see the form He is making me into as
He spins me on the wheel called life, and it pleases me. More importantly, I sense it pleases
Him. He’s the potter and I am the clay. At times I have gotten off His wheel, only to ask to be
put back on again. I have come to learn that as He presses and shapes me, it is not to hurt me
but to free me from my fears and insecurities, and to challenge me to trust Him more. It all
starts very purposefully with the following set of truths. God is very predictable, He follows His
Bible 100%. These truths are what Heaven runs on and ideally the human soul. So if you are
tired of doing it your way, I invite you to try it God’s way.

Matthew 5:2-8 The Beatitudes

And Jesus opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

There are many good commentaries on the Beatitudes, and there are even more than these,
but I want to address the first one. Blessed, is the state of being in God’s favor, or right with
God, which honestly feels really good. When someone is poor, they do not have much. Poor in
spirit is the same thought. “I do not have much to offer you God, I am a mess, but if you want
this mess, this mess desperately needs You.” With those exact words I began my life with God
40 years ago, and what a life it has been. Like I said, I have cried my share of tears, but those
tears were tears of surrender as I knew God was calling me to a life with Him and stripping me
of my old habits, unrighteous thoughts and​ ​patterns, and inviting me to a New Life, one that
follows Him. With each step, His peace grew in me as I gave Him more control of the steering
wheel until finally I became the passenger. The best decision I have ever made, but also the
hardest thing I ever did. I learned through many struggles and failures to allow Him to change
me and not to try to do it myself. The more time I spent with Him in prayer and Bible study, the
easier it became. I noticed that as I grew spiritually, His peace inside me grew and my
insecurities, fears and doubts lessened. My confidence increased, and it was not self-
confidence, but a ​Father/son confidence, that with God as my Dad we would go through life
together. I am never alone and the more I understand His greatness, the greater my confidence
grows.

Now I want to tie what I just said into what is going on politically. To say I am upset is an
understatement, but as I said in my opening, the last thing I want is to make this article
political. So I am praying that truth, justice and honesty win in this political chess game we are
in. I would be at a complete loss if I did not have this Father/son relationship. In fact, prior to
Saturday night, I was thinking that if the shoe was on the other foot, what could I write to bring
comfort to those who feel differently than me. How could I comfort them? There’s nothing that
I would say differently. Focusing our life on God regardless of our political party, and the
outcome is and will always be the right answer especially if it is God who you want to see.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Though the elections are super important to all of us, we part here. They have no eternal
bearing on our life. A relationship with God super transcends anything that we value or find
important here. Here is temporary, God is eternal, and we need to keep that in mind. When we
do, it is much easier to care for one another. The first command of the Ten Commandments, is
to “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. The second is “To Love
thy neighbor as thyself.” Instead of fighting, arguing and bickering, this is the direction we are
to go in, and it is an impossible task without God at the wheel.

So let’s look in the mirror and see what we can do to change the atmosphere, and then ask a

most honest question, where do
I stand with you God? If you have all the peace, security, love and joy you want, then maybe
God is not for you, however if there is a sense of something missing, I would encourage you to
read the Bible starting with the Book of John. Pray before you read, asking the Lord to speak to
you. Also you are always welcome to send an email to Arthur@Vida4U.com​ any time, not just
during the Holidays.
Finally, thank you so much for reading. I’m sure this was not the easiest article you have read,
but it was written with all my heart and for your well-being, both here and for Eternity.

Merry
Christmas – Arthur.