Early to rise

Woke up before the alarm this morning. Quite a surprise.

Been wondering why it's been feeling colder in parts of the house, even though the weather has been warmer. Then realized that I took the tarps down between the living room and dining area. That allows more migration of cold air. Need to figure out how to reduce or eliminate that more permanently in the future.

Still need to come up with a way to stabilize the garden fence. Yesterday daughter and I stood the fence back up from wind knocking it down the day before. Then we went to hop the bus. Before we got 20 ft from the gate, the dog was at the back gate, barking. She had knocked one module down to get through. Between her and the wind the fence will never serve it's purpose if not modified.

But kind of glad. Been thinking of building trellises. Want to make them taller this year than last. One thing I had not taken into account was wind resistance. With short trellises, it's not much of an issue. The taller I build them, the more that needs to be factored in. It wouldn't be a problem with a bare trellis but once things are climbing, resistance increases.

This also makes me think of incorporating more bushy plants into the periphery of the garden to act as wind breaks. Marigolds may do the job and have added benefit of insect control. In any case, the concept of walled gardens makes a lot of sense for arid areas. Walled gardens are generally seen as an issue of propriety or exclusion but that really need not be the case. Using wood or stone pillars would do well, also. They would act as protection from wind and sun, forming an artificial forest environment. More so with a cover that allows partial light, like a forest canopy. I've seen such structures as patio designs but not as growing environments. A combination of low walls, columns and dappled shade make a perfect simulation of a forest environment, retaining humidity (more so with a fountain installed) and moderating temperature and wind. The combination emulates trees, canopy, low shrubbery and water sources. Yet nearly every time I've seen this design it has been with a stone floor. Same design would help protect against wind and heat loss to convection in winter. With stone columns, it would result in more thermal mass.

Things to keep in mind for my future designs of the solarium.