1
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- I've always loved gardening.

2
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I bought the house in 1985,

3
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and I was so excited because 
the first thing I wanted to do

4
00:00:06,066 --> 00:00:09,400
was to get out in the yard 
and start digging in the dirt.

5
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(Nancy laughing)

6
00:00:10,233 --> 00:00:11,466
I never get tired of,

7
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I love the feel of 
the dirt in my hands.

8
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When I got here, the 
house was a wreck,

9
00:00:15,966 --> 00:00:17,900
and there were no 
flower beds at all.

10
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It was just some 
grass and stuff.

11
00:00:20,100 --> 00:00:22,966
Over the years it's 
developed and changed.

12
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Like the beds in the back, 
that big perennial bed I have,

13
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well the first third of it, I 
was out there digging one day,

14
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and at the time there was 
just a little metal fence.

15
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We didn't have 
the privacy fence.

16
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And there was an elderly 
coupled that lived back there,

17
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and the man had retired, but 
he liked to work outdoors,

18
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and so he saw me 
digging, and he went,

19
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"Nancy, I love to work outdoors.

20
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"Can I help you?"

21
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So he came over the fence 
and started digging up

22
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a whole bunch of 
the land for me.

23
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There was a teenage boy who 
lived across the street,

24
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and he was always anxious 
to earn some money.

25
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So, he came over 
and helped me dig.

26
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Someone from 
University of Texas,

27
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where I worked for a long time,

28
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a student, was 
trying to earn money.

29
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So she helped me build the,

30
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dig up the third 
section. (laughing)

31
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It was that Blackland Prairie,

32
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which was clay, has a 
whole lot of clay in it.

33
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And when it would get wet 
you could almost mold it.

34
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So, over the years 
I just slowly added

35
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more and more compost.

36
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However, there are some 
plants that will grow

37
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in that Blackland Prairie stuff

38
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and you don't have 
to do anything to.

39
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And I've never amended the soil.

40
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If you get the 
right type of plant,

41
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you don't have to 
amend the soil.

42
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But I did, for the most 
part, the big perennial bed

43
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I have amended over the years 
with a whole lot of compost.

44
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'Cause it does keep 
that soil real loose.

45
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'Cause you know, it would rain,

46
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it would get all soggy,

47
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,733
and the plants, some of the 
plants weren't very happy.

48
00:01:47,733 --> 00:01:51,366
Lavender, I have tried and 
tried to grow lavender.

49
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I've made special beds, 
I've done the whole thing.

50
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,033
Can't grow lavender. (laughing)

51
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But I try to stick 
to native plants

52
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or plants that are 
adapted to this area.

53
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That always helps.

54
00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:05,266
My mother was a big gardener.

55
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She loved to garden.

56
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In fact, when she'd 
come visit me,

57
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she'd be outside 
working in my yard.

58
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And I lived in a small 
town that had farms,

59
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one right next to me,

60
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'cause we lived on a dead end,

61
00:02:19,766 --> 00:02:21,633
and at the other end of the 
block there was a big farm.

62
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I think that 
probably inspired me.

63
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And one of the farms 
had a pecan grove

64
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and every spring, this 
giant field of daffodils.

65
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They were so pretty.

66
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So with all that, I got 
my house, and I went,

67
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"Oh yay, I get to go 
out and dig in the dirt.

68
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"How fun."

69
00:02:41,033 --> 00:02:42,533
Well the first thing I built

70
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was the sidewalk along the 
house, and it goes to my shed.

71
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There was a path and it 
was mud and it was a mess.

72
00:02:48,733 --> 00:02:50,833
And so I had some 
people from Georgetown,

73
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a landscape company, and they 
came out and did all of this.

74
00:02:53,733 --> 00:02:56,433
And they had a mason who was 
wonderful, who did great work.

75
00:02:56,433 --> 00:02:59,466
Fairly recently I 
had him do a patio,

76
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which was a blessing.

77
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Looks real pretty, too.

78
00:03:02,266 --> 00:03:06,000
And then I got this 
table to go on the patio.

79
00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,000
And then just recently I 
had the sidewalk from here

80
00:03:10,900 --> 00:03:13,300
on the west side of my house.

81
00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:15,266
I just recently 
had that done, too.

82
00:03:15,266 --> 00:03:19,966
I mean, just piecing this 
together is a work of art,

83
00:03:19,966 --> 00:03:22,500
getting it to look really nice.

84
00:03:22,500 --> 00:03:24,800
And, and you know, it's funny, 
when I planted the plants,

85
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I didn't really, I just 
went out there and planted.

86
00:03:27,933 --> 00:03:30,100
I mean I tried to kind of put

87
00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:31,566
the taller plants at the back

88
00:03:31,566 --> 00:03:34,233
and the lower plants 
of course at the front,

89
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but I didn't really 
have any plan.

90
00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:38,033
I just kind of planted stuff.

91
00:03:38,033 --> 00:03:40,733
And then if it did 
really well, great.

92
00:03:40,733 --> 00:03:43,266
If it didn't, I 
would either move it,

93
00:03:43,266 --> 00:03:45,766
'cause I have a rosebush 
I moved three times

94
00:03:45,766 --> 00:03:48,000
before I found the 
perfect spot for it,

95
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,233
or I would just go, well 
this plant's not gonna work

96
00:03:50,233 --> 00:03:52,233
so I'm gonna try something else.

97
00:03:52,233 --> 00:03:55,266
And you have to kind 
of find the right spot

98
00:03:55,266 --> 00:03:56,533
for your plants.

99
00:03:56,533 --> 00:04:00,400
Nurseries now are having 
more native plants,

100
00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,533
and more, well it says adapted.

101
00:04:02,533 --> 00:04:04,133
I have more butterflies.

102
00:04:04,133 --> 00:04:05,600
I have a lot of hummingbirds.

103
00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,433
Bees love my yard and 
they love my pond.

104
00:04:08,433 --> 00:04:11,600
I had a friend that 
moved down, a young man,

105
00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:13,400
he moved down from New Jersey.

106
00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,233
He moved down here 'cause 
his cousin was here,

107
00:04:16,233 --> 00:04:19,200
and he needed a place to live.

108
00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,800
And so I had an extra 
bedroom and bath,

109
00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,466
and I said, "Well you 
can live here," you know,

110
00:04:23,466 --> 00:04:28,233
"until you find someplace 
to live, an apartment."

111
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And I wasn't charging 
him any rent.

112
00:04:30,533 --> 00:04:35,366
So, one day he just said, 
"Nancy, you need a pond."

113
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He was interested in landscaping

114
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,266
and had made a pond 
for his mother.

115
00:04:39,266 --> 00:04:41,800
I think that was the 
only pond he had done.

116
00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:44,466
And so he just got out there 
one day with the shovel

117
00:04:44,466 --> 00:04:49,233
and just started digging, 
digging and making platforms.

118
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He loved landscaping,

119
00:04:50,900 --> 00:04:53,033
and while he was here, 
he took a couple,

120
00:04:53,033 --> 00:04:55,900
he went to ACC and took a 
couple landscaping courses.

121
00:04:55,900 --> 00:05:00,833
My pond is very popular with 
the squirrels and the birds

122
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and all kinds of animals 
I see in that pond.

123
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They love the water.

124
00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:07,033
And in my fountain, too.

125
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And the birds are in the water.

126
00:05:08,833 --> 00:05:11,200
And the squirrels, 
I see everyone.

127
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Everyone drinks outta those.

128
00:05:12,633 --> 00:05:14,933
So that's nice for the wildlife.

129
00:05:14,933 --> 00:05:16,400
And I have frogs.

130
00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,500
Once a year, I have frogs 
that make out in that pond

131
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and make a lot of 
noise at night.

132
00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:24,566
They have their big 
party at nighttime

133
00:05:24,566 --> 00:05:26,900
and croak and croak and croak.

134
00:05:26,900 --> 00:05:29,033
And at first it bothered me,

135
00:05:29,033 --> 00:05:31,200
and then I just 
went, okay, Nancy,

136
00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,333
just kinda let the 
frog sing you to sleep.

137
00:05:34,333 --> 00:05:37,633
So, it's, you know, I don't 
even notice it anymore.

138
00:05:37,633 --> 00:05:41,233
But I love the sound 
of the water, and so,

139
00:05:41,233 --> 00:05:43,700
and any garden or 
pond or anything

140
00:05:43,700 --> 00:05:45,833
is gonna take a lotta work.

141
00:05:45,833 --> 00:05:47,233
But it's something I love to do.

142
00:05:47,233 --> 00:05:50,500
And I'm retired now, so 
I've got time to do it.

143
00:05:50,500 --> 00:05:52,766
I worked in the nursing school

144
00:05:52,766 --> 00:05:54,000
in the Learning Resource Center

145
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,233
as a librarian, a 
media librarian.

146
00:05:57,233 --> 00:06:00,166
So I worked there for 35 years.

147
00:06:00,166 --> 00:06:01,966
I guess the main thing is that

148
00:06:01,966 --> 00:06:05,800
I love to intersperse 
artwork into my garden.

149
00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:07,700
I think that's an 
important component.

150
00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:09,866
Over the years I've 
collected art from

151
00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,066
a lot of artists from 
Austin, just from all around.

152
00:06:15,066 --> 00:06:16,333
I like artwork anyway.

153
00:06:16,333 --> 00:06:18,566
I always go on art 
tours and art museums.

154
00:06:18,566 --> 00:06:23,033
And so I just think that 
kinda adds to the flavor

155
00:06:23,033 --> 00:06:25,666
of my garden area.

156
00:06:25,666 --> 00:06:28,000
Kinda makes it a little 
bit unique, I think.

157
00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:29,066
It's not just plants.

158
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It's plants and artwork,

159
00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,933
and sometimes it's 
hard to find artwork

160
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that will go outside.

161
00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:37,566
But I've found quite 
a bit over the years.

162
00:06:37,566 --> 00:06:41,833
The baby bears came from a 
woman named Cat Quintanilla,

163
00:06:41,833 --> 00:06:43,800
who has a studio 
in South Austin.

164
00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:46,200
I love the little bears 
with the turquoise eyes.

165
00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,933
And so then I had 
commissioned the fish.

166
00:06:48,933 --> 00:06:52,566
I've got fish by the same 
lady that are by the pond.

167
00:06:52,566 --> 00:06:56,066
Gardener Girl is a 
replica of a woman

168
00:06:56,066 --> 00:06:58,666
named Sylvia White Judson,

169
00:06:58,666 --> 00:07:00,533
who was a famous sculptor

170
00:07:00,533 --> 00:07:03,333
and whose work is in 
the White House Gardens,

171
00:07:03,333 --> 00:07:05,300
in Jackie Kennedy's garden.

172
00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:07,633
And I also have a lot 
of mosaic in the garden.

173
00:07:08,833 --> 00:07:13,533
I've got mosaic stones 
and two mosaic benches,

174
00:07:14,733 --> 00:07:17,833
and one of them was done 
by a lady in Bertram.

175
00:07:17,833 --> 00:07:20,633
I guess I've always 
been into art,

176
00:07:20,633 --> 00:07:23,833
because my father was 
really big into art museums.

177
00:07:23,833 --> 00:07:26,766
Wherever we went we would 
go to the art museum.

178
00:07:26,766 --> 00:07:29,000
And so I've always liked art.

179
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I have a lot of art in my house.

180
00:07:31,300 --> 00:07:34,066
I just think it's kind 
of like an art museum.

181
00:07:34,066 --> 00:07:38,000
It's a plant museum 
with art everywhere.

182
00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,366
That's just one 
of my big themes.

183
00:07:40,366 --> 00:07:43,100
I'm always looking for 
something else that I can put up

184
00:07:44,233 --> 00:07:46,500
that would be art 
that goes outside.

185
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Yeah, yeah.