Hello Renee, I live in southern Cal. Sunset 19 as well, perhaps a bit hotter and colder than Simi Valley but very similar and have been trying different Conifers to see what did well and was less commonly planted. I have lost many more than have made it. The following is a list of what I know does very well and looks good year round. Many are not normally planted but are very choice. Not on the list for the most part are ones which rapidly grow to large trees. Cedrus all types of Cedrus do well as do their selections. the dwarfs do very well. Cedrus libiani 'Green knight' & 'Green Prince' Cedrus deodara 'Descanso Dwarf', 'Devinely blue' Firs Abies pinsapo - Spanish Fir slow growing,like a hedghog. Abies guatamalensis - Guatamalan Fir looks more like typical fir. Pines many types of pines will do well ,these are less common and are exceptional. Pinus bungeana - Lace bark pine, from asia slow, small tree,very nice colorfull bark. Pinus flexilis 'vanderwolfs pyramid'-great color, structure. Pinus heldreichii - Bosnian pine,small deep green, great form,like a xmas tree,white bark. Pinus lumholzii - weeping Mexican pine very pretty. Pinus maximatinezii - Mexican nut pine,big cones, blue when young, thrives. Pinus mugo - the dwarf ones, great around rocks. Pinus pinceana - weeping mexican pinyon small, nice form. Pinus quadrifolia - blue/green nut pine, nice pyramid shape. Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead'- deep green color,large white candles, makes a neat large Bonzai. Low Growing. Chamaecyparis obtusa'Split Rock' - small,blue and round. Cryptomeria japonica'koshyi' - a small round bun Juniperis horizontalis'Limeglow' - Limeglow juniper. Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' - Blue ,Star Juniper. Taxus cuspidata'Monloo' - Emerald Spreader Japanese Yew. Sequoia sempevirons 'albo spicta' - Dwarf white tipped, Redwood. Upright narrow Thuja plicata'virescens'- bright green medium size. Juniperis comunis'Gold cone' - small ,gold tipped nice. Calocedrus decurrens 'veriagata' - Verigated California Incense Cedar ,medium size upright,giant splashes of bright yellow color. Spruces, do not be tempted though commonly found in the nursery during the holidays, if they survive it will look bad compared to what they should be. Two more places to visit to look at Conifers. Descanso Gardens in La Canada. San Diego Wild Animal Park in Escondido has a very good and unusual conifer collection, take care not to wander to far off the paths, one area is up against the Lion enclosure and when they roar it will scare your pants off.

You're going to have more trouble than the birds are. Birds are immune to the effects of capsaicin, unlike mammals (I figured out that the squirrel digging in my potted peppers was burying nuts in the nice soft dirt, he didn't nibble. But the turkeys were eating the peppers in the garden til I put the deer netting we'd taken down for Irene back up.). In fact, they often include dried chiles in parrot mixes. Too bad for your friend, though.

Bird pics in the nook. The foyer begs for a mirror. Even when you’re leaving the house, if you’re putting on a hat or coat or adjusting a scarf or making sure you dont have a piece of spinach wedged between your teeth, you need a mirror. It will also add some sparkle to the foyer which appears dreary with the pictures hung there.

I must take issue with Tiffany’s comments. Outdoor cats are not a scourge on the land. They are outdoors because WE put them out there. Why do they get put out? Let me count the ways: 1. WE are too lazy to care for them after we get them. Food, vet bills, litter, toys, OUR attention…….WE decide it’s all too much. WE are too lazy to even surrender them to a rescue…….omg, the gas for driving them there! So WE just put them out. 2. WE don’t take the time or spend the money to get their them their vaccinations AND most importantly, WE DON’T SPAY OR NEUTER THEM. WE DON’t want to spend the money or some men have sick notions about removing the testicles from a male cat or dog btw, because they personalize it.(of course neutered male cats and dogs will live longer healthier lives because they don’t roam or fight as much AND they have a lower occurrance of testicular cancer which of course they DIE from). Or without proper vaccinations, they get sick and often get disposed of. I don’t mean creamated, I mean thrown in a dumpster to die. 3. So when unspayed female cat sneaks out of the house or WE let her out for a few hours so she can experience her wild nature……..then WE get surprised that she is PG and WE don’t want kitties…….again, instead of taking her to a rescue, WE open the door and let her go…….forever. She can fend for herself, right? WRONG! Indoor domesticated cats have been fed by US so when put out, they must revert to a somewhat wild state to survive, if they do. 4. As a result of number 3, all the kitties are born outside and then they know nothing except what their mother teaches them. If you knew anything about cats, you would understand that cats do not kill for sport, but out of hunger. What looks like playing with their food is actually killing the prey. Pouncing, shaking throwing it the air is all about subduing prey so they are then ableto eat it. This is also how an outdoor mother teaches her kittens to hunt so they can survive outdoors. Birds are a minor part of their diet. They kill far more mice and rats than birds. Really I could go on and on about why there are free roaming cats, but I agree with functionthenlook. Tall buildings with nighttime lights and habitat loss are the top killers of birds. Now if you want to help cut down on the free roaming cat issue in your area, you can do Trap-Neuter-Return. TNR is the only effective and humane way of reducing the free roaming cat population. I have done it in my neighborhood for years. By neutering cats, you stop the reproduction cycle. Many cities have ordinances to pay for the services. Some vets are willing to offer services for free or a nominal feewe. Over time, numbers reduce. Here’s where you can learn more if you want to help rather than complain and make opinionated remarks. Best friends animal society , one of the best organizations in the country working round the clock to end all unnecessary killings by 2025. Also on the front lines when disaster hits and animals are involved. Think Hurricane Katrina. Alley cat allies Faunalytics Fix Nation Indy Feral and many, many others if you look. debra