Unbelievable to see it has been years since my last post. Between the pandemic, retirement, surgery and more, I just didn’t feel like writing. I’m probably not alone in this. I hear that blogging is not cool any more. Well, neither am I, so I’m giving myself permission to try again.
Our bomb cyclone has just passed and boy are we wet. The porch was damaged and poring water everywhere. The good news is I’ve managed to save lots of water in my rain barrels and miscellaneous pots. It will come in very handy over time.
I have some plant starts ready to go: broccoli, leeks, fennel, California poppies and more. I will share photos when planted. I managed to add worm castings, chicken manure and fresh soil just before the rain so, yeah me! 🍉
Have we had enough rain yet? It doesn’t matter since the forecast says more is coming. Added to that is the wind, which with the soaked ground, means the possibility of trees going down. This is scary. There is a huge pine tree in the front of the house. It already leans a bit toward the house. The tree is huge, about 4 feet around and 100 ft tall, so falling on the house would spilt it into two pieces. The bedroom is right in the path. One ear is always listening for a cracking noise.
There hasn’t been a bunch of weekends to work on the garden or prune trees. Yes, I know I could do this in the rain, but that’s not really going to happen. I would easily catch a cold or cough. If there is a break in the rain this weekend, I’ll make the effort. I need to dump all the water in various containers around to prevent any mosquito growth. If I can upload the video, you’ll see my wind chimes blowing in the wind. They hang in a fairly protected area. I can hear them when I’m inside the house too.
Onions seem to be loving the rain!
The Rain Door is finally opened. We had a nice rain overnight and into this morning. More will come during the weekend, but we are so in need, that not too many are complaining. Droughts are hard on everyone. I don’t care about my lawn, in fact, would prefer not to have them at all. Save the water for the veggies and fruit trees, I say. Cutting back is hard because we already conserve water. Cutting another 20% will be difficult. So, the more rain the better.
Wow. Losing your password and changing your email service makes for a long retrieval process. Happy to be back. I’m coming up on my 5-year survival anniversary. Just a bit nervous if truth be known.
This California girl has never been so cold for so long. I do hope that this isn’t going to be the way it is from now on. On top of the cold, we haven’t had the rain we need and may soon be declared in an official drought. That means watching our water use even more than usual. Come on rain! Everyone at work is struggling with colds and coughs. Our homes are not insulated nearly as well as they could be. The next project will be cleaning out our attic and adding new insulation. Our stove/oven is giving little hints that it is time to look for a replacement. Oh the joys of home ownership,eh?
Saturday it rained for most of the day. Today, I made it to the farmer’s market before any rain started. Should start anytime now. We have already broken many rain records in the area. We do expect some sunshine later in the week.
I’ve managed to get the yard weeded with a little help. I tire more easily these days but I managed to finally get my tomatoes planted and staked and the roses dead-headed. The artichokes I planted several weeks ago have survived both snail attacks and rain. In fact, it seems that artichokes like the type of weather we have been having.
The birds seem to be more numerous this year and the hummingbirds are showing up to feast on the flower nectar.
Back to work tomorrow. Sigh.
Although a bit windy today, it may get up to 70 degrees today and perhaps into the 80’s by the weekend! The weeds in the back are enormous now. A ton of work is needed to clear it all out and plant veggies. I have a few sweet peas (deep purple) and maybe some Scarlett runners (no blossoms yet).
The best spring gift is the arrival of my grandson! Both mom and baby are doing great and I am in love with him already. I can see both my son and daughter-in-law in the baby. He is gaining weight and sleeping more.
Filed under: weather | Tags: daylight saving time, pests, Sleep, Spring
Image via Wikipedia
Generally, springing forward for daylight savings is a unmitigated chore. My sleep patterns are disrupted and I spend multiple days not able to sleep at night and waking up groggy and grumpy. For reasons unknown, I haven’t had those annoying symptoms this Spring (I know it isn’t Spring yet, you get my point though?).
I can look out my window and see a neighbor’s tree of unknown species, blooming out in magenta blossoms. Not my favorite color, but is definitely a sign.
Our rat (s?) are back. They are in the roof or between the walls, but there must be holes around because they are eating the dog food. This morning I surprised a very big (mama?) rat and had to listen to her squeeks for a very long time. The pest man cometh.
We will try to take a couple of days and drive to the snowy place we love. Weather Channel says snow/rain all next week but that could change. It does mean chains and warm clothing. It is always harder to figure out what bulky clothing that I will really need. Work has been a zoo so if I can finish up a couple of projects, I’m happy to not think about my “second home” for a while.
At least for our area, the snow that was so anticipated was a no-show. It was cold but not enough. The timing just wasn’t right. Somewhat disappointed this morning but the sun was magnificent and it was so clean and clear. So, no complaints.
I attended a small gem and mineral show today and purchased some pendants, crystals and stones. It was fun and made me want to take up jewelry-making or rock hounding. It is amazing to see the processing of changing a nondescript piece of rock into a work of art.
There is a pear pie in the oven. I made the pastry dough from scratch and used my granite countertop to roll it out. Works like a charm. Now if I just don’t burn the pie while posting. 😉
Filed under: Gardening, weather | Tags: Clematis, garden, Meyer Lemon
Image via Wikipedia
January was quite a dry month compared to our December drenching but February is making up for it. We are soaked and sodden now. The weeds are loving it. There is just enough sun between storms to help them grow, well, like weeds.
Since last posted I have purchased a Meyer Lemon, Sweet Lime and my heirloom apple has arrived. It is currently in a large pot since it has been way to wet to dig. I planted some dark red Clematis, placed so it can climb up the rose trellis. First try with this flower so we’ll see. I read that Clematis likes shade on it’s feet and sun on top. My spot should fit that to a tee. No green has emerged yet but with very cold temperatures (for us anyway in sunny California) perhaps waiting will work out best.
Our rainy season is definitely here. It is hard to complain about any rain we get as we always need to fill our reservoirs for the dry season in the summer and early fall here on the West Coast.
I was able to find a bit of a break this afternoon to take a walk while at work with a colleague. That always makes me feel better.
Work has been especially busy as we gear up to update many online pieces of our site. I could work 24/7 if I didn’t need to eat and sleep!
I’m looking forward to seeing my sister that lives out-of-town some time this month. I also expect one of the kids to come home for a little while between semesters. This spring will be the last before graduation. Whew!
The garden is very wet. It hasn’t stopped the critter from making tunnels under by raised beds and another in the wall of our house. I need a professional!
Watermelon Woman 