Rain, and Fall

After a rainy week, it's sunny today, and things are drying out. The ground is loving the moisture, but we were hoping for a little bit more time to enjoy Indian Summer.

The roses are putting on their end of summer show.

The succulents have put on a burst of growth - as if they're enjoying the sudden colder weather, which seems odd.

There's not a lot of fall color, but that's just the nature of things here.

I'm running out of time to get my projects done. The futon does have its waterproof cover, but it may have to be moved off the deck and into the greenhouse, if it is going to survive the winter.

(Looking back on that statement, it may seem odd, but this is an area where the climate is mild, albeit rainy, all year long. You can pretty much leave things out - EXCEPT things that you don't want to get wet. This is an area where we hoped global warming was real, because then we could grow bougainvillea, and corn and tomatoes.)

Progress

of sorts. Once again I find I am digging my way out of the backyard disaster - Last year it was stripped and clear and ready for sod, and we didn't do it and now it is growing in, the nice clover has dried out in the heat and been replaced with what I call knotweed, with berry vines and tall grass, too tall to cut with the mower, a job for the weedeater. Not as bad as it was last year prior to the stripping, but on its way.

I have control over a small area, and I am starting from the deck and moving out. With a hoe, shovel and rake. At this point, my plan is to clear out the edges, and get the Nursery landscapers in to take care of stripping the center, laying the sprinkler system, putting in the perimeter (sidewalks or mowing strip) and laying sod.

THEN, it will be done and be a simple matter of mowing, something I used to be able to keep under control.

THEN, I can tackle each of the side areas, the garden by the greenhouse, the area a round the playset, the back area where the secret garden will someday go, and little by little, it will become what I have envisioned and planned for.

Today, I re-cleared the area which will be a patio just below the deck where the firepit and chairs will sit. I bought benderboard (expensive sh-t) and blocked it off.

The skies are still hazy from smoke, though it seemed the inversion layer lifted late in the day and we actually had clear blue sky. Temps up to 80 in the shade again. No records were set.

What's blooming? - roses, the styrax, watsonias are about done, poppies, daylilies, passionvine, the mockorange... crocosmia is starting...

(Update: I got sidetracked and it got away from me again, so I'm digging it out AGAIN, years later)

Monkey Sea, Monkey Dunes

M, K, and friend J - winner today, Sandcastle Contest

Smokey, hot & sultry

Looks like fog, but it is not. It's smoke from the hundreds of fires that fabulous lightning storm caused. The lightning storm that raged over the weekend had over 6000 strikes according to a spokesperson at Calfire this morning in Shasta County. 602 fires consuming thousands of acres range from Santa Cruz to the Oregon border and from the Coast to Nevada but the states to the North and East of California also had their share of strikes and resulting blazes. This leaves fire crews “spread thin all over.” CalFire Report for entire state of California
Total Fires: 1,032
Acres involved: 132,235
Structures Destroyed: 17 residences, 1 commercial, 19 outbuildings to date.

Beauty, but with a real down side. Smoke so thick up and down the state that visibility in some places is almost zero. People being told to stay indoors.

Best LIGHTNING Storm we've ever had

Found this shot by Destiny Young/Boonville this looks like what we saw.

Started last evening (SUMMER SOLSTICE), still light out, strange and fabulous cloud structures, the simultaneous sunset, thunder, flashes and streaks of lightning over the ocean. Everyone on the street came out to watch in awe. None of us had cameras. A few drops of rain, but a very dry storm. The lightning came and went all night, further away, so we saw the flashes but didn't hear the thunder. Awesome!