A junkyard to some, most likely. Sometimes I pretend it’s an art gallery in the making. The other day, the Husband thought the yard looked like a cemetery. What do you think?  That’s how the backyard looked at the beginning of March before the rain kicked in. After years of drought, I’m enjoying this old-time rainy weather, the look, the sound, the smell. March delight! Here’s how it looked yesterday.  I disappeared again, I did. My last post was five weeks ago on the same day that the Husband’s triple whammy of sore and painful joints, a respiratory virus, and norovirus began. Not all at the same time, but pretty much overlapping each other. I had a 36 hour bout with norovirus, fortunately, after the Husband’s worse of his tummy woes were nearly over.  All’s well today, hurrah! Hope you are all feeling strong and with wonder! ❤️

Dive bomb!  I wonder what the blue jay saw on the decomposing leaf covered ground, and what was he eating in the leafless persimmon tree.  The sun is out. The sky is a clear blue with fluffy white clouds streaming by. The clarity after the storm.  This winter we certainly are having our share of storms with floods, landslides, broken levees, fallen trees, and evacuations. Three weeks worth, so far. Fortunately, the Husband and I haven’t had to experience any of that, knock on wood.  With all this rain and reports of oversaturated ground, some people probably believe our drought is over.  No more need to conserve. We can go crazy with lush lawns, landscaping, and vegetable gardens once again. Nope! Uh-uh.  No, siree, Bob, and Nancy.  Parts of California, including our area, may be good for water this year, if that, but the drought is far from over. We need it to rain throughout the winter and early spring, gently and kindly, alternating with dry days. Maybe then, our reservoirs and grou

(1) How hot is it? Well, the Husband is wearing a tank shirt and shorts and walking around the house barefoot. I pretty much do that every day, but not him. (2) It has been seven days of temperatures in the high 90s and triple digits! The iPad won’t charge any further than 80 percent when it’s this hot. If the weather guys are to believed, we’ll feel the last of 100+ degrees today. Knock on wood, cross my fingers. This excessive heat is uncommon for our area. I’m thankful it’s unaccompanied with oppressive humidity. (3) We’ve managed to get by without the the air conditioner or heading to a cooling center. Doing the old-fashioned practice of closing and opening curtains to the sun and staying inside have made it bearable. It also helps that we have a big shady tree in front and a bunch of fruit trees in the back.  (4) We’re one of the few homes that have mature trees on our street. I wouldn’t be surprised if some neighbors wished we’d remove our trees. Earlier this year, a neighbor sen