Garden
First Day of Autumn
Like clockwork, the season switched from summer to fall and suddenly the heat and sun are gone, replaced with cool temps and early morning fog. Here's my view of the palms on the west side of the valley at 7 am.
Ducks Beat the Heat in a Horse Trough
It's almost 100 degrees, but I doubt the ducks know it. They spend all day horsing around in their "pond" (aka: a 100 gallon trough).
10 Cent Gold Fish
A lot of people don't know those 10 cent "feeder" gold fish you can get in the pet store can actually get quite large. This little school of fishies has only been in the pond for 6 months or so, but I've got several that have been in there for years -- some of which are nearly a foot long now.
Lion’s Mane Takes the Heat
September is a tough month for plants here in San Diego. The end of summer brings lots of heat and sun, it hasn't rained in six months, and we're in the midst of a drought so I water only sparingly. As a result, there's just a few plants that actually look good this time of year and Leonotus leourus or Lion's Mane happens to be one of them. It's a native of Southern Africa and does quite well here in our very similar climate with no care at all. Hummingbirds seem to love it too.
Dipper Gourd Volunteers
Several years ago I planted some dipper gourds at my daughter's request. They grew and produced a bunch of dipper-shaped gourds that I didn't really know what to do with. So they sat around on our patio for a while until our German Shepards decided that one would make a good dog toy. They threw it around between the two of them and eventually broke it sending seeds everywhere. I thought that was the end of it until a few weeks ago when I noticed a vine creeping up the hill, over my Guava and on to the deck. Now [keep reading...]
Late Summer a.m. Fog
This time of year the skies are clear at sunrise, but the warm water over the lake makes for foggy mornings until the air warms up.
Bog Sage
Got this particular sage from a local herb grower. As the name "bog sage" implies, it likes it's feet a little damper than most sages. The bright blue flowers are remarkable this time of year.
Goats are always hungry
I'm pretty sure "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" has something to do with goats. I fed them not 5 minutes before (see the alfalfa?) and they're already back to see if I have something new.
Weathervane on a Blue Sky
Late August and the sky doesn't get any bluer. Soon the sun will be lower and the bright blue will fade. Then soon after a blue-gray and fall will be here. I'm enjoying this right now.
Goldfinches love basil
Truth is you can only each so much pesto and fresh basil before you turn into a cabrese salad. Fortunately, if the basil bolts and goes to seed, there's an army of goldfinches more than happy to jump in and eat.