We Have Rain! and Lots of Produce, too.

It has been raining since yesterday.  We should get at least 2 inches by the time the storm moves out on Sunday.  This is a very warm rain for February, it was 58 at 6:00 AM.  Hoping we don't have any flooding or mudslides!

I took the photos below on Wednesday.  Also picked a big batch of lettuces and onions before the rain started yesterday.  Lots of flowers blooming which I added to my salad.

Calendula

for my salad, Calendula, Nasturtiums, Oxalis and Salad Burnet

Arugula

2nd planting of Lacinato Kale

one of several Giant Mustard

Speckles Lettuce, one of our favorites this year.

Loquat tree is loaded with fruit, these should be ready in May.

Raised bed planted with lacinato kale, ruby and bright lights swiss chard.  Seedling of radish, collard greens, beets and carrots.

Tatsoi, beets and collard green sprouts (I think)

More Speckles lettuce and Lolla Rossa lettuce

Leaf lettuce that bolted in the heat. I will let this go to seed head and then save the seeds.

More Tatsoi, most have shot up seed heads so I may need to plant out more seedlings now that the rains have come. 

Onions and swiss chard I pulled from the bed along the driveway

Little Gem Romaine and Lolla Rossa lettuce from the bed along the driveway

Bath Time!

Pretty little Finches, males just beginning to show the vibrant red colors.  These photos were all taken through my kitchen window today.  Not bad considering it is a double-pane window.  You can even see the water splashing up from the birds bathing.  We had a beautiful day today, around 65 degrees.  Warmer, with low 80's forecast for the week ahead and next weekend will be around 85.  No more rain in site for now which is not a good thing for us.  Not at all like February should be.  I will keep the birdbaths full for our feathered friends and cut back on watering the plants.

 I think she saw me through the window, look how sweet she is looking towards the camera.

 The male was always fluttering about the bath and watching for incoming birds.

"They shall go flying
      With musical speeches
High overhead in the
      Tops of the beeches"

from "Nest eggs" A Child's Garden of Verse by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Visit from a Cooper's Hawk

Hawk Roosting

I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed.
Inaction, no falsifying dream
between my hooked head and hooked feet
or in sleep rehearse perfect kills and eat.

The convenience of the high trees!
The air's buoyancy and the sun's ray
are of advantage to me
and the earth's face upward for my inspection.

My feet are locked upon the rough bark.
It took the whole of Creation
to produce my foot, my each feather;
now I hold Creation in my foot.

Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly
I kill where I please because it is all mine.
There is no sophistry in my body,
my manners are tearing off heads.

The allotment of death.
For the one path of my flight is direct
through the bones of the living.
No arguments assert my right.

The sun is behind me.
Nothing has changed since I began.
My eye has permitted no change.
I am going to keep things like this.

-Ted Hughes

My Neighbor's Have An Owl Box In Their Tree

 I noticed this the other day.  I don't think they had this last year or I would have seen it.  Once the leaves dropped from the trees I saw it.  I sure hope it brings a pair back to nest.

We had owls visiting our trees a few years ago.   Here is a link to the time they visited our pine tree.  Owls in Our Trees.

They didn't nest in our trees but brought the young owlets one night and they spent most of the summer in that pine tree, the ground was littered with bones from their parents hunting and feeding them. I felt sad for the bunnies they brought them, nature seems cruel at times.

A Visit from a Flock of Cedar Waxwings!

I often hear their familiar CALL and see them flying, but I don't often get a chance to photograph them.  They visit our birdbaths, but it seems as soon I as get my camera out they know and take flight.  What a treat this was for me.

 This is how far away they were, I used my zoom to get the close-ups.  This is an old Avocado tree in my neighbors yard, the bottom of the tree is still alive.  I am so happy that they don't cut these dead branches off because it is a haven for the birds that live and visit here.

Close-up of Hummingbird at center top, House Finch bottom left and Cedar Waxwing on the right.

 I love how this close-up view shows its mask! 

A couple more House Finches.

We Are Growing! Tomato Update 2014

Waiting.....for tomatoes!
(that's a lemon at the top of the photo hanging from our tree)

 Photos taken January 15th

Reach for the sky!!!

I am giving the seedlings sun each day now and was able to put them outdoors for a few hours the last couple of days.  Yesterday temperatures reached 86 and today we are forecast for 87.  I put them in a location of filtered sun for now since they are still very fragile.  Tony also bought us a grow light fixture since we know this weather will not last and I will need to give them light!

Until tomato time comes we will pick oranges!

 Tangelo

 This navel orange is full of blossoms

 We have two navel orange trees.

 Tangerine

Valencia, the bees are busy working these flowers. 

One of two grapefruit trees, this one is a pink grapefruit and we pretty much get to pick this one year round as long as we leave some on it.