Burnout/restarting

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Burnout, fresh start, NaNoWriMo, projects, rain, restarting, routines

I’m tired!  I didn’t realize until my kids got back from their trip how truly tired I was…and I had forgotten that, when you are responsible for the safety of small ones, you really don’t completely sleep.  But now they are back, the weekend is over, and we are settling into our weekly routine.

I just went through my closet and pulled out the remaining clothes that have become too large (hooray!) for me, and the nicest ones are slated for a consignment store in town.  The rest will go to Rescued Treasures.  I once again have “breathing room” in my closet.

Yesterday’s lovely rainstorm has passed, and the weathermen say we received up to a third of an inch in some areas.  That seems rather puny compared to other areas of the country, where several inches of rain may fall in a single storm, but for central California it is huge.  Thank God for blessed rain!

My writing for NaNoWriMo is pathetically behind, but I am getting back on track today.  No more excuses, no more falling asleep at my computer the moment I sit down.  I’m making progress again.

Whatever projects you have on tap, I wish you progress (or a re-start) today.  Happy Monday!

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Fall for real

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flowers, puddles, rain, Rosemary, St. John's River

I think Fall really has arrived.  I realize I said the same thing a month or so ago, but Mother Nature was being a bit stubborn with her hot weather.  Today, after several days of thunderstorms, the sky was crystal clear and the air was sweet and mid-70s.

As I went for my morning walk, I was delighted to see that the plants were practically exploding with happiness at their repeated drinks of rainwater.  Trees that had been dusty and dry were sporting berries or flowers, and the rosemary hedges were beginning to bloom.

Where a few days ago there was only dusty foliage, today the berries are quickly turning red.

Beautiful yellow blossoms are drawing the bees and covering the ground with pollen.

The Rosemary hedges are beginning to turn pale blue with flowers.

By far the most exciting sight for me was the formerly bone-dry St. John’s Riverbed, sporting not only mud, but puddles from the thunderstorms.

There are still puddles remaining in the St. John’s River from this weekend’s rains!

Thanks to the beautiful weather drawing me outside for not only a morning walk but a late-night one, too, I hit my 10,000 step goal today for the first time in several weeks.  Thank you, Mother Nature.

I’m back!

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family, memories, Mother Nature, rain, thunderstorms, travel, weddings

An unhappy DSL line from last Thursday’s thunderstorm really messed with my blogging mojo as I was trying to get ready to leave town for a long weekend.  But I’m back, filled with memories of a beautiful bride and handsome groom amidst the love of their family and friends.

Nearly seven hours in the car today has made mush of my brain, so tonight I will just say, “thank you” to Mother Nature for the lovely blessing of rain over the past several days…as well as for the thunderclouds that dispersed rather than raining on the wedding yesterday.

Sweet dreams.

Rain

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Olive Garden 1630, rain, South Carolina, sunset

It rained today.  Not just a little piddly sprinkle that disappeared as quickly as it came, but a really wet, puddle-causing shower that lasted off and on for several hours.  The girls were thrilled to watch the rivulets of drops progress down the side windows of my Subaru on the way to church, and equally excited when they realized there might be thundershowers.  Although the thunderstorm didn’t materialize, there were some lovely dark clouds overhead.

Today’s rain event won’t even begin to fill the gap between between our water requirements and our the content of our existing wells and groundwater.  And the irony of our thirsty land barely getting damp and the people of the South Carolina coast who are experiencing thousand-year-record-breaking rainfall amounts today thanks to Hurricane Joaquin, is not lost on me.

By evening the rain was gone, but this incredible sunset remained.

This amazing sunset greeted me outside Olive Garden tonight as I took my break.

Blessed Rain

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California, drought, fires, rain

It rained today.  Not a deluge, not even a downpour, but a light, steady rain on our side of town for about an hour and a half.  It was enough to make the sidewalks wet and slightly dampen the dirt that used to be our front lawn.  It was enough to clear much of the guck out of our air, and to drastically lower our daytime high temperature.  When Olivia and I walked from the car and back picking Lily up from school today, we actually got wet (it was lovely)!

All day I heard reports of rain up and down California.  And while the rain wasn’t enough to make a dent in any of the fires raging throughout our state, it was enough to begin to lower forest temperatures, increase humidity, and bring hope to those fighting the fires and those fleeing from them.

Even better, tomorrow’s forecast includes rain across the majority of the day, and a high temperature of 79 degrees.  That’s a far cry from last week’s 106, and will certainly make firefighting much easier.

And while my heart aches for those whose homes were in the path of the flames, I am so grateful that this break in the weather can perhaps slow the progress of the fires.

I will continue to pray for gentle rains and still air, with no lightning.  God is good.

Fire. Rain. Prayer.

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Fire, prayer, rain

Fire.  Domesticated, it warms our homes and cooks our food.  Left to run wild, it destroys everything in its path:  homes, communities, wildlife, watershed.  Fire has the upper hand in California right now.  Fire brought on by the EPA mandated mis-management of our forests that virtually destroyed our logging industry and let the forest understory grow unchecked.  Fire exacerbated by our horrific drought that has turned the dry trees and brush into tinder awaiting a spark.

Rain.  Rain is the answer.  Rain and rain alone will tame the fires raging in our state as it begins to slake the thirst of our parched earth.  Rain will wash the soot and dirt from our air and let us breathe easily again.

Prayer.  Prayer binds us together as one community, whether we pray to God, to The Great Spirit, to Buddha, to Mother Earth…Prayer unites us as we search for answers, for meaning, for restoration.

Please join me this night, tomorrow, and continuing on without ceasing your prayer.  Pray for rain that will vanquish the fires.  Not just little sprinkles, but steady, solid rain that will soak into our dry ground and down into our aquifers.  Pray for the safety of the firefighters, and of those whose homes and livelihoods are in the path of the fire.  Pray that the rains come before it is too late.

Fire.  Rain.  Prayer.

What’s up, Mother Nature?

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California drought, Chatsworth, Exeter, Farmersville, Porterville, rain, Tehachapi, Visalia

Tonight social media posts have been filled with rain.  It is (or was) raining in Anaheim, California, a few hours to the south of us.  And my cousin in Chatsworth, California, just a couple of hours to the south of us, had a wonderful downpour.  Up in the mountains, Tehachapi, to the south/east of us, had rain, too.

The thunder clouds rolled in here about 4:00 p.m., and the sky got darker and heavier.  It started smelling like it does in Arizona just before it rains.  Guests at dinner reported rain in Tulare, ten miles or so down the road, and in Porterville, twenty miles to the southeast.  It was raining in Exeter to the east of us, and streets were flooding in Farmersville about five miles away.  To add insult to injury, a friend who lives about a mile from us reported raindrops hitting her swimming pool.  And rain was reported in Fresno to the north, as well.

We have no rain.  The air is still sultry at nearly midnight, but our ground is completely dry.  What’s up, Mother Nature?  Have you abandoned Visalia on purpose, or just been too busy in all the surrounding areas.  We need you.  Now.

Thunderstorm

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July, lightning, rain, thunderstorms

July blew in on a lovely wind this morning…accompanied by low clouds that kept our temperature down to the low 90’s instead of the threatened 106.

For the past hour or so, the skies have been flashing in all directions with a lovely lightning and thunder display.  The full moon and now-wispy clouds just adds to the beauty surrounding us.

At work, on the south end of town, it rained long enough to cause a few puddles.  I missed going out in it, though, as by the time I was finished, so was the rain.  And here at home the ground is completely dry; not a drop fell in North East Visalia.

So here we are at 11:30 p.m., sitting at 81 degrees with 61% humidity and a 0% chance of rain.

Happy July!

Mother Nature

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clouds, kayaking, Mother Nature, rain, snowstorm, Tioga Pass

Mother Nature is messing with us again! As I was taking the girls to school and running a few errands early, the rain was spitting down, hardly enough to get the windshield wet. The skies stayed mostly gray, but with sunshine now and again, until later afternoon when the thunderheads started piling up.

I kept asking guests whether it had started raining, or was it still sprinkling. A couple of guests noted that it was feeling like rain, but only one said it was raining hard. When I got home tonight, the sidewalk was actually wet, and the ground was showing moisture. But by this time even the sprinkling had stopped.

Meanwhile, Facebook was filled with a variety of photographs of people kayaking in their neighborhood streets in Fresno, less than 50 miles away! And Tioga Pass, which had been opened for the season with great fanfare last week, was closed again last night in anticipation of a huge snowstorm today.

The weather report is calling for a 70% chance of rain in about 10 minutes. Let’s hope Mother Nature comes through and we all stay inside, warm and cozy, while the rain pours down.

Sweet dreams.

Rain and wasted water…an A-Z Challenge “free” post

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A-Z Challenge, drought, green lawns, rain, water police, water regulations

It rained here yesterday. Way less than we needed, but enough to keep my vegetables and flowers happy for several days. Just now I went out into the front yard to put out the garbage cans for tomorrow morning’s pickup, and what did I discover? My next-door neighbor’s sprinklers going full-tilt boogie under the shadow of darkness!

Now these neighbors are very sweet people (other than their yappy little dog, that is), and I’m sure our rather “rugged” front yard is a never-ending source of embarrassment for them. But their front (and back) yard is always that deep, rich green that shouts “we don’t worry about water restrictions at all” and by all rights should be an absolute magnet for the water police.

As the drought deepens in California and the State encourages people to “rat out” their offending neighborhood water-wasters, I wonder what will happen to relationships between neighbors. Is a deep green lawn really worth offending your thrifty neighbors who follow the rules? And what will happen when the water-conserving neighbor finally has enough of her water-overusing neighbor? Will there be city police reports, or merely visits from the water police?

Some of us have been cutting back on our water usage for several years now, and our landscaping shows that. I have planted less and less, because water is at a premium and I’m trying to keep it under control. Our city water regulations allow watering twice weekly after 7:00 p.m., which is not only inconvenient, it fosters fungus and other diseases in our gardens. But there are many who either didn’t get the memo regarding limiting their water usage, or they simply don’t care. Either way, our community loses.