Very warm here - we had that heat in mid June but with it a lot of rain. Now it's standard plain old hot and we have missed the showers that have happened, less than an inch this month and it all came in little .2" dribbles. I have been watering some anyway - I'll turn on the sprinkler again this morning and I'm going to head out and do a round of deadheading and cutbacks - my plan is to be out by 8 and done by 10. We have family coming down for a bbq and relaxing on the deck while we can and then inside when we need to escape to AC. The garden is rather glorious with phlox and the dahlias are really starting to bloom. My annuals - especially the zinnias and sunflowers are pretty spectacular. :)

Ilene, Since you're thinking it would be OK if the onions bolted, they'll probably be stubborn and refuse to bolt! (That's the kind of luck I always have, anyway.) I like your rainfall collection tank. I've wanted something like that ever since we visited the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin where they have a massive rainfwater collection/cistern system that is incorporated into all their buildings and is simply amazing. We have 5 ponds, 3 of which we put in here after we built the house, but they haven't had water in them in months. They do catch a lot of rainfall when it actually does rain, but I leave the water in 4 of them for the wild things and the fifth one is "mine" to use to water the veggie garden if needed. That fifth pond is on the northeast corner of my veggie garden and I can pump water out with a small sump pump or can scoop it out with a watering can. This pond is fairly small and holds maybe a thosand gallons so the water doesn't last as long as you'd think. If I had it to do over again, I would have had Elvis (our backhoe guy--you gotta love the name) dig a quarter-acre pond and I would have had him dig it deeper. It is going to be 75 or so here today, so I suspect we'll have fires again like we have the last two days, although maybe we'll get lucky and have calm winds and no fires. I'm not ready for the cold to return. All the fruit tree buds are swelling--even the Mexican plum which tends to be a bit later than the others. I guess the cold will be a good thing because it will slow them down, but I'd still rather be warm. The plum tree that's been in full bloom for days now probably won't set any fruit, or will set it and lose it to the cold, but I'm hoping the other trees will make up for that one. I looked back at my temperature records and noticed that when Feb. is warm, we always have a cold spell around the first week in March, so this cold front that's coming in is right on schedule. Carol, that is a very smart cat. In the afternoon our cats "collect" on the back porch where the greenhouse plastic and the afternoon sun keep the temp about 10-20 degrees higher than it is out in the open. I guess sitting or sleeping in 70-90 degrees on a winter afternoon is pretty appealing to the cats. That porch almost feels "too hot" to me at times. Sometimes I open the french doors that connect that back porch to the breakfast room and let some of the porch's collected hot air flow into the house. Dawn

Well we are starting to get into our late summer weather pattern where it can be cool one day and scorching the next. We had a cold front push through last night and brought a good rain to my area. today we are having what I call a "california day" 60's in the morning and mid 80's during the day. Ive never been to CA but I imagine thats what its like, LOL The next 7 days are forecasted to be like this. Its such a welcome relief but also a reminder that I need to get the greenhouse ready and start making plans for overwintering. Our first frost isnt until October so I have time. Our weather here can be so crazy that it made me think of a few things. Those who live or lived here may relate and those who may visit might take this advice. You really have to be like a boy scout to live here. In the middle of winter we will have days in the 80's and then the next day it can snow 6-8 inches. The opposite is also true, snow in the morning and mid 50's to 60's by afternoon. In the summer it will get to 110 and the next morning it can be in the 60's. I have left for work in the morning and it was colder by 20-30 degrees when i left in the afternoon. anyways it keeps you on you toes. Mike

Yeah, you guys - rub it in! It's about 26 - 30 degrees (in your language) here, this morning. Some snow melted yesterday afternoon - but there's still some on the fields ... and a pile, in front of the kitchen window, where the landlord pushed the snow from the yard. When I walked across some, the other day ... it held me up! No garden to be thought of, for a while yet! ole joyful