Watering.....hot here also....

happy mom's day to you too!

i'm on the bay coast of contra costa county and it's easily low 80's right now! i'm just thankful i'm running a little late with my veggies so far or i'd be saying 'damn' too, lol!

after breakfast served to me in bed by dear hubby and daughter, i'm in the garden a bit and now i'm about to do some crafting.

i hope you have a great day!

angela :)

wcgypsy-
You must be around the southern central valley(?) too I guess for you to be hot as well. Good luck with watering and keep the plants happy. And happy mother's day to you.

ladybugsmom-
Breakfast in bed sound about good right now too. "Brunch"......Well off to eat out.....wish for some of your 80's right now and the rest of the week.......make that all through summer ;) Happy mother's day to you too and good luck with your crafting.

It's really hot here in LA inland areas. Almost 2pm and it says 106 out there. Sure glad that fire is out.
More of the same heat tomorrow...

I'm in San Diego County...it's hot everywhere!

I'm in N.SanDiego cnty and it's 74 here with a nice breeze.Perfect weather as far as i'm concerned.
kathi

I'm in Fresno too and glad to be out of the heat. I was going to go look for some more fern plants but have decided to wait. I'm just hoping it isn't going to be too hot all summer for the tomatoes to set fruit.

I start once again thinking of where to move to...cooler and more rain...grumbling....

gobluejdm-
I imagine LA is very hot since it's southern Cali. Good thing that fire is has been put out. Good luck for tomorrow if you're going to be 106 again. Keep your plants well water and happy.

wcgypsy-
I like San Diego, especially the San Diego Zoo and Sea world. If you like cooler weather and more rain how about Auberry or Shaver Lake(but then you get snow in fall n winter) or even more rain northern Cali?

kathi_mdgd-
you must be close to the coast since you're that cool. I always thought the whole San Diego county was hot since you guys are so close to the Mexican border.

westelle-
Knowing how hot and dry Fresno is especially in the summer, don't count the heat out yet. But my parents have lots of tomato plants that they grow for their farmer's market and their tomatoes seem to be doing fine every summer for the last 8+ years here. Except when it get really hot in the 101+ F an they don't get enough water on time. Then if they do get just a little too much water they will start splitting :(

We're considering moving North again...we've lived in Northern Ca and Washington and would welcome the rain again now. Days that reach 100 start me grumbling a lot. We're northernmost S.D. County, but inland more, so we didn't have that nice 74 degree day...we had close to 100, if not 100....and thankfully no fires at least anywhere close here, haven't watched the news and the sky is clear and I don't smell smoke.

Too hot! I had two moms for lunch in the garden- the cold food got warm pretty fast, and all of the chocolate melted. Thank goodness there was enough cold champagne and OJ to keep everyone happy. Last night the garden looked good- but by noon today, the roses were toast. Not quite as charming as I had hoped. I pruned the roses this afternoon- it looks pretty barren out there now.
Renee

I bet if those rose had they been perky and the chocolate haven't melted, it would have been a pretty meal ;) but those cool champagne n OJ saved the day. Hope you guys had a great time even if your rose garden got ruined :)

Yesterday it was 75 degrees in Westchester, but today it is 86 already, although it is supposed to be cooler tomorrow. My brother and I were able to do a good deal of gardening yesterday in the early morning and late afternoon - we avoid midday sun - DB has red hair and burns easily. We potted a bunch of ephiphyllum cuttings we got in Vista last week-end and started planting new chilies, although many of the ones from last year are putting out new leaves and flowers.

Last week-end (or the week before) we exchanged our old gas powered lawn mower for an electric one at an L.A. DWP site in Long Beach. We got the new mower for half price, and it is much quieter.

I'll make a point not to travel inland!

This is the first Mothers' Day since our mother passed, but we managed to get through it okay. We lost our father in December, but that was less traumatic. I'm handling it a lot better than I expected, but it was still a sad day for me yesterday.

Lars

This post was edited by publickman on Mon, May 13, 13 at 15:34

publickman-
it's very tough to lose a parent, worse yet both of them, i'm sorry. You still have your brother to be there for you, so don't be to sad. Even though they aren't there physically, just know both of them is watching over you guys and are proud of you two no matter what you guys do :)
Gas powered lawn mower are always loud no matter the brand. Electric ones do seem quieter from my own experience a while back.
And don't be afraid to travel to the valley when ever you have time. It may be hot and dry but have very many beautiful places to see. And if you haven't been to Yosemite National park or Sequoia national park, visit sometimes. These are just two of the many places to stop by when ever you travel inland.

I do travel inland in the summer to visit Sequoia and Kings' Canyon, but we haven't made it to Yosemite yet - I guess I've been afraid of the crowds. I do like the high country in the summer and want to do some more white water rafting.

Every time we've visited Sequoia, we've seen way too many bears, and the first couple of times we camped out. The third time we rented a cabin, to be safe. On the second trip, a bear chased me around the picnic table the first day we got there. It was dusk, and the bear wanted my sandwich, but I was not about to give that away, and so we went around the table a few times until the bear got bored and decided to bother other people in the campsite.

Kings' Canyon is one of my favorite places and not crowded, but I'm sure Yosemite would be even more spectacular. I'll try to go when it's less crowded. I'm tentatively planning to go to Tuscon for Memorial, and that will probably be hot, but not too much, I think. I grew up in south central Texas, and so I've experienced quite a bit of heat in my life and generally do avoid Texas in the summer.

Thanks for your thoughts regarding my parents. I think it was better to lose them so close together - less than four months apart. DF simply could not cope after DM was gone.

Lars

Sequoia and Kings Canyons national park is both very beautiful, but i haven't seen any bear only deers when I visit. Funny a bear chase you for your sandwich, but becareful it could have gone sour really bad n fast. But those bears that are always around the campsite when ever people are there are usually calmer and just want a free hand out but don't ever forget their natural instinct can kick in a sec. If you haven't been to Yosemite, you really got to go there sometime. I really hate the summer action with all the tourist from all over the world. You can't hardly find any parking for good site. But it's the most beautiful in the summer time and the weather is just perfect. Spring is also beautiful but just a little to chill for me. And can't forget all the large and mini water fall there, just spectacular.

When I used to go up to see my Dad, I would often go up the back side (Hwy 395) and cut across through Yosemite over to Modesto, entering from the East Gate, which to me is the most spectacular way to enter Yosemite anyway. My last trip through was on the Tuesday following Memorial day weekend. Stayed in Bishop the night before, hit Schat's Bakery then hit Yosemite about 7 in the morning. Air was crisp and fresh, snow still on the ground and there were maybe two other cars there. I had the place mostly to myself for several hours...so quiet, could hear the water rushing...If I could go back right now, that's the day and time I would aim for.

Publickman, you must go to Yosemite. Well it's real name is Ahwanee but it got renamed when the residents were chased out. It's the most spectacular place I've ever seen. Go in late May before school gets out and the falls are full. Weekdays are not as crowded and prices are lower. Pictures cannot make you understand. If you can visit during the full moon, even better. This is one of those places where you feel the hand of creation all around. Give yourself 3 days at least. You can see most of the lowest parts of the valley by free shuttle or bicycle in a day ( Yosemite Falls, Bridal Veil falls, El Capitan with the meadow with the great Merced river, Happy Isles and Mirror Lake under Half Dome. These are easy walks.

You need another day to hike up to the mid point or top of Yosemite falls and another to go to the top of Nevada Falls. Any of these by themselves would be the highlight of a vacation. The only time I would not go is during a 3 day holiday. The roads are useless then because of the number of cars. Even the free shuttles can't move. If you can fit in another day, the drive up to the Meadow above Yosemite is beautiful. I always try to go for a week and it seems to go by too fast.

Yesterday was so bad. My poor plants. At least there was no wind. I need to get some more mulch if summer is going to come around this early.

We got the rest of the chilies planted yesterday, and the jalapeno that I was worried about perked right up after being watered. I've been watering my new herbs and chilies again at lunch time, and they seem to like that. The chilies seem to be growing really fast, but the basil is only just now coming up, while the basil plants I bought aren't doing well. I should probably stick with growing them from seeds. I planted tomato seeds also but have never had that much luck with tomatoes in Westchester, except my first/second year, when I planted cherry tomatoes in the ground next to the grape vine, and they put out tomatoes continuously for over a year, but they kept getting smaller.

I have some new succulents that still need to be repotted, but the epiphyllum are all doing well. I put them on a shelf on the SE side of the house, installed a temporary roof over that, and put mosquito neeting (from an old gazebo) around them to help filter the sun. They are in an area (similar to the opposite side of the house where I have orchids) that has walls pretty close - only about 8' apart, and so they already get partial shade, except around noontime. The orchids are on the NW side (my house is at 45 degrees from NS), and so they have more natural protection, but I did build a roof for them and put up a bamboo curtain on the SW side. If I had more shade around my house, I would grow more bromeliads, and several that I have now are blooming. I bought a new one last week-end that I will keep in the house because the last one Iike it that I bought got sunburned almost every place I put it outside, except in the orchid area.

It was 81 today - much warmer than normal, but still pleasant. It's very nice for gardening when I get home from work.

I'd definitely try to make it to Yosemite one year in mid-May. I like that the days are a lot longer in May than in September, and I would like to see the falls at full power. I can handle a bit of chill if it is not windy.

Lars

Lars you might enjoy these small films made by the Park Service on Yosemite

Nature Notes

There are different films about what make this a special place. The falls are a good place to begin. The valley floor isn't too cold in May. Up at the top edges of the Valley it's cooler but still nice on a sunny day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yosemite Falls

And here's the brand new live webcam view of the falls

Here is a link that might be useful: Yosemite Falls Live