Dang that rain anyhow

So we are now getting what we used to have in this part of the country, the regular evening showers after a nice moisty day. The good part is that the plants are mostly happy. The bad part is that my beautiful xeriscape flower garden is now a beautiful leaf garden with flowers peaking out from the leaves. The evening primroses look very coy, but not spectacular as they have in the past. The roses are hidden behind large plumes of grass. The Russian sage is looking pretty intimidated, but it will have its day I hope, later this summer.

It is interesting to hear people gripe about the unusual weather. Of course the weather reporters on TV (one cannot call them meteorologists with a straight face) babble about how unusual this all is, but looking at them you realize they haven't lived in the area that long, especially since they all look about 25 or so.

And summer is soon upon us. What this will bring we shall see.

End of drought for a while, I guess

Haven't written for a while. This year has been a little traumatic, we had a couple of layoffs at work, and the last was the worst. I don't know if that situation will improve, but the weather on the Front Range has! Real spring monsoons! Real thunderstorms! The weeds (let us call non-native and invasives, weeds, the others, ruderals) are leaping up for joy. My garden looks like a jungle. My vegetable garden needs some upkeep, but I have started the tomatoes, the peppers, and other spring/summer stuff. No earwigs this year, but! Elm tree bug nymphs!

OK. The wild flowers are also in great shape this spring. If you look at my Flickr account, you will see some of my photos. I missed some this go round, but that leaves more for me to catch next year.

Strangely, the wild plums seem to be attacked by some (blight? gall?) disease that made a lot of them hollow shells of themselves. They turned yellow and disgusting looking.

Chuck and I have been out learning our new cameras. It has been both fun and frustating. Chuck is learning the joys of bird photography (it isn't as easy as one would like). Flowers cooperate much more, although this morning I sat next to a prickly pear and it threw its glochids at me. Got more in my hand this afternoon rescuing the dog from a patch of cactus. Not fun.

So much for now.