Hellllooooo?

Looks like Magnolia grandiflora to me.

Not much happening my way , just trying to stay cool in 112+ weather!! We had a fire yesterday a couple of properties over and thankfully through the FD and neighbors they kept it from spreading . It could have caused alot of damages since there is nothing but dry brush behind our properties.

Time to rent, trade or borrow the use of a tractor and make fire breaks. My DH needs to go through again, since we had that rain right around the Round Up in April.
I'm awfully glad your neighbors and the FD were able to keep it spreading, Marie.
Too much work out my way, but I chip away and every day something gets watered. DH finally realized how much of my time was being taken up with watering and he went to the irrigation place and bought the good battery operated timers. Now he just has to make sure that everything is getting watered. He should have it fine tuned by this weekend.
Normally, I'd be with Sharon and Marie and the really high temps. but we're still getting June Gloom weather. My poor body just aches all the time. Freezing (my standard) in the morning, and frying by late afternoon. Too harsh. I should be giving thanks because I'm behind
on a lot of my gardening chores, but would rather have the heat. It's easier to move when I'm warm.
Sharon, that is a beautiful Magnolia. OCCAROL, how clever you are. : - )
And here I didn't think they could take extreme heat and drought. I've seen them planted in some of the cooler areas in CA, but never in LV.
Well, enough from me for now.
Take care all.
WIB!
SW

I have a lot of seed pods,. I just at this momenbt do not know what the seeds look like. I bet you and I and a bunch of us could grow them in a very large pot. So you are telling me this Magnolia is an OCCAROL. OK, wise Indian Maiden, please tell me what you mean. All the Desert Magnolias, that is what I call them with the dark brown under leaf, look like crap. I can show you tree after tree that looks terrible and there is this beautiful specimen that is magnificent. And I have the seed. This Magnolia is growing into a giant and I can guarantee the owners and their mow and blow guys are not doing anything special. I can guarantee it was not planted correctly because I know their contractor and he always took the short road. Less work, more profit. So I am going on line to look up what the seed looks like. Do not laugh. Then we will try to start new babies and we all can have a beautiful Magnolias. I have so many of these wonderful experiments happening in my life at this time, I need to be 40, not 68.

I was always cold and freezing until I went to a Physical Therapist for my neck problem which was a neck I could not turn very far either way. Snow accident on a round sled at about 23 years of age.. I should have been paralyzed so I never complained. Just a stupid type A stunt that just about killed me. After about 6 months of Physical Therapy, 10 years later, thank God I had insurance, my neck was totally better and I have not been cold one day since. One thing really weird was when she would work on my neck it would make my legs hurt and my sciatic went crazy, Then when all was done, the leg and sciatic pain went away.

Anyway Jules, the pool is very warm, you can see the sun,
and we can make the "Spool" warmer. The temps are around 107 but we have great cover so you will not get sunburned The tomatoes are ripening, the basil is ready and I have pine nuts in the freezer.

Fresh tomato, basil, roasted pine nuts with roasted garlic tossed with fresh pasta served with garlic bread with roasted garlic, aged balsamic vinegar and parmigiana cheese with ground pepper with a great red wine. OK, Jules turn this down.... Love You.

Sharon,
You crack me up! In the best of ways.
Look at OCCAROL's post above mine. She can remember the name of the plants. I go duh, Umm, I know I know it, but . . .
Desert Magnolia's hmmm. I kinda like that name. I think it's a beautiful specimen of the tree.
I might even remember it. LOL!
How can I turn down an offer like that, Sharon! LOL! Okay, I can't drink the vino, (drug interactions), but the rest sounds really tasty.
I don't sunburn, usually, and I hate sunscreen. Yuck! My pores like to breathe. The Spool sounds lovely, I can float around all day in a pool, but I get bored. LOL!
107 doesn't sound too bad. I've worked down at the Salton Sea when it was like 90 % humidity and 118 degrees. You drink water or gatorade as fast as you can and try to stay in the shade. People learn to stay out of the heat in the summer down there. Lots of night life, deadest time of day is from noon til about 4:00 pm.
We had a big shake today. Guess who didn't even notice it? What can I say? I was walking inside the house and just thought the ramp was springier than usual? I didn't even realize it, until I was on my way to the Chiropractor's office, and only then because the guy on the radio was complaining because there was so little information at the time about the quake.
So I asked the boys about it when I got back and they looked at me like Teenagers do when they think their parents are dumb beyond all hope or belief. If they'd been girls they'd of rolled their eyes at me. They couldn't believe I didn't feel it.
Good news. No one was hurt. Bad news, they are coming more often and getting stronger. At least it feels that way where I live. Then again, good news is that these quakes are taking some of the pressure off the San Andreas Fault. Bad news, is that it's being redirected along the Elsinore Fault. Which I'm practically sitting on top of.
They had film on the news tonight, of a big slide on the other side of the San Jacinto Mtns from us. That would be the Palm Springs side.
Always something going on.
Good news. When we built this house, I took that into account, and had the house put on a permanent foundation, with earthquake tie downs. It's just a precaution, but one that I hope we don't even need.
Stay cool, or warm, or somewhere in between. Whatever makes you comfy. : - )
WIB!
SW

Glad you had no problems from the quake. We seem to be feeling them even more here in Az.

Sharon that pasta sounds great!! I want a desert magnolia. I have 2 and they look like well I am sure you all can guess.

I wish monsoon would kick in and give us some rain. It has been months since we had any and I am tired of watering!!

Jules I am so very glad they got the fire under control. We had a lightening induced one back in 2008 and it was scary!!
You can see some pictures here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/868581/?hl=fire

Nada, in east SF Bay area, here. I am tracking other specific threads once in a while in response to the Dave's weekly newsletter. Kind of cool here this summer w/foggy AM's. Husband just finished building a pergola in the corner of the yard where the 30+ year plum tree finally gave up the ghost. Our backyard is in the canyon/greenbelt slope and faces north - sun here from April to Sept - so planting is a bit of a challenge though the wild violets have a great time spreading to undesired spots as well as the autumn clematis and Canterberry bells Finally transplanted the back deck potted hostas into the shady side yard under the pines this past February and they are magnificent! Have put a light into the area I though would take years to produce. The tomatoes are tall and green w/o few blossoms and the zucchini have taken awhile to produce. The 18 year old grafted apple tree has exploded this year after a very poor showing last year. A new 4-way grafted cherry planted in January is surprising us w/a fair haul for a newbie. Blueberries are also a little disappointing this year. I have seen more bees [including honeybees] this year than last. They were present for apple flowering time and I am seeing them again amongst the lavendar blooms. Less Monarchs than usual despite planting flowers of their liking.
Will make more of an effort to come into this site...

Hope you do, manycats75.
It sounds like you have a lovely garden. Please send photos if you can. You are so fortunate to have a DH that builds you things. : - )
Our old walnuts (planted in the late 1920's) are still producing walnuts. I'll know when they are ripe in September because the crows will come to feast.
We can't grow some of the trees you can manycats75. I think we have some almonds and peach trees, plums and nectarines. I don't know if the apple made it. I don't think it did. The cherries survive, but don't fruit. I'm letting my ES and DH figure out how to make that orchard produce fruit. ES says he's keeping a close eye on the fruit and it's not quite ripe yet.
Meanwhile, my pomegranites are blossoming like crazy, and thanks to the birds I have a lot of them poms. My Banana's out in the gh are working overtime. Five bunches growing right now, but thankfully most of them will be small bunches. My eldest son informed me yesterday that there were a bunch of delicious strawberries still out in the gh. You notice the operative word was, "were". I can't eat them so I'm glad he enjoyed them. : - )
Won't know until next year about them pineapples.
Aside from that, I hope the weather pattern shifts soon so that our friends in AZ can get their normal summer monsoonal rains. You can send a drop or two my way to settle the dust. I wouldn't mind. : - )
Marie, fires are just plain scary, but when they are caused by sheer negligence, it makes me want to smack 'em upside their head. Might knock some sense into them. We were so lucky, and so were you! Nerve wracking though to go through a fire like that.
I'm glad we're both still here to swap stories and photos. : - )
WIB!
SW

Well SW, this is SKW. I am sending you a photo I took earlier today of the KOI pond. I took the photo from the other end of the patio because I was try to get a photo of my camera shy Quail.

Well since you do not drink wine, we can just drink my witches brew. Just a bunch of different juices kept cold in the refrigerator and then some fresh fruit thrown in the blender with some ice and blend. Witches brew ice crush.

Here is my camera shy Quail under the bird feeder with the dove.

Sharon,
Good to hear from you. : - D
Guess what! I am enamored of your quail friends. I'm glad you are sharing them with us. Quail are some of the most beautiful little birds around. I've seen some, but not as many as you have, usually only one or two at a time.
Of course I never have my camera with me. LOL!
Great photos! : - )
Hey, GF, about the witches brew, please remember my allergies to citrus. Sigh. Allergies are so limiting. We'll finger something out. : - )
Also, in the first photo, you have a tree growing out of a large concrete pot. I have the same pot! I am thinking of planting that tree I have to keep in the GH in it. I think it's a guava? I'll check, but since that pot has just been holding onto other potted plants for the last several months, I feel inspired to "get 'er done"!
First things first, though. You know chores and all.
Will take before and after photos to show you.
WIB,
SW

Sharon your pond is beautiful!! I too love the quail pictures, they are one of my favorite native birds.

What can I say? I didn't get 'er done yet? I need help lifting and moving the pot, and my helper went to a beach party and didn't even invite me? Tis true. I really didn't want to go to the beach party, and hang out with a bunch of teenagers. The girls squeal too much. LOL!
I did get some weeding done, and can show you a photo.
This is the before photo. I still need to add mulch, and cover it with straw. I did trim off all the dead growth from the lantana, the aloe (Ouch!), and the Heavenly Bamboo, along with removing a bunch of tree seedlings and sprouts. Then I finally got to weed. Now the chickens are happy. : - )
First photo.
WIB,
SW

The weeding is done, and I'm adding some extra dirt, to cover some roots on that lantana, and to slow down the water. It is on a slight slope.
I built the rock wall, just stacking the stone. No cement. I did that back in April, and then I planted that sad lantana, which was growing sideways in it's pot, and added some fuchsia. The 4'OClocks came up on their own. The aloe, heavenly bamboo, and that one bougainvillea have been there for years.
Will show photos later of the job when completed. DH is changing the irrigation heads(?), so that everything will get water. Yippee!
WIB!
SW

One more of the fuchsia's.
WIB,
SW

Okay, I lied, here's another photo from the other side that shows more fuchsia. LOL!
I do have one more of a visitor to share, and then I will quit. For now. : - )
WIB,
SW

I have to admit, that I was distracted by this B.fly in the GH. Luckily it wanted to have it's photo taken, and it was smart enough to follow me out.
This is the biggest b.fly is North America. I believe it is the Giant North American Swallowtail. They like the citrus belt. And here we are.
Me I just have to marvel at their beauty.
WIB!
SW

That is one beautiful butterfly. I use the 360 sprayers on a stake in my beds. I will send you a couple so you can try them out. But you do need water pressure or they will not work.

I am posting a photo of one of my lantanas. I purchased this baby from Wayside 3 years. Probably for something obnoxious in price. Well it was true to the says. First year nothing a=bout the side of a small cup. Second year about the size of a small plate. This year it has arrived.

If you lovely gardeners will notice, the majority of everything I have planted is in either a pot or a raised garden. I discovered over 10 years ago that it is just about impossible to grow in the desert at ground level because of the horrible soil and the constant winds. Here they call them high winds, in Florida they are call hurricanes. It is easier to improve the soil if it is in a container or a raised bed.

OMG, Sharon! You've been here to my house! Honestly, the description of the winds is dead on. LOL!
I've been trying to get DH to help me build raised or at least straw bale planters. Which is why most of my plants are in pots too. I do have some in the ground, but I've been working on amending the soil for at least 20 years.
Did you know it takes about 20 years for goat droppings to finally disintegrate? Peculiar thing about goat droppings. Water rolls right off of them. So even when you work it into the dirt (we have decomposed granite), it doesn't soak in. It goes downhill. Usually taking your hard made top soil with it. : - (
DH is changing the sprayers, to the kind you are using or in some areas he will be using 180 degree sprayers. He did get a lot of the irrigation problems taken care of over the weekend around the house. Bless his heart.
Those are some beautiful lantana. The color is similar to the ones on my (no longer sideways), lantana "bush". I also have some purple ones that are spreading out on the ground, some yellow ones that I hope will spread, and them big white ones, which I've been whacking back, because they are interfering with another one of my garden projects. I also whacked away at the overgrown Rosemary plant. I'd forgotten how itchy they are. Still need to work on them some. Shudder!
I haven't made it to the pond except to give my chickens some of these guys. They are called water hyacinths, and are extremely invasive. I need to remove some so my water lilies will bloom. Right now they are too crowded by the hyacinths.
They sure are pretty in bloom, and work well in containers. We use them in our water containers for the bees. I saw one out by the bee barn, and I'll grab the camera to show you how it looks. The bees use the plants to climb out of the water on so they can fly back to the nest and become tiny a/c units. LOL!
Here are some blooming in my back yard gold fish and turtle pond.
Have awfully pretty flowers. : - )
WIB!
SW

That is one beautiful flower. Bees are absolutely genius. They dive through my KOI pond waterfall on their way to their hive. I knew they were doing that to cool the hive.

Hey, SW, I saw on the news tonight aboutsome Africanized Killef Bees that killed two horses out your way at a ranch in Menifee. Do you know anything about that? I still need to call Jack about a tour through the Bee Barn during their work day. We have an adult grandson here looking forward to a "field trip" in spite of his fear of bees (and other insects)!

Sharon, I live near SW and it is near to desert like here! Lots of daily wind, sandy soil and I have lots of stuff in pots and veggies in straw bales. Some stuff in the ground but no grass!

Jules you are soluck to be able to grow fuchsia.
Sharon what is your desert dirt like? I have clay. I have to figure out how to amend it so I can plant my cactus in the ground . You can go not even half a mile from my back yard and there is sand. I do not get it at all!!

Jules what is that last flower it is beautiful? I have managed to get myslef a pond liner now to figure out where exactly to put it!!

It's a water hyacinth, Marie. It is a pretty, but invasive pest. Seriously, you would want to keep it contained and not let it escape into the native water ways. My chickens love to eat it too. Drat! I forgot to take photos of the bee tank. Put your pond where it will get full sun during most of the day. Honest.
We have to drain and redo our pond. I would love to have some clay for that project. The water doesn't drip down, my YB#2 and Dad used clay to line their BIG Pond. The one they stock with catfish. My YS caught an 18 lb'er out of there. Dad was so proud of YS. Me too! : - )
Hop in your pick up truck, Marie. Take the kids, shovels, and an ice chest full of fruit, drinks and water balloons. Have kids fill truck with sand, doling out the treats and letting the hardest worker, water balloon the slackers. It'll be fun, and when you get home, you add the sand on top of the clay. Then amend as usual, with nice mulchy stuff.
Raised planters are so nice. If you build one, like mine, remember to put the creosote side down. The creosote melts in the hot sun, and will get on your clothes and shoes, etc. I'm thinking of scraping off as much as I can then sticking those glass jewels on there. You never know, it might be pretty.
Sharon, our average annual rainfall here is 10 inches. Down in the lower desert (i.e. the Salton Sea), it is only 2 inches a year, We live in a desert. It didn't always used to be desert but the weather pattern has changed. One of DH's relatives told me when he was a kid the creek ran clear, year round. Hard to believe, but we didn't have idiots upstream who built concrete dams back then either.
The Africanized Bee Attack happened about 2 weeks ago, QG. I didn't know anything about it until it was all over with. For which I'm grateful. I do understand that the owner of the horses live close to us, and they came over looking for help. One of our most knowledgeable guys was here and tried to help, but it was too late. The feral Africanized hives were destroyed.
We have one hive here that is probably Africanized. MIL is going to make DH take care of it. Much to my relief.
If you find that bees are moving in, wait until dark, then use the Raid wasp killer. The kind that sprays like 20 feet. Then run inside and hide. Seal up the openings they are using. They have a good insulation foam that can even get into small cracks. Or call an exterminator. It might cost more, but if you are allergic to them it'll be worth every cent. If you are allergic get an epi pen from your Dr. It could mean the difference between life and death.
QG, call me anytime this week and I'll take you on a tour of the Bee Barn. Best early in day or in late afternoon, when it isn't so hot.
Speaking of which, I'm supposed to be taking a cat nap with half feral cat named Beauty. It's Beauty time, and I'm signing off for now.
WIB!
SW

SW, about that insulation foam... we had problems with bees creating hives in our freeway signs (sandwitched posts) and had exterminators deal with it. They used the foam and the little beasts just ate through it! They were back within a few weeks. We had avocado groves in our area that rented hives, and when they decided to move, they found our irrigation valve boxes an ideal place to start a new hive. Guess who is alergic and in charge of irrigation! Never got deliberately stung though...Only hit when driving with the windows down.

Usually they are after the water around your irrigation pipes. I've seen the guy on that exterminator tv show using that foam insulation to seal up holes in LA. I never knew there were so many bugs in LA. (The state not the city.)
Usually the European bees bump you when you get too close. That is your sign to leave. Those Africanized Honey Bees are on steroids. Instead of one or two European HBees chasing you, the Africans will send out 20 to 30 of them. They won't stop either. One stings you, it sends out some pheromone that tells the other bees where to find their enemy.
I'm kind of hoping DH will use concrete and fix that wall, right. It has a gaping large hole in it. The bees actually enter through very small holes in the concrete. Just no insulation in between the framing boards.
I have to wonder if the people exterminating those bees behind the freeway signs were doing it right, OCCAROL. There shouldn't have been any bees except maybe a couple of stragglers. The poison should have killed the Queen, her workers in the hive, the eggs and larvae. There shouldn't have been anything left in there to chew through the insulation
Hmmm.
WIB,
SW.

I was told that if you don't get all of the honey out, it will attract them. I figured they liked the valve boxs because it is moist, cool. and dark. Also, that little latch hole is just the right size for them. I can tell you I learned to look carefully at all of the boxs before starting to work on them! We also discovered that if we carefully open the box, and left it open, they would move out on their own. I also barely missed bumping a swarm with my head while repairing a broken sprinkler that was under a shrub. Didn't see them until I backed out of there. It amazes me that in the seven + years in that area, I never got stung. I still work in the flowers when they are present, but they seem to know I'm not a threat, and I do look before I grab something.

European Honey Bees are very gentle, like you described, OCC. The Africanized hives aren't as nice.
Where a EHB might bump you, 10 AHB's will bump you, and if you don't leave fast enough, they will attack. They are here and we have to deal with them. They are good hard working bees, but they are so aggressive. : - (
Robber bees are always attracted to honey, or sweet stuff. If you don't get all the honey out and seal it up, you'll get a lot of robber bees from other local hives. You don't want to leave the honey there if you can help it because it does attract flys, bees, and ants. It also starts to stink after awhile. Best to let a professional do all that.
Wasps are more likely to nest in our valve boxes. Or sometimes snakes crawl in them. I don't do the electrical anymore after finding that crispy snake. : - (
I hadn't been stung for almost 20 years, until this year. And that was a mean hive. We think it went African. So we had to requeen it. Which means removing the living Queen bee, killing her and putting a new EHB Queen in the hive. Sometimes they are just mean because when they work the sage they just get that way.
I keep Benedryl Ointment handy for stuff like that. : - )
WIB!
SW

Been having a t.storm today. Went from 105 degrees right down to 80 in just minutes. ES was out working on the trees when he saw the fire in Sage. Then a couple of minutes later he came home because it had started to rain. Bugger didn't wake me up from my siesta, but the thunder did. Still have a dog cowering in my half bath because she's afraid of the thunder.
Seems to be centered over us right now.
No watering today! Yea!
I'm going to try to get that illusive lightning photo. Wish me luck. Maybe I'll get a rainbow. LOL!
WIB!
SW

SW were you successful? You always take such great shots. At 4 we were going into the Elsinore Walmart and I commented ghat it almost looked like tornado skies. When we came out it surely looked like a thunderstorm ready to start. Had DD watching for lightning so she could call D H and have him unplug all the computers. Barely said it when it started. At the same time I received a call from a friend who works in Riverside for the county in the central Fire Department. She said there were 3 fires in Hemet. Hopefully that gully washer put 'em out! Saw 2 strikes on our property! I had already watered front and pots. Lost some dirt in pots I usually move away away from draining roof. FUN! I love electrical storms.

Nah, not yet, but there is another storm cell coming our way.
Here is a photo of the Sage fire from my place. You can see how the wind is blowing those palm fronds around.
More in a second.
Are you okay?
WIB!
SW

Amazing the colors of the fire on the underside of the clouds!
WIB!
SW

Another one from my driveway.
WIB,
SW

DH was driving home when he saw the house the lightning set on fire in L.E. (Lake Elsinore). I'm just glad he's okay.
I like storms too, as if you didn't already know that. LOL!
Who else would go take photos of the flood while it's happening. LOL!
Lots of better photos on the news. They are much closer though.
I thought the sky looked almost like tornado weather, but it didn't turn that pea green color. I've been keeping an eye on it.
How about the rest of you in the I.E.? How are you faring with our "monsoonal moisture"?
BTW, it was 105 degrees. I took this about an hour ago.
WIB!
SW

My outside potted plants are full of water. I also watered earlier, but not everywhere. So this is probably my favorite photo so far. Took it right outside off the edge of the patio. Should also explain QG's remark about loosing dirt. LOL!
It was a hard rain.
For now,
WIB!
SW

Rain? What is that?

Rain, I looked it up on Google. Something that falls from the sky that is wet and smells great when it hits the very dry soil.

About 10 years ago when i was working a Realtor picked me up to take me to lunch. We went to a very quiet, Chinese Restaurant that is the bottom floor of Fashion Show Mall which is a very large mall on the Las Vegas Strip.

On the way there, I said, that looks like a tornado cloud. The Realtor, a man, said no way. I said, I watch the Weather Channel and Discover Channel and that is a tornado cloud. He said we do not have tornadoes in Las Vegas and I then I just dropped it. About 2 hours later we left the restaurant and pulled out of the underground parking to stalled traffic because of flooding. We got on the freeway but when we got the the street, there was no where to go. Trees were down, massive rain flowing down the streets. Being thr manager of the Chase Branch I wanted to get back to the branch as soon as possible. No cell phone service so could not call. It took over 1 hour to go about 3 miles. When I walked into the ??Branch I was met with a very upset staff. They said it only lasted less than 5 minutes but scared them to death. Later on the news they stated a tornado had hit the West side of Las Vegas. Also hit the private plane area by the airport and destroyed a bunch of smaller jets.

We lost a few trees at home, but the neighbors that faced West had their tile roofs just kinda stacked on each other. Our home faced South so we did not have that problem. I really cannot believe I did not take photos.

My staff wanted to go home because we had no power. I said, OK, you walk to the front of the complex and if you think right now you can get out o here you can leave. They all came back and said No Way. Later in the week I got a very large bouquet of flowers saying, next time you see a tornado, I will believe you,. The reason I recognized it was because it was slowing turning in a very wide circle.

SW, I envy your eighty degrees. We are in the RED Zone for heat. Marie probably is also. The temperature is suppose to 115 today with a low of 88. It is cloudy so it does not look that hot. Then you walk outside and it is like a sauna.

I have a large order of irises coming and I have to get some area dug. I am going to hire someone to do it because I think it would probably kill me. Then a gardener dropped by a flat, 25 premium sized pots, of Australian Violets he ordered and ordered to many. So I have to find them a home and keep them alive until I do.

Baby Luke and his sisters and mother are here today. They are going to San Diego tomorrow. Because of DH's health we are not going to make it. Sixteen years with all the grandchildren. But you have to do what you do. But with 13 grandchildren, maybe this is not a bad thing. LOL. Look at all the money I will have to spend on plants. The only problem I am running out of room to plant. I have been helping one neighbor on the right of me and he just does have much room left and the neighbor left of me does not want to be bothered because she does not want to garden and her gardeners, mow and blow, are not that good.

Have a great day and we are always one happy bunch.

Our temps have been over 100 and up to about 108 this last week. Except the day of the T.storm. I always recognize a pea green cast to tornado clouds. Yes, I saw a lot of then when I lived in OK. Scare the snot out of me. I don't think that you can really outrun them and having to hunker down in the nasty storm cellar isn't much fun either.
Neither was the day we saw two tornadoes, just a couple of miles from home. At least with earth quakes it's over before long and you don't spend hours waiting for it to pass. You know the night I graduated from High School, we got a Tornado Alert during the ceremony. It was memorable. : - )
We had one out our way a couple years ago. Mom didn't believe me, then we turned on the tv weather channel and I had to show her the tornado warning before she'd come take shelter at my place. I'm even prepared for that, as much as you can be. Sigh.
Not complaining about the heat or rain. I did send you all a photo of the puddle it left. LOL! It did get humid and the last few days have been really hard on some of my plants. Hopefully DH fixed the drip irrigation so my plants don't all die while I'm here relaxing at the beach. I guess I was complaining I was having to work all day keeping the plants alive. (Jonathan is housesitting and making sure my plants don't die.) We left ES home to water the trees. This heat makes them more susceptible to the Pine Pitch Beetle. We just caught another infested batch of trees and DH and boys were out in 100 degree heat this morning removing another 50 + pines. ES is going to make sure that the drip irrigation gets to those trees. If they get too stressed, like with the high heat they just can't fight off that beetle.
I wish you were here at the beach too. I'll send photos and maybe it'll help you think you're cool?
I'm just not used to how quickly it went from June Gloom to 90 -100 degrees overnight, then back again.
Sharon, always trust your gut. I understand that LV, gets so little rain usually that the storm drains aren't able to handle it when it does. It that true?
Marie, I keep trying to send it your way. I hope the rain reaches there soon.
Got to go for now.
WIB!
SW

We had problem with storm drains about 10 years ago but they built numerous flood water holding basins and redid the majority of the storm drains in the lower part of town. So it not as bad as it used to be. But under our wonderful top soil about 6 inches down is a very nasty plain of caliche. It is harder than cement. The blow sand gulps up the rain then it hit the caliche and then just starts running downward.

Enjoy the beach. My son and his family are in San Diego this week at the beach. The other group goes in three weeks. Looks like we will not make it this year because DH is just not up to it.

I have some gardening that must be done but I find it easier after the sun goes down so that is what I am going to be doing. Later.

The beach sounds wonderful. I had to clean a 2 story house with no electricity this past weekend. It is really bad when you can alk outside from that and it feels cool in triple digit weather.

Sharon are australian violets something that can take the heat better?

I hate that stupid pine beetle. it has destroyed a lot of the pine trees around here.

Australian Violets love direct sun and heat. Mine are growing right next to the driveway. In Australia they are very invasive but I have not found that so here but they do creep but I can control them where I want them to creep. I am going to plant the flat was given to me in my holding garden. I think I am only going to cut off the bottom of the pots so they will be easy to dig. I will bring some to the November RU.

Jules, you would love this plant. I will send you a few plants I think you will enjoy, but not until this heat wave is gone. Probably end of August.

This is a photo taken this morning of a Hardy Hibiscus. Yesterday the bloom closed by noon because of the heat. They are good up to about 103 but above that, when the direct sun hits them, the blooms close. Of course, I had the African Sumac trimmed away from the patio which eliminated the sun protection, So I either have to move the Hardies or let the Sumac branches grow back and make a total mess on the patio everyday for 2 months.