Yippee! It's raining!

Doesn't it sound great? This is when I love our skylights for another reason. It's not a lot, which is good - just enough to wash things off and give Sherry a rest from watering. LOL

It started raining here last night about 10:30 or 11:00 pm. Still intermittent rain, but also some sun. Cat went outside anyway.
The Monterrey Pines got a good shower and will be putting on a good show for all the visitors to the farm this weekend. Yippee!
I sympathize with Sherrry, and am glad she gets a day off. I still have to water some of the plants out in the gh by hand though, sigh! Prolly should check the houseplants too.
Don't care!
It's raining~it's pouring~the old man is snoring~the house is mine~ the kids are fine~and I'm the first up in the morning~
Must be the rain, or maybe I'm getting over the flu, but it sure is grand when it rains.
WIB,
SW

Yes, let's hope it continues! We've actually gotten more early rain than our average, but we need it to keep on coming. The really big storms have mostly gone to the PNW; we need to break that high-pressure ridge before they can come in and really dump their load.

Supposed to be another front on the way in by this next weekend! Once a week that's all I ask....soon our hills may be green :)))

I've been out digging holes for trees and, sadly, the soil has been moistened to a depth of only about two inches...need much, much more.

Oh, crumb! I was going to do some moving and planting, too.

The Farmers Almanack says we are going to have milder temps (not below freezing), and more rain this year. For So. Cal! I bought a copy of the FA, and they might be off a day, but generally speaking it's a fairly accurate guide. Surprised me so far. I scoffed. They aren't perfect, but they got the trends down pretty good.
We didn't get near enough rain. I have to go out and check water levels, although I think the auto- sprinkler's are still on. So much to do and so little time!
Let's hope the FA is right and this is just the beginning, of several ground soaking rains! I do love a green hillside Christmas. Not enough to cause landslides, but enough to let those roots get established.
WIB~
SW

SW, I like the version that you read better than what I saw on the online FA...what I saw online seemed to say the 'Southwest's' winter would be mild and dry. Perhaps I shouldn't have thought of us as part of the 'Southwest'....I want to see buckets and buckets of rain...lol...

I would happily send you some from here Sis, the pond out back is full already!! We're dry right now, but it's supposed to be back by Friday.

Hi Sis! I called Mom and thanked her for what we got - she kept saying she was trying to send some down here. Slim possibility we might get a little this weekend - forecasts vary. If your pond is full, it HAS been raining up there. If we can get a few showers with time for it to soak in, I'll be happy. Then let it pour!!

I meant to say, SW, I love your version of the rhyme.

I got my pre-emergent laid down this morning. Should have more rain by Monday to drive it in. I concentrated on my Tumbleweed plantation and my nut sedge farm.

What type are you using, DP? I read somewhere that the water must be applied within a number of hours - I'll have to check the label on mine.

On some that's true. This is a commercial grade that's not available to the general public. It can sit for 10 days before it needs to be watered in. I can irrigate if need be, but hopefully we'll have rain before then.

That's a good one, is there something different about it that us 'regular' folk can't have it? ;-)

Probably the strength of it. We buy it from our pesticide supplier. You have to have a license to buy it and to apply it. It's controlled by the CA pest control commission the same way insecticides are.

You'd probably have to have 3 or 4 hundred pounds of Preen to equal the active ingredients in 50 pounds of this stuff.

DP, have you ever tried using corn gluten? I've been surprised at how well it's worked for me for the past several years.

No I haven't. So it works as a pre-emergent?? I may want to try that at home. I've always just used Preen in my "non-seeding" beds.

Yes, it works quite well. I put some on top of some large bedding-plant pots that I planted tomato seeds in the following year, and they didn't do well at all. I used to only be able to get it from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in "cornmeal" form, but now it's available in a shake-it bag in granular form at some of the nurseries---don't know the brand name, but my friend has used it & it seems to work just as well. I'm still working on a years-old-50-lb bag of the original stuff. To me, it smells pretty nasty for a few days when it first gets wet, so I usually blend it with a little cocoa-hull mulch to kill the "fragrance". It's proven to be an extremely effective broad-spectrum pre-emergent. In fact, now that I'm reminded, I need to broadcast some in my beds!!

It does work, DP. Kinda expensive, (not as expensive as throwing out your back weeding) but it is good stuff for smaller areas.
We got to talk, DP. DH has his chemical applicators permit, and we have large areas we need to cover. Dmail when you have a chance, okay?
More rain after Friday, I still have to croak my way through Stille Nacht! After Friday though, it can rain all it wants. I'm staying home.
WIB!
SW

Right now I wish it was raining, it wouldn't be so cold. Forecast is teens the next three nights, maybe snow by the weekend. Way too early to be this cold.

I'll check out the corn gluten, thank you, if it's better than Preen I don't mind spending a little extra. Sounds like a little goes a long way. I have one bank that needs help.

Corn gluten meal is one of the ingredients of Preen. Is corn gluten meal by itself as effective? Googled it, but didn't find any comparisons.

Yes, it's very effective.
I first read about it and bought it years ago from Gardens Alive, where they had done a bunch of tests they printed in their catalog:
http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8862&ss=corn%20gluten

I bought it after than from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_F750_Corn_Gluten_Meal_65_Lb.html

And PS, back OT it's RAINING here this morning!!!

This message was edited Dec 7, 2009 8:56 AM

Raining steadily here, too.

I'll try the farm suppliers here and see if I can find that, Ima. The shipping charge would be a killer on 70 lbs.

It is a killer---fortunately, it lasted me for years. It would have lasted longer, but a clever rodent managed to get into the barrel last spring when the lid was slightly ajar. A friend has bought unadulterated corn gluten locally in a green plastic shaker bag. Don't know the brand, but that's what I'll be looking for now that it's more readily available.

It is raining here too. Steady, drumming rain. DH opted not to open for Tree Sales today due to the rain. I got to get my rain gauge up!
The wind has knocked most of the leaves off the trees that loose them and a few dead branches too.
Seems to be soaking into the ground.
WIB,
SW

One of my big pots by the garage got blown over - no telling what's going on out back. We asked for it, folks! LOL

Knocked me outa work today, but what the heck. My kitty loves it when I stay home. She slept on my chest most of the day.

SW, forgot to mention, I told you I was gonna keep the orange tabby, but the little tortoise shell female had other ideas. She has decided that she's not moving. I call her Tilly.

I've had torties for years, and they're very special! They've been by far the most routine-oriented felines I've ever lived with.

I've got one that runs the house!! Pretty girl, but she can be demanding.

Glad you're all getting rain, I know it's needed down there. It's 19 deg right now, down to 12 by morning. This is getting to be a bit much. Running water, hoping the pipes don't burst. Hopefully rain by Friday, that will warm it up some.

Very frosty up here in Modesto...they were threatening snow yesterday, hasn't snowed here for many,many years. The guys will have to cut over and head down 1.....can't count on the Grapevine being open by the time they reach there.

wc, I hope they drive careful, and that you keep warm. Gorman pass can be scary in the snow. Brrr.
So DP, you have a Puff kitty, and a Tilly. Is that a contraction of Tiger Lily from Peter Pan? Glad that Puff has a playmate, they get lonely without someone to play with. : - )
DH took day off yesterday, but he mostly slept. First day he's had off for awhile. Too wet to open the Tree farm.
He's out there today, and I hope he remembers to wear a rain suit. Been forcing him to drink my tomato soup and take Vit. C. He did drive into Riverside to pick up supplies yesterday, and came back with more tree supplies and a Huge bag of fresh oranges. He'll eat them too. Then he went back to napping.
He's earned it.
I have wet leaves plastered to the gh, and the patio, which makes walking treacherous out there. Will have to take the rake and make a couple of paths. LOL!
Stay warm, everyone, and don't forget that your fellow CA's forget how to drive when it rains. LOL!
WIB,
SW

SW, no it's a shortened name for Matilda. (her Christian name) lol

Her name is Matilda Beatrice and I call her Tilly B.

And Puff is Puffalufagous Father Hip Hop. or Puff Daddy.

They all have long proper names. The dog is Lord Phydeau of York.-- Fido. (he's a Yorky)

This message was edited Dec 8, 2009 12:29 PM

Poor Buddy Holly, he has a short name compared to the rest of his sibs. ES still claims that BH is his name because they look alike. I don't see the resemblance myself. But Buddy does purr pretty, and often.
Check out what I found in my big firewood box today. I was sort of bummed because I had to bail it out before I could get to the wood. Sigh. Thank goodness for empty dog food dishes!
This is the first photo.
LOL!
WIB!
SW

I had to admit, since I was getting cabin fever, and I thought hey! This would be a pretty photo. You notice I went out despite (what is for me) really cold temps. Never got above 50 degrees here today.
So I took this one because you can see reflection of the sky.

This is the last one of my wood box puddle. I was cold and knew I'd shortly be wet, but I wanted to get a better photo. LOL!
Then I went and baled out most of the water out of the plastic. I did warn the cats when I emptied it, to move. They did. : - )
One more for this series to come.

Well, I got most of it out, still a small puddle, and I do use clothespins for everything. (They help when the wind is blowing!) LOL!
WIB!
SW

I like your puddle shots, SW! I got what's probably the last of my autumn Japanese maple leaf photos today:

Nice photos!! Love the reflections SW.

Thanks Sally, it was fun and worth it, even if still chilled. Brrr!
It was wet, now they say it's going to reach 28 degrees up here tonight. It's already dropped to 39. So I went and made a mini gh out of my porch swing inside the gh. Took off the cushions, (still can't find perlite! : - ( ) Then I clothespined sheets around the swing so all but the base is covered. Since it got down to 40 last night in the gh, I figured it wouldn't hurt, and might help my poor orchids, which are inside there on the seats.. Sigh!
ima, I will miss the beautiful colors and leaf shapes from your Japanese Maples, but am still looking forward to seeing their bones. : - )
Wood is damp, and smokey, but it'll dry out. Critters all have warm places to be, including the hummers.
Just so you enjoy, I'm sending you a photo of double wrapped orchids. LOL!
WIB!
SW

My hummer feeders & birdbath were frozen solid this AM. Yut you just reminded me I need to turn on the fan in the courtyard, which may help...