Sentinel Tree

I have photographed this tree up by the road many times because it so clearly shows the weather and the seasons. Today was just perfect. For the first time this year, OilMan will be having our evening glass of wine outside under the arbor. Here is how it looked a couple of years ago during a winter of drought. Winter and spring are the seasons when the hills turn emerald green. They stay green until the rains stop, usually in March or April.

OilMan has been busy planting his veggies while I refresh the pots and containers we have around the patio and on the front porch. A trip to King's,  a small nursery filled to bursting with blooming flowers is in order. It is a feast of color at this time of year.

For some reason practically all of our birds have disappeared…very unusual and worrying. Perhaps there are hawks nesting nearby. Someone in the neighborhood has been cutting down a tree or trees all day. We can hear it but it is difficult to pinpoint where it is. Last week's rains have uprooted and delimbed a lot of drought weakened trees. The creek has gone down, but we can still hear it when we walk out our front door…a soothing backdrop of sound behind the whine of chain saws….

Our rainfall is now slightly above average for this time of year and the reservoirs are filling nicely, but we're told we need more rain to refill the aquifers and reverse the damage done by four years of drought. It is difficult to remember conservation measures when water is still seeping out of the hills, but our well water comes from the aquifer and not the reservoirs .

I love the longer days, even if it means getting up in the dark.