A very cold 01-120-07

"They" say that it will be even colder tomorrow. The thermometer on the olive tree states 34 degrees. It is 4:00pm and there is a breeze a'blowin'. This is cold for the Sacramento area. Some things that haven't turned into piles of smush are blooming grandly. Too bad I can't remember the names of Mom's camellias. (My brain has been dipping into the River of Forgetfullness rather often lately. yikes!) The lemon bushes and the kumquat tree are looking not too happy but I'm hoping that the bumper crop of the latter doesn't turn into compost before its even picked. Should probably go pick all the Meyer lemons as they are simply too tasty to waste.


The bird feeder in Phoebe-dog's yard is still playing host to a herd of dark-eyed juncos, white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows, house finches, titmice, the California towhee and the two spotted towhees, and there was a hermit thrush in the bushes yesterday. Also noted recently were a robin and a varied thrush. Now a mourning dove has discovered the treat. It hasn't been seen ON the feeder tray YET, but has been foraging on the ground and perching on the edge of the birdbath. With any luck, it is a solitary dove who will be stingy about spreading the news because on the other side of the house, there are at least 20 of its cousins. Also on the other side of the house are the gold finch. There are mostly American goldfinch but there are a few lesser goldfinch amongst them. There have been several ruby-crowned kinglets flitting about and throngs of Audubon warblers. There are three scrub jays eating the squirrels' corn cobs, 5 Magpies keeping guard in the tops of the sycamores, and the lone oh my gosh, is it the red tail or the red shouldered hawk?...sorry, the mind is gone... who wakes up in the topmost branches of the Liriodendron tulipifera some mornings. The four hummingbird feeders require regular re-filling. The Anna's have me pretty well trained now. During the warm months, the necter needs to be changed every three days just to keep it fresh and the birds healthy. Usually it can go a week in the cold months. However, these guys n' gals are gulping down each 8 ounce offering in three days, 52 weeks a year now.

The darn deer are still refusing to eat the acres of chasmanthe.
Most of the succulents are inside the house now. The collection has amassed mostly over the past year so I am not jaded yet and therefore do not wish to lose any. If only I would remember to plant the hardiest ones in the ground, and the tender ones in pots..instead of mixing them all up in pots! Most winters it isn't much of an issue. Hey! I bought a severed man's head at Target today! Yes! He's made out of that light weight stuff that looks like cement and a youthful face graces the front of his empty head...typical guy thing.. At the moment he's got a blooming pot of pink Christmas cactus for brains. He rather looks like Carman Miranda!