This and That: A Blog

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge The Crayola Box of 8 - Green 

 Woolly Apple mint is a reliable invasive!  One of the self-seeded Sungold tomatoes.  I guess I won't have to buy any plants this year!    Star of Bethlehem is a weed that's hard to get rid of, but it sure is pretty.  Hopefully it stays cool enough for the snap peas to reach maturity.  They are in no hurry this year.  One of the oreganos pops up all over the yard.  It's pretty, so I don't mind. Golden Oregano  Geum Fire Storm  One of the free curb irises is blooming.  As are the California poppies.  I think 99% of them came up in the paths not the beds.    I'm already pulling them out. The globe artichoke is coming back nicely.  The weather's been nice, cool mornings and warm afternoons in the 70s.  By the weekend it will cool off though, with rain expected in a few days.   That might give the peas a chance!

Already a month of 2026 is over. At least we've turned the corner on winter.  I hope.  February is still cold, and we've had some snow in late February in past years, including 2025. For now it's just been cold with frosty mornings.   There are signs of spring! The first wild violet.  The flowering quince is budding. So are the fruit trees. Bulbs are coming up, Weeds and black cumin are taking over.  Two weeks ago on Motley Monday I mentioned my brakes needed repair.  Fortunately that was just one rotted brake hose.  On the walk to pick up my vehicle I passed this former house.  I wonder how many houses, or units, will be built on this lot?  Some in the same neighborhood have quite a few squeezed in.  This street has quite a few old farm houses, so maybe this one needed expensive repairs.  The houses on my street are newer, 1960s. Mickey and I took advantage of sun, albeit cold sun, on the weekend to walk to the park.  He ...

"Welcome to “ The Numbers Game #100 ”. Today’s number is 222. To play along, go to your photos file folder and type that number into the search bar. Then post a selection of the photos you find that include that number and post a link to your blog in my Numbers Game blog of the day."

Day 12 of NaBloPoMo

Another batch of random garden and other stuff photos.   Common Checkered Skipper Skippers are classified as butterflies yet share some features with moths.  Not a bee, this is a Common Hoverfly. Not native to North America, but now they live everywhere but Antarctica. This one is on garlic chive flowers. Wild Grapes ( Vitis californica ) will be turning color soon.  They are too seedy to do much with, and I've yet to see any backyard wildlife eat any.   A Red Tomato on a Green Chair  My son did a couple of hours worth of weed-eating this weekend.  This is a partial done area of the Toss Garden. Under that mess of wild grapes is the strawberry bed.  The rest of the mess is made up of end-of-summer knautia, several kinds of mint, black-eyed Susans... lot of things that will be back.   Speaking of black-eyed Susans... this little one survived the weed-eating!  A single  perfect  New Dawn climbing rose blossom.  I t...