Feels good for a while, but then I overheated. I had to come in after cutting a path into a thicket of cedars and dragging a LONG hose up there to water! I'm trying to get some very rare things to come up. Can't depend on the pathetic occasional drizzle we've had to do the job.

I wondered what happened to you. Thought you or DH may have been sick. We've had temps in the high 70s and even 80 yesterday. Removed all the sheets and blankets I had covering plants. I'm really not sure what'll come back. This winter is the coldest I can remember. I'm enjoying the warm afternoons here!

Good luck with your rare plants. They must be pretty special if you dragged a hose to them!!!

Just trying to get things done, mostly...while temps are spring-like! Found a broken very old plastic chair back there in that thicket. Looked like it had been there for decades. I guess I'll know about the plants some time in May. Last year a few plants didn't show any sign of life until then.

I sure hope we don't have as hot a summer as last year. It was really discouraging.

BTW....our neighborhood newsletter asked for us to report sightings of coyotes to 311....apparently they're getting bolder, and there have been more and more sightings lately.

I'm curious, Linda.....are they so rare.....that if you tell us what they are.....you'd have to kill us?

Coyotes.....I've read they aren't shy about sampling the "domestic fare"...that we call pets.

When we 1st moved here (Willis).....there were a small group of coyotes that would come every year when the Persimmons were ripe and dropping to the ground...to eat them. Possums, racoons,fox & deer would eat them too. Odd thing was....the coyotes would apparently have the persimmons on their "things to do" list....and followed a schedule...'cause they always seemed to show up near midnight.......feeding while our "contained" dogs raised a ruckus.....just 50 ft away...(coyotes ignoring them)

Not all that rare...but someone told me not to put it on the net..I can email anyone wants to know...hehe. Critters around here kill cats and leave no corpse lying around. Haven't actually seen a coyote...BUT it could be.

We used to have some stray cats....now the coyotes have eaten them...and a few neighbors' pet cats too. I always heard coyotes only prowled from dusk to right before dawn. One of neighbors down the street likes to in-line skate. The coyotes sat at the edge of the greenbelt and watched her one morning. The next day, they followed her. She hasn't skated since.
When we lived in Tucson, we were way out in the desert. We'd hear them at night, but not like the howling you hear in movies. It was more of a yip, yip, yipping sound.
Next we'll get a "fox alert!" I think the cyclists stir 'em up in the greenbelt by the creek. Haven't decided if I'm afraid of fox yet. They carry rabies, don't they??

I believe that any mammal can contract rabies....bein' in the right place at the wrong time. Canines are probably the most frequently encountered by humans,...but I think that bats & skunks are the most common victims.....any such wild critters acting outside the normal expectations
should be avoided....infected animals don't always act "mad" or "rabid".....it's best to leave them alone

I remember seeing a documentary about wild animals adapting to urban surroundings....coyotes were definitely one of the most adaptable...living amongst humans...becoming less afraid ......even attacking a small child in the Los Angeles area....for food

Thanks Linda....for the info

Guess I'll stop tromping around in the greenbelt with the 5 yr old now that it's warming up!

The night before our sustained freeze of three days, our neighbor across the street said he was stuffing the water meter "hole" with rags to keep it from freezing, as it would be nearly impossible to turn off at the street if he had a broken pipe. So of course, I had him lift the heavy cover on ours and I stuffed lots of blanket and towel pieces snuggly in. And.....I forgot to take 'em out. This morning I heard a loud clang out front and knew immediately that the water meter reader had found my rags! (He's the same guy that tried to give me a ticket for hand watering. He was wrong).

I haven't seen my neighbor out, but I think the meter reader went to his door this morning to ask "Why?" It's been raining, so I haven't gone out to see if neighbor had to remove the rags for me! I can see the lid is still lifted a bit. Oh well, it'll make a good story to tell DH when I pick him up at the airport!

Sounds like the meter reading guy has a high opinion of himself.....and/or his position!

Well, DH is home again from the land of snow (Chicago) so he was tasked to retrieve the rags outta the water meter this morning! Yep, they were still there.
Raining lightly here this morning. It's about to clear and I'm going to tear up a flower bed out front. Have lots of mulch and sort of a "plan."