Hey, everyone - are you wondering, as I am, what Tom eats for breakfast? Chopping and splitting firewood, canning tomatoes, horses, bbq parties...and all those iris beds! Amazing!

Don't forget the rose colored glasses wearing chickens; He has to "manage" that work force.

Well this mornng it was a bowl of hot oatmeal with fresh peaches and honey. It was a good day for hot cerial today. It was about 48 at 4:00 a.m. then it cooled down to 44, but it's back up to 48. I don't know if it will make it up to the 60 degrees it's supposed to. I'm on break, just cleaned the fridge. My it's a wonder how many things you can find in there that you forgot you put in there. I think I found the cure for cancer in one container!!! Gotta run and get some groceries (and of course beer!) for the party

Computer says 69° but air feels cooler. I am typing my list of plants off to the NJ 2016 iris convention, waiting for the one dug this morning to dry. Sending 2015 BB introduction 'HI BUDDY' & 3 seedlings.

We're having another heat wave (near 100) and no rain in sight. Pray for us.

I am, Jan.

You got it on the praying.

It's supposed to be over 100 for the next four days...and yes, no rain in sight. I am ready for fall...but we sometimes get heat waves into October. I'm glad to hear some of you have some rain and cooler weather although I hope it's dry for your Bar-b-que this weekend Tom.

I guess it's neurotic to wish for the weather to be spread around more evenly...it's just not the way nature works! So, we get the early bloom, the long growing season, the nice sunny weather...but we have to tolerate the long hot summer, and the drought ...I guess it all works out.

Normal, not neurotic, Marilyn. If some of the heavy rain that has been falling elsewhere would have spread over to your coast, it might have taken the slightest edge of California's horrible, devastating drought.

Hey, you could be in Calgary. They got 8" of SNOW at the airport with another 5 expected last night. Just saying.

Well, there are now a bunch of Pentecostal Holiness folks praying for slow, steady, gentle rain for areas with drought. I figured slow and steady was better than deluge and flash flooding.

Caroline Scott is one of ours and she lives in Calgary. She is not a happy person.

I am sure the folks in the drought areas welcome all prayers, Linnea.

I sure do not want snow. I can barely walk in it and cant drive in it and my house may do something weird again. I remember when we would get possibly one snow every two or three years. It would be maybe two inches and melt by noon. we more often got rain that froze on contact and it looked like we lived in a glass world. Occasionally we would get eight inches of snow and ONCE we got 18 inches. The years we had more snow than usual or deeper snow than usual were very rare. Now, what is rare? I got a text msg from a friend saying that some almanac (farmer's ?) was predicting the worst winter in history....... does that include the ice age?? How much firewood is enough? How many snuggies can I wear at the same time? I guess I had better start chopping and knitting!!!

I hope this is the last heat wave... I darn near melted into a puddle yesterday.

It was too hot to melt into a puddle here, I would have evaporated before I had to a chance to puddle up.

Thanks for the prayers Linnea, and the kind thoughts and words from everyone. ...Rob & Sherry, what can say? Eventually the drought will end...for now I am grateful that I have water available to keep my landscape and irises alive. I was speaking to someone Monday night at the Fresno Iris Society who lives in an area where they are not allowed to water at all...and everything is dying...so I really am grateful...I just had to whine a little...

My irises are doing just fine. I baby them. I was using the hose, but this week it's from my watering can directly on them, to avoid any runoff. Takes me a while to get around to each one,every other day now. One bed has emitters.Newly planteds get the most care. Except for the most recently planted the 2014 ones all have "flags" or "fingers". Last year's are big and there are increases. We'll make it.
It's hot, but nights are cool - you can feel winter coming.

We're buying water today, since our water sources on the land are drying up. A water truck is coming today to
fill our two large storage tanks. That should carry us through until the rains come.

Marilyn, whine all you want, you are entitled. So are Jan and Sherry and Rob. We will listen when you feel the need to vent it out.

Thanks, Debra!

Thanks Debra!

...and Jan, sorry , I didn't mean to leave you out!