Sonrisa

SOUNDS OF SUMMER

Last weekend I was sitting outside after the sun went down and I heard, for the first time at this house, crickets. The sound of crickets at night is purely the sound of summer to me. I am not sure why we have crickets in the neighborhood now, but I am happy to hear theirContinue reading “SOUNDS OF SUMMER”

JUNE

They say, “Cute as a June bug,” but let me tell you, there is nothing cute about June bugs. They bombard the screen all night and you have to sweep them away in the morning. June is typically the month of fog known as June gloom, following May grey. The fog persists so much thatContinue reading “JUNE”

IT’S MAY, IT’S MAY, THE LOVELY MONTH OF MAY

May is the most excellent month. We start May 1st with flowers as the blooms arrive. May grey started off the month. So cold and damp was it that we needed a fire two nights in a row to keep warm. We often light a fire outside for May Day but this year it wasContinue reading “IT’S MAY, IT’S MAY, THE LOVELY MONTH OF MAY”

SPRING FLOWERS

I noticed a hummingbird looking for a place to nest. She was checking out the trees in my front yard which looks especially appealing right now. The Clivias are blooming and one is a slightly lighter orange than I have ever seen. You can see the two shades below. They are putting on such aContinue reading “SPRING FLOWERS”

MARCH AS SPRUNG FORTH

It’s March and the rains are still coming, but much lighter than the storms of February. Still we hope to have a March miracle. We turned the clocks forward and for the first time, I felt like I truly sprung into spring. I noticed blooms on my apricot tree. I am hoping the strong wingsContinue reading “MARCH AS SPRUNG FORTH”

FEBRUARY RAINS

The rains arrived in February, gently as first and then heavier downpours. In between the two storms we had, the wrens where absolutely singing the loudest songs I have every heard. They seemed filled with joy. My staghorn plant which looked close to death from the hot dry winds we had in November, December, andContinue reading “FEBRUARY RAINS”

DRY JANUARY TAKES A WHOLE NEW MEANING

January arrived with strong winds and super low humidity. Actually, the winds started in November and burned through the foothills of our town and the farm area behind us. We lost a lot of houses in that fire, but nothing could have prepared us for the fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. I’ve lived inContinue reading “DRY JANUARY TAKES A WHOLE NEW MEANING”

SLOW JANUARY

The new year started with bright sunny weather. I needed to walk by the ocean to welcome the new year in. I was thinking to myself as I walked the harbor that I needed to slow down. Stop planning ahead and just do. Slow as molasses in January. I planted a 4 x 4 gardenContinue reading “SLOW JANUARY”

WINTER’S ARRIVAL

The first day of Winter Solstice, the sky was beautiful in the morning. The moon was full and shining so bright at 6 am. The color of the sky itself felt like dusk; beautiful with streaks of white running through it. I couldn’t stop looking. I even called my cat over to look up atContinue reading “WINTER’S ARRIVAL”

AUTUMN GLORY

In California, the first true sign of fall are the Santa Ana winds. This morning we had a rush a wind. Very brief and very strong, almost like a dust devil, and then it was calm. I was sitting at my desk when it started raining down leaves that had fallen on our roof fromContinue reading “AUTUMN GLORY”