October

Andrew couldn't get up for school but then he made it to his last two classes. The doctor says that this much pain is normal with the heavy antibiotics.

Tonight is the second Marin Science Seminar of the fall season. It's much better with fewer people, and those who are attending are more motivated. I still get all nervous before each one though.

I have a bunch of web work to do. When it rains, it pours. Let's at least have some literal as well as figurative, rain, huh?


They're promising rain tomorrow.

End of September, Beginning of Something New

This time of year is especially full of yearning: yearning for freshness, yearning for rain.  Walking to work today (the first time in a long time), I felt how parched the trees along my way were, how stalwart withering so many leaves.  The plums are almost black, they turn this darkest mauve before they lose their leaves.  The junipers are all aberry, fragrantly speckled with little blue balls.  Blue balls - haha.  The earth must have it now, waiting for the rain.  I crossed Miller Creek and it was still, motionless, today, a day for tossing crumbs of yesteryear upon the moving waters, no moving water was to be found, just stagnant pools trimmed with greenest baby's tears.  At work today a report of an entire family of mountain lions down by the creek: momma, big daddy and a couple of cubs.  We locked all the doors and there was no "creek study" today.  I wondered if the mountains lions would find any coyote cubs. 

Speaking of cubs, I have a sick cub.  My baby was diagnosed with H. pylori last week and has been taking heavy duty antibiotics.  He feels awful and seems to have a fever today.  He's been missing a lot of school.  I'm worried about him.

Coyotes

In the last year coyotes have taken up residence in the hills around our house. There is a family who we think lives down by the creek and they howl every night. You can tell some are pups by their high-pitched squealing. Art worries that they will come in the dog door and harrass Charlie. I think they are eating the quail. I have seen very few quail this September, which is strange.

Sere

Still here, it's sere - that long, dry season through September. 
So much sun it's dreary, where's my power to stay pale?
Here's my parasol, I have plenty. Start a fad and stay inside.
In my bag I have a blue one, in all I must have twenty
pretty and practical parasols to protect me from a tan.

Tan, like the grass on the hills now,
tan, like the hide of the deer,
tan like the legs of my neighbor,
tan, like the length of my lawn.

Pink and pale blue and deepest green
let me dream.
Coming soon to a hillside near you.

They teased about a rainshower coming in a week or so.  I don't believe it.  A wet October would be wonderful though.  

The March of Spring

The plum trees are all in bloom along the Idylberry. The Magnolia too. It's all pink and pale purple along the way to work. The birds are mad with twittering and flittering, teasing each other in flight. The hills are green and the creeks run with happy ripples. I love this time of year.

Citrus and Camellias

That's what February is full of.