Weather Report from Central Texas by Nita Holstine

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We are still stuck under a high pressure dome. It's keeping us with highs in the upper 90s and lows barely below 70. But we are looking at Rita coming this way. The scenarios are several and we will have to wait to see what will happen. Some rain would be nice but we would sure settle for clouds and a bit cooler temps. We're way above our normals but this is what we have always called Indian Summer. When the nights finally start getting cooler but the days are still miserable. We are so ready for days with more than just a couple of hours cool enough to do some work outside. We're not really ready to be buying lots of propane to stay warm but just not to have to run the a/c so much of the time.

To celebrate October, I am starting a new weather page. A year of looking at the above artwork is more than enough. The upside down raindrops are nuts!!

We were having some nice temps, normal by the statistics. Now we seem to have a high pressure dome settled over our area and have gone back to summer hot. Mid to  upper 90s for high temps and only down to the upper 70s at night. That's miserable. Our normal right now has daytime at 85 and nighttime at 64. We want that back again. 

No rain in a good while. Abilene got some measurable amounts but we got barely a trace. I could see where the drops were scattered. That didn't count.

I am getting reports from places in the north west about how dry they are and though cold and the leaves starting to change color, it is to a dull dead brown and none of the pretty colors they get with the sufficient rains.

The forecast shows us cooling down with a chance of rain for this coming weekend. That would be a good thing.

The storms from Katrina have settled and the waters in Louisiana have started to recede. So much damage and people displaced. It would have helped the folks to know how bad the flooding was and that they would not have a home there anymore. Landlords wouldn't be rebuilding any time soon so they should get out. But they wouldn't. We've had no more word about those who died from being in the sewage waters but they were just walking around in it like it was a water park. The saddest part was the pets who were left tied up with no chance to escape. They didn't chose to live in a flood zone but they had trusted their owners to care for them. A vet clinic had started taking in pets when people refused to leave in ambulances without their pets. The EMS personnel were the ones to set up the measures and see that folks were reunited with their little ones. A mayor was quoted as saying, well, we can't evacuate every year. This level of devastation doesn't happen with every hurricane. It had been 12 years since they had one this  bad. 

We've had storms in our area but no rain yet. It just moves around us and away. We don't complain since most of the garden is gone now. Wanda in Washington State reported their first hard freeze of the season and how it had killed off the garden crops. Their leaves are changing color and just knowing their high for the day was 60, made our day of 92 feel a bit cooler. Today is cloudy and probably not over 85. That's cool for us. Since our electric bill was outrageous, I have taken to using only the little fan instead of the a/c. 

We've missed all the storms lately. But Randy needs some dry time to continue with the building of the house. He's used up his supplies and is now waiting to get back to the lumber yard and buy some wood. He'd better hurry before the hurricanes bring the price of materials way up again.

The price of oil and gasoline is up higher than ever so we don't go anywhere but for him to go to work and back. Already it takes over $50 to fill the truck with gas. 

It is hot today but as I went around the house this morning, I found that the wind is from the north and fairly cool. Without a cloud in the sky, the sunshine is very hot though. Guess this is the cold front. Randy said it should rain soon as he went and washed the truck at noontime today.

And a nice rain it was, too. We had two huge storms build up and move across us. Areas to our north got between 9 and 12 inches. The Clear Fork of the Brazos (river) did some flooding that they'd not seen in many, many years. Lots of folks were forced to flee their homes and belongings. One newscast showed cowboys trying to herd some cattle through the raging water toward higher and drier ground. What a sight. 

We had somewhere between 5 and 7 inches of rain. The trees were growing algae and the chicken yard was slushy and smelly. We could do to dry out a bit yet though folks all over the country are still wishing for rain. I am already watering the garden but there's not much left to need water.

What beautiful music. The sound of rain drops falling in a nice and easy pattern. On the air conditioner and on the window here by my desk. Of course the roof leaks at the window and the window covering is soaked and the back of my desk. But we were needing another very good rain. The wind was from the north and that means the front finally moved through. It was so damp that it didn't really feel very cool yet.

The thunder is less than earlier but I am still rushing to try to finish a few more articles on the computer. I have spent two weeks now with it shutting itself down at random intervals. I save everything every few minutes as to not lose very much and have to start over. It has rained enough now that I won't have to water tomorrow and that's nice to plan around. It also means no brush cutting but that's okay for a Monday. The newsletter always takes up all my time. It will be Tuesday before I can think about such things. 

Last Tuesday, the heat broke with the cold front moving through. There was first a push of heat and we went from 91° to 100° in an hour. Incredible heat! Even the birds were all panting and looking miserable! But as the front did move through, we had delicious cool air from the north. The low that night was 63 and oh so nice.

But with the cool front, we also go a big and nasty thunderstorm. Even turning off the power strip did not protect the computer completely and the modem was fried. Randy gave me his just to get the newsletter finished and out but he's not bought himself a new one. Wanda says they lost a few before they leaned to go around and unplug everything. 

Last night and tonight will see us with lows in the lower 60s and that is a great way to start the day. We're still getting up into the mid 90s and that's miserable but not the 100 degree days it could yet be. Come on fall weather. Randy is working on the house so the heat keeps him from working for very long before he must come back and cool down.

A heat wave continues all across the country. Last week gave us 3 days of clouds we can thank Hurricane Emily for producing. The weather predictors said we'd get nothing. The clouds and cooler temps were wonderful. The forecast this morning says that by Wednesday we will see a cold front bring us highs in the upper 80s instead of  upper 90s with lows down in the upper 60s. What a relief. Summer is far from over but we'll enjoy any relief from the brutal heat. There is even a mention of rain. Isn't that when the white fluffy things grow dark and drops of moisture fall to earth?

We had rain two days in a row but that's been a week now and we could use some more. It was a nice 4 inches and then 2 inches so it was very good. We aren't out of the burn ban but at least rain is creeping back into the forecast again.

I am making little brush piles along where I have been clearing with the brush cutter. Until it is cleared more, it will be impossible to rake it up and out of the way. Everything is so overgrown that it will take a long time. Our rains have made all "weeds" grow so very well. Some otherwise 3 foot tall wildflowers are taller than I am. 

Even with south winds, our air is dry. And HOT. No rain in the forecast just hot, hotter and even hotter. Farmers without irrigation are really beginning to worry. People like the Tumlinsons in South Texas are glad to not be flooded out again this year and are very glad for all their crops. I keep our water sprinkler and soaker hoses going every day. Our water pressure will only allow one sprinkler going at a time. 

No storms lately and not any more rain either. There is very little garden left and with the rate the grasshoppers are eating, I won't be planting everything planned. We've gone to nearly 100 degree days so time outside is limited to early or late in the day.

We are working on ideas to fence in the vegetables that are  growing and let the chickens loose to eat the grasshoppers. That could help if there is anything left by that time. I am now ready for the end of summer (it hasn't actually started yet) and have some freezing temps to kill the hoppers.

What a wild week of weather we have had. Right now there is a big storm thundering loudly but it seems to be dying down quickly. Just a few sprinkles of rain and I did so hurry to get the okra seeds planted. But I had taken the time to trim the bottom branches of the oak hanging over the garden. Now I have more light and don't scratch my face and head when I walk through or stand up in that part of the garden. 

It was Monday night I believe when the power went out at 2 in the morning. I was calling the electric company every half hour and it was still 5 before the power was back on. In this heat, we cannot sleep without a fan going. That and the fan affords good background noise to cover the other noises of the night. Then night before last, the power goes out again. Our short stretch of road was the only area out so they came to the house in time to see the transformer blowing up again and again. Amazing, they didn't seem surprised to open the transformer and find a snake. Dead, of course.

Randy is buying some new connectors, cutoffs and dividers at Lowe's today so my plumbing fix ups will wait until tomorrow. What I have now is most difficult to use and spews water all over the place. 

It is raining! There was just a bit of small hail but it has been raining for almost 15 minutes now and that's to get excited about. That means I won't have to water anything tomorrow. Of course, it means I will probably get to go out and feed the puppies in the rain. Too hot to wear my hooded coat so I could get wet. The puppies don't like rain and won't go out at all when it's wet. For some reason Max hasn't been in his house much lately. I watch a mouse pop up from a little hole in his floor. Probably getting crunchy dog food. But when it started raining, Max chose the mint bed for a dry spot in the rain storm. I had covered the table with a sheet of corrugated metal for just such times as this. 

There is rain in the forecast every day for the next week. The best chances will be tonight, tomorrow and Friday. Yippee. I am planting seeds! Half and hour and it's still raining! No hail!

We got more rain! Another inch or two and what a cool high of 65 for today. When it wasn't raining, it was a drizzle that made it impossible to be outside in the brisk north wind. Brr. Tomorrow will be warmer or so we are promised.

We got rain! Lots of rain probably 3 to 5 inches worth but it came with giant storms full of thunder and lightening. Some areas got lots of hail but we got just a brief spell of the tiny size. I had already taken all the plants back inside the lighthouse that had not already gone out into the gardens. One tray of cucumbers was down in the garden and I left them where they were. Just wished they were already in the ground. Just hoping the 4 packets of seeds I had just planted in the row were not washed away.

Won't be needing to water today. We are never too wet for working in the garden. I had watered nearly everything in the last few days. We can't go without and there had not been much chance for getting any rain. The storms tend to defy the weather forecaster. 

Finally, we've gone back to hot weather. 92 for today then just a bit cooler for the rest of the week. This is the time that in 2000, we were hitting between 106 and 109 every day for just over a week. That was miserable. We had a hot early spring and all the garden was already planted. That week, it all died. Sun burned and cooked. 

Saturday early morning, we got a nice line of thunderstorms and about 2 inches of rain. Nice! The weather guy on the tv station said all the storms were breaking up and he went on home. About midnight, they played the National Weather Service recording of the warnings since there was no one there to appear on screen. What a laugh they are. 

What crazy weather. The days are between perfect and hot. The spinach is long past its time; it cannot get over 85. There is another cold front in the forecast starting tomorrow. Two more nights down in the lower 40s. After that, I hope I can start planting out the tomato plants. Below 55 and they will have a most difficult time growing at all. 

Lots of the country is still under snowfall but not complaining since they had so little all season. Finally the ski resorts are advertising again. People in places like Iowa are complaining that they did want the rain but not the cold ice that followed. They are scrambling to protect new plants they've put out and hope to protect trees that had already bloomed. Such is springtime.

I've had the sprinkler going every day just to make the wildbirds happy.  It is delightful to watch the birds playing in the water just taking a shower and cooling down. Flipping that water all over the place. Swimming in the water bowl. Even the hummingbirds get in on the fun. Don't forget the butterflies. They love the wet sand and will flock around to draw moisture. We already have quite an assortment and don't even have zinnias blooming yet.

Absolutely perfect weather. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 50s. Not bad at all. Finally got my spinach seeds planted but it may well be too late to see any before they get too hot to grow and use. 

There has been no rain in almost a month now and then it wasn't much. Every day I've been setting up the water sprinkler just to make the blue jays happy. They come into the spray to frolic. They sit in the water pan and swim or in the trees to just get soaking wet. What a beautiful sight. Of course the cardinals do the same thing but we have them year round. We've had the goldfinches a lot longer than most years but a lot looked to be young birds, too. What a treat!

What beautiful weather. Guess I could complain about the wind but when it doesn't come with a big old time dust storm, I won't complain. We were on the brink of 85+ and this latest cold front moved through. Our high today will barely be over 70 and that's pleasant. The oak leaves are all getting so big and so very green that the view in any directions is beautiful. Some of the trees are just now flowering but that protects them in case of a late blizzard but it looks like Colorado got the late storm and missed us. Now, we enter the season for hail storms. We had two in February so maybe that's it for this year. We can sure hope so.

Back to beautiful weather for a little while. The cold days are not so cold or lasting so long. Gradually we are warming up. Even with a snow storm Friday night. It was only measured at just over an inch but they were huge flakes. It all melted by daylight even without any sunshine. I couldn't get a photo since it was gone by the time I had enough light. We had enough rain Saturday to make the onions happy and well watered. There was easily 4 inches in the wheelbarrow. 

It is 80 today and the flies and wasps are all hatching. What a bother. 

Our new forecast period shows some lows falling into the upper 30s and that's COLD. But the days are about 80 every day and that's nearly HOT. I have almost all the tomato plants into individual cups and the lighthouse is quickly filling up. Randy has one section for his chrysanthemums and I have another for the 11 trees we got from Arbor Day Foundation. Had to set up the box fan when it started getting hot in the room. 

This week will be devoted to preparing the tax return so this next newsletter may be slim with few updates from me. Happy Springtime to us all!

The forecast snow and ice didn't make it this far south. The temp is at 36 and that's okay with us. There is enough light rain that it would have made a big mess on the roads if it did freeze. It won't get over 45°F with a brisk north wind so today will be another indoor chores day. The highs will be in the 60s everyday for the rest of the forecast period. Those will be outdoor days.

The fruit trees have all budded and everyone is hoping for no more freezes. They want their fruits this year. 

So many people are already saying what a mild winter they have had but it's not over yet. Our winter has already been 5 times as harsh as usual. We did have thunder in February so we know we could well have a blizzard in April and probably will. All the way to the middle of April. We had hail two days straight that was worse than we've had in many years. If the hail had come after veggies were planted out, they would have been flattened. I was just lucky that I only had a few of the onions out.

Today won't get over 45 but the rest of the forecast shows 65 and that's normal temps. Nice enough to be out and about. I'd ordered the 5 tree membership from Arbor Day and just got them in. Now, to get them into gallon sized buckets. I will protect them for a year before they go out to their permanent beds.

We went from hot this past Saturday with 88 for a high to 34 this morning and not getting above 50 today. There are a few chances of rain for today through Thursday but not great chances.

Today will be spent here at the computer as is most every Monday; just working on the newsletter and getting it finished and ready to send out. Randy got the parts and reworked the garden water faucets. It is so nice to have more line and he even got some more water hoses. That way we can have water to the new garden without dragging one around over other plants. He did get some of the smaller sized soaker hose for his tomato beds. I will make do with sprinklers for the rest. 

Beautiful weather for now. Lower 60s to mid 70s with occasional rain showers. It rained all day yesterday, just enough to gently water the onions. It took me an extra two weeks to get them into the soil but it is done now. We had hail storms two days in a row but there was no damage. 

According to legend, if we have thunder in February, we will have frost in April. That could be a blizzard since we have memories of 2 foot of snow falling in the middle of April. Not good for the garden. We had not seen any hail in many years so these storms have sure been a surprise. 

There are lots of bugs appearing, hatching out and turning up everywhere. We're past the time when freezing is a normal low so we could well not have anymore freezes to kill any bugs. 

What a line of storms! We had lots of small hail and a bit of much bigger. Lots of rain probably 3 to 4 inches. The wind was mean but no straightline stuff. Close by lightening strikes that were scary. That storm moved through between 8 and 11. About 2 there was another line with more rain, thunder and lightening but no hail. I must wait until daylight to go out and see if the onions were smushed flat. We have gone probably 6 years with no hail; not even late in the season when the chances are greater. I have an email in to Mel to see if they survived without damage.

It is just past 6:30 in the evening and is so very hot inside the house. 95°F in the hallway but that's because I have had the oven on for almost an hour. Supper is nearly ready and the oven is turned off. The broccoli and rice side dish will be ready in just a few minutes. It only got to 78 today and the front has already hit but it is only serving to brew up some thunderstorms. They look to have hit Mel's house (A View From Mel's Place) and if they keep moving more north than northwest, we may get hit by them. They are full of hail and high winds. Thunder and lightening. The old saying goes that if we get thunder in February, we will have frost in April. Oh my!

Yesterday we hit an official 84°F. That didn't break any records but it was sure HOT. It was 90 in the hallway and early morning before it cooled down. That was helped by the cold front moving through. We are 30 degrees cooler today and while it isn't freezing, it is difficult to work outside for very long. We've probably made it up to 50 but I had plenty to do inside to keep me busy. I'd wanted to bake a lemon cake for a while now and having the oven on for a little while sure feels good in here without needing the propane heater going.

There are some good chances of rain coming up and Randy did his part to bring on the rain. He washed the truck. That usually does it. But I have been wishing for more dry time for shredding leaves and digging the new gardens.

We probably received an inch of rain over the past week. Not much below freezing so it has not been terrible for road travel. We look forward to a retirement where we don't have to get out and drive when it is icy. 

Since Mr. Rooster has taken to attacking me, I have not been able to do any work in the new garden. We are digging out the chicken yard and putting it into the new garden beds. Not when the mean old bird is around. We've had none of the nice weekends that the forecasts held and it would be nice to be above 40 for a change. With a nice north breeze, the wind chill is down to about 20. Brr. This morning I won't know until I get to the chicken yard if the water is frozen or not. If it is, that means I will be carrying gallon jugs for a good while. Now, I wish I had done the chore last night in the dark. I have to wait until the birds are all inside for the night before I can go in to gather eggs. 

Night before last, I had gone out to close up the birds. I was going nest box to nest box picking up the eggs when I came to one that had three eggs in it but it also had a big old opossum. When I didn't threaten it, it just stayed to finish his meal. Randy brought the gun and we are rid of that predator. He was amazed that it was still in the box. I'd noticed egg shells about a week earlier and thought we had a snake. I had started taking the flashlight so I wouldn't be sticking my hand into the spot to find out what was inside. Yikes.

I had sent a message to The Tumlinsons about gardens and planting and such and did so enjoy the reply telling about the lineup of planting chores. They were having a cold day but already it is time to plant nearly everything. They were wiped out 4 times last year so perhaps this year will be a very good one.

The forecast for today says we'll be up to 50 and might just have some sunshine. Oh that will be a treat. Especially for Sly the Solar Kitty. We've had no sun in about 2 weeks now. 

January 18th Dust Storm CLICK HERE !

The above link will show you the day in between snow and hot. It was called DUST! We already had supersized headaches from the weather changes and the dust is still in the air and on all the trees. Cough, cough.

The past few days have been miserably cold. The heater had been running straight for two days until it ran out of propane this morning. Whew, sure stinks when it does run out. I don't care what propane people say, it really smells bad. But we'll not be so cold for the rest of the week. Today is to be up in the upper 60s and that's fine weather. 70s for the rest of the week sounds even better. The brush cutter is going into the repair shop so I can't use it for a while yet. Hope to be working on the chicken yard cleaning and working of garden beds. Must get ready for spring and time to plant the veggies.

No rain. Not really needing any yet but we are aware of how long it's been. We finished the year well over a foot above normal. That doesn't even mention the years of drought when there was so very little. 

The sunshine is pretty but it is still oh so cold. It's up to the mid 40s today but yesterday barely hit 34 so it was important to keep the water running and not freeze up. I am not quite finished filling all the new water jugs. It is slow and I am out of moth balls. I am putting a few in every box of jugs. But I am still cleaning out the old ruined boxes and jugs. Such a mess and moldy, too. I'll be glad to have it nice and fresh again. I like knowing we have enough water on hand to last a few days no matter what the emergency. I am hoping we won't have to pull the pump out of the well this next weekend. And I hope to orgainize my sewing materials to where I can find things. 

Our low this morning was 63° and our normal high is 10 degrees lower than that. The high will be 72 and that's with a strong south wind and heavy clouds. All of it is leading to the next cold front scheduled for later this week. At first they'd said we would go about 3 days not getting over freezing but now, they've backed off a bit and we might thaw a little every day. I am still working on storing more water for the next emergency. I don't like the not being prepared. The pump is getting old on the water well and it is best to be ready for just about anything. Randy put a new switch on the unit and now we don't have the problem with the water surging. That was getting really old. Especially considering that it made the switch go on and off all the time. Using 220 electricity must make it cost even more.

I sure enjoy all the reports from folks like Wanda and Carlyn telling about their heavy snowfall and how cold it is where they are. And makes me glad we are much further south. We get cold all right but not like they do. That was why I took lots of photos of the snow we did get. Pretty to look at but I don't even like to make snow people or angels. 

We're getting up to about 65 to 70° every day this week and it is oh so nice. I realized that we can never put away the summer clothes, we have summer weather all winter. A cold front is stalling out over us but not even making rain. Next week will show some rain and cold. Maybe some ice come Tuesday or so. 

We didn't break any record lows but Thursday night and Friday nights were both down to 9°F and froze all our water lines solid. That's even with the water running. We didn't thaw out until Saturday afternoon. Of course, we had a foot of snow on Thursday and that made it take longer to thaw. We just about used up the 50 or so gallons of water I had stored. Company showed up and I wasn't even able to wash dishes or finish cleaning on the kitchen. Quit laughing.

Next week may be bad but this week is beautiful. 60s in the daytime and 40s at night. So mild. Didn't even need to wear the coat this afternoon. Today I have stayed in to work on the Newsletter but tomorrow should be even warmer and it will find me outside working on chores. Let's see, there is a fence to finish getting ready. We want the chickens to work on clearing the new gardens. 

Dec. 22, 2004 Blizzard Photos

They keep changing up the forecast but we really don't want all that bad weather. 40% chance of Flurries, that's snow flurries for Thursday. Not good. At first they were saying that we could spend over a week straight and not get above freezing. It has been years since we've done that. 

Today is 70°F and most nice. Very windy but tomorrow will be, too. But tomorrow won't get over 50 and Wednesday won't be over freezing. Bundle up and get ready today.

75 degrees F today. So hot inside that I've had the fan on to move the air around. The air conditioner has been unplugged and we won't need it until spring. We were in the lower 40s this morning and that's cold for us. Our normal low right now is 38 and we'll get back to that soon enough. 

Since it was so very nice, I spent extra time outside today. The front steps needed some more sand around where Max had dug it up and away. I brought up 4 wheelbarrow loads but it was hardly enough. So, tomorrow I might be able to finish. Today I am pooped. I still have lots to get done before this day is finished. 

The sun is shining bright and warm. Sly the Solar Kitty enjoys his daily trips across the kitchen floor as I drag him along to catch the rays as they hit the floor. Okay, he has a special bed and a new rug for maximum comfort. Randy got it for him for Christmas. 

We had a beautiful Thanksgiving and day after. Got lots of yard work done and didn't want to stay indoors.

Our weather started warm today but as the latest cold front hits, we are colder by the minute. The forecast says ice and snow tonight. It was drizzle all night and a little this morning. Our first freeze warning. Oh my.  But then we'll have the same snow and ice through tomorrow when it warms up above freezing. 

Good grief, what an awful mess. More rain on already soggy everything. The chicken yard is a big mess. I cannot use moldy old wheat hay. (The girls would eat it, get sick and die.) I don't want to use the last of the good alfalfa. So, as soon as I can, I will carry a few loads of leaves to put into the muck so I can walk through it without sliding around. I am leaving their light on a bit longer every day and it has helped keep the egg production up. 

I baked a lemon cake this afternoon and the house is still nice and warm from it and I even have a lovely aroma to enjoy. We haven't had much sunshine in about 2 weeks now and do so miss it. The warmth to brighten our days. Sigh. 

We are forecast to see fairly nice rainy weather until Wednesday night which will be down near 30. We'll have to wait to know if we drop below freezing. 

The weather finally turned cool but not the freezing that had been forecast. None of the snow they first expected. Our low yesterday was 45 and the high for today was 47. Same for tomorrow. No sunshine in days now and the north wind is so very cold. Makes me hurry to finish my chores and get back inside. 

The rain had stopped early this afternoon but has started again. It's light with just a pitter, patter, drip, drip so I will know it is still falling. The acorns had really been falling with the high wind. Lots of leaves falling but then not all the trees are changing color yet. I got out with the camera the other day to capture a little bit of the color while it is so pretty. It doesn't last long. 

We've gone from mild to hot but the forecast promises this coming Monday night to be in the upper 30's and that's COLD. I am so hoping the cold fronts will bring us some of our usual winter wild birds. If I had planted spinach seeds several weeks ago as I had wanted, they would have gone to seed before they were 2 inches tall. I've done that enough times. We have the lighthouse in the Shop set up and will have all the greenhouse Geraniums there as well as the Aloe Vera that has been out in the yard under the trees. Must get the yards tidied and neat so there is nothing to blow around in the fierce winds of winter. 

We've had some really nice weather. Okay, it was into the lower 90s but it has cooled a little. We have had sprinkles of rain off and on all day. Not much, just enough that I can't do any brush cutting until it dries. The forecast says a slight chance of rain every day with the temps staying above normal. 

Our average first freeze is into the second week of November so it could be a while. Someone had called in to the weather folks on TV and asked when the mosquitoes would go away. Yup, when it finally freezes. We will have tomatoes until there is a hard freeze and the vines are killed. 

The leaves on many of the oak trees are already changing so it is triggered by the length of day, not the temps at all.

Rain, rain and more rain. We went so long getting only a drizzle or sprinkle and then as forecast, this morning started with a long line of super sized storms moving from west to the east. Full of thunder and lightening, almost every window and both doors are leaking like crazy. 

We've had enough rain already that I won't need to water for a long time if any more before the first freeze. It reminds me that I want to do a few things before then and that I must now get them done or miss my chance for another season. I had not been out to fertilize the Pine trees after the last heavy rain. I will get it done this time. This is the growing season for the Pines and the Cedars. It's all part of what hurts our sinuses at this time of year. 

The forecast for the coming week shows us with highs in the low to mid 70s and the lows all in the 50s. What just right temps. Yes, folks this is what we call Indian Summer. We finally got through the days of hot with mild nights to the days of mild days, more clouds and increased chances of rain.

We've had sprinkles all morning. Not over an inch yet but I can hear the thunder getting louder and closer from the southwest. Best get out and make my rounds while it has let up. Such nice cool days, just wish it didn't play the devil with the sinuses and make such big bad headaches. 

Our mild temperatures have been replaced by normal temps. Back into the mid 90s and that is HOT. The nights are around 65 to 70° and that is better than the near 80 we'd have otherwise. No rain in a long while now and none in the forecast. Wish some of the areas with such excess rain from the hurricanes marching through could share, just a little bit. 

I am back to wishing for a child's wading pool just to let the puppies get wet and cool during the heat of the day but there are none to be found in any stores around here. When I talked with Wanda Lynch early this week, she told how their high for the day was 49, they'd had several frosts already and had to light the wood in the fireplace to get warm. Brrr. Send it this way, please.

More beautiful weather that is staying below normal temps. There has been no more rain but nothing higher than 90° with lows from 50 to 65. The 50° and everything below 58 has set new record lows. Some of those broke records set back in the 1800's but it is oh so nice. The crispness in the early morning makes us know that fall is just around the corner. We are entering our rainy season so perhaps the chances will increase. 

The water hoses are all falling apart and being so late in the season, it is not easy to find parts to make repairs. Lowe's is about the only store around that carries gardening supplies year round. Maybe it will rain soon.

A brand new month. We are having the clear skies of summer but the temps are not getting above 90. We went all day Wednesday and didn't get above 80. What a nice relief. August is often at 100 or above every day but this has been a mild summer. We were getting cold fronts coming through every other week and we just never have cold fronts reach us during the summer. It is usually the beginning of September before they start. We are about 10 inches above normal for this time of year and just now getting into the rainy season. I had wondered if the weather folks were seeding clouds again but it appears to all be coming from the fronts moving through. The high pressure dome that often sits over us all summer has not come anywhere near our area. Arizona yes, but not here.

Because of the rainy days, we have all sorts of "toadstools" popping up. They are all sorts of colors from tan and browns to bright orange and really weird looking. None of the animals mess with them so they are probably toxic.

And frogs! Everywhere. Big ones and little ones. They only croak right after a heavy rain but the advantage is that there are fewer ants around. Usually we have a summer of ants in the kitchen; not this year. I spilled a container of sugar water (nectar for the hummingbirds) on the kitchen cabinet so I am hoping the frogs do their job and eat their fill of ants.