Summer time

So it officially summer. Has been for a couple of days according to the calendar, and we are seeing a sign of what I call summer coming our way: humidity is on the rise. May and June are "fore summer" here: hot and dry, but in July monsoons arrive, which are really just afternoon thunderstorms. Currently, humidity is highest in early morning, about 20%. We need about a week of 50% to draw sufficient moisture to make rain clouds. But we are seeing some clouds forming in the afternoon, nice to cut the heat a little but nothing to shout about rainwise.

The garden is doing well, and happy with the extra attention because we are "grounded" by forest closures, besides it is too hot for any real activity after 9 am. Tomatoes are ripening, as are the cantaloupes; peppers, beets, carrots, cucumbers, beans, lettuce doing great. I still have to be vigilant to keep the wildlife at bay, be it rodentia or birds, but we share a bit and everybody comes out ahead.

The canyon towhee is using the grape vines as her nesting site again, and I am honored that she tolerates me being around while I try to keep the grape leaf skeletonizers at bay. She just flies off to a branch nearby and returns to the nest as soon as I am just a few feet away.