Monsoon!

Our first storm of the season is happening right now. In my 5 years here, this one is the earliest as it is not even July yet. The meteorologists have decreed this year that the monsoon season starts on June 15 and lasts until the end of September, but we all know that it is not monsoon season until the rains arrive. We have enviously watched storms bring rain across the valley for about a week now, but tonight it is our turn.

We sat outside for awhile to smell, and hear the rain being soaked up, but it got too cold (!) for our thin blood. The temperature dropped 20 degrees in 15 minutes.


This rain will be much appreciated by all plants, including the garden. It will also green up the grass and that will make the horses, rabbits and quail happy.

Garden spoils

It was a perfect morning for gardening today, relatively cool and cloudy, and Barbara and I took full advantage. We pulled up the entire beet bed, sowed more lettuce, cilantro, chard, chives, and carrots. Harvested more beans, some zucchini, cucumbers and jalapenos.


While harvesting the beets, we found this large toad, whom I have made the official garden guardian. Last summer when I found hundreds of toadlets from our "lake", I deposited a number of them in the garden and apparently they like it there: bugs.

Robbed!

I had been wondering about the lack of eggs the last couple of days, but blamed the suddenly hot weather. Laying an egg is big business for a chicken, my vet friend, Mary, once explained. Why do you think chickens squawk during the process? Think it feels good? I, the city kid, had never thought about that, even when I started on this chicken adventure. I have more empathy now.

But I digress. This afternoon I went to collect eggs and guess what I found in one of the nesting boxes, neatly curled up? Now for you "herpophobes", don't freak! He may look like a rattlesnake, but he is just a bull snake. When I first saw him he was just about to swallow an egg and his mouth was fully extended. I had to run to the house to get the camera, so by the time I got this picture taken most of the egg was already down the hatch.


Dan and the snake tongs again to the rescue. The snake was deposited out by our dry lake and then herded to the mesquite bushes so he would not overheat. What an experience! I must admit I was happy he was not a rattler. I will be on the lookout now.