The Weather Channel, we have heard, is calling this storm Titan.  At least for us, it’s not a Titan, but definitely a great storm.

It rained a little last night, and I hurried out to record the raindrops on the patio plants.

Real live raindrops, not sprinkler output.

When I looked to the west, it was obvious that Mother Nature wasn’t through with us.

(Please ignore the dog answering a call of Nature.  Let’s pretend we don’t know who she is.)

As the clouds darkened, it was even more apparent that we were not through with this storm.

A few minutes later, the heavens opened.  It really poured.  For only the second time this season, we have actual puddles.  They’ll soak in quickly, though.  This was a good storm, but we need more like it for a real drought-buster.

For today, though, we’re happy!

I stopped yesterday to take pictures of a blossoming tree at Teen Challenge, beside our driveway.  The predictions for the next few days included possible high winds and  dust, so I wanted to catch the flowers before they blew away.

They were worth a stop.  With the little church as a backdrop . . .

 

Or the blue, blue sky . . .

They were beautiful either way.  But I like them best of all, close up.

So far, we’ve only gotten a sprinkle of our “over an inch” predictions.  That was enough, though, to put a car over the bank.  We got a call from the other side to tell us that a car had come off the road and come to rest by our fence.  Luckily, it had stayed upright and the lady driving it wasn’t hurt.  She was, naturally, considerably shaken.

That probably won’t be the only wreck today.  The streets would have been treacherous, with months of oil and dirt buildup.  It’s not likely that everyone in town would realize that, and drive more cautiously.  After all, they never do.

Actually, spring is here, at least in Kern County.  The trees are blooming or leafing out, the air is warm (78), and the horses are beginning to shed.

Sarah decided it was a bit too warm to ride, and gave Aggie a nice bath.  She got rid of a lot of hair.  Aggie’s, not hers.

As usually happens in these cases, she got almost as wet as Aggie.

I thought about riding this afternoon, but if it was too hot for Sarah, it was certainly too hot for me.  These warm spring days seem warmer than they really are, perhaps because we’re not used to them.  It was balmy.

There were high clouds drifting in, though.  While we were looking at them, we noticed a column of smoke to the south.

We’re a lot more sensitive about those things than we used to be, but this was obviously quite a way to the south.  Maybe we’ll learn where and what it was on the news tonight.

Last night Billy and I were getting ready to go to bed when we saw a flame leap up out on the island.  (Up out on — too many prepositions!) Billy was about to call it in, when it flickered and went out.  It was about where we’ve noticed a big tent, and was probably a campfire that got out of hand.  They’ll probably manage to let one get away completely sooner or later, though.

The first flowers of spring have bloomed.  Here’s a bowl of pansies and baby daffodils (narcissi?) that a kind boarder gave me.

 

Here’s a little tiny ant looking for a home . . . I think it chose a good place.

As I was refilling the hummingbird feeder, I felt something odd going on behind me.  I turned around to find the World’s Largest Hummingbird.

Probably the sneakiest, too!

I’ve been hoping for a good picture of a male hummingbird, so when this little guy showed up this morning I thought I might have a chance.

He just sat there and glared at me, waiting for me to Go Away so he could come up to the feeder.  But the little devil would not turn his head and show off his brilliant throat and forehead.

There’s hardly a hint of the metallic raspberry red that shows up in the right light.  His back is just fine . . . oh, well, I’ll try again tomorrow.

Xena, Peaches, Kitty, and I had a nice ride this afternoon.  It was short, though — at least for Kitty and me.  The dogs must have covered ten miles, sniffing around the bushes and chasing jackrabbits.  Fat chance, but they’re eternally hopeful.

It was perfect riding weather, but next weekend is supposed to be rainy.  They’re talking Pineapple Express, and we sure hope they’re right!  Even if we don’t get to ride.

Peaches has been busy lately . . . remember “What hole?”

I can add “What wet floor?”

Not to mention “What yarn?”

I think she must have one of the best innocent expressions on record.

Even in such a short time, life has begun to return to the river.  A couple of days ago, I spotted the first dragonfly of the year.

The next day, there was a hopeful egret fishing on the riverbank.

He spotted me quickly, and stretched his neck to examine me more closely.

I don’t think there is a living creature as snowy white as an egret.  I wish I could have caught him a moment later, when he took off.

As long as there is water down there, the creatures will continue to come back.  I wish I thought it would be around longer, but at least we’re getting some recharge, and the burned-out trees are getting a drink.

And the dogs are having a wonderful time.  There are little piles of sand all over the house again, marking where a wet dog dried out.  It’s a good thing we have a powerful vacuum cleaner.

When I looked out this morning, I saw something I hadn’t seen in a long time — fog rising off the river.

It’s a rather eerie sight.

It hasn’t been around for a long time, simply because you need water to have fog.

It never lasts for long.  As the sun rises it turns translucent.

And takes on the colors of dawn.

Soon it’s gone.  It’ll return, though, as long as there’s water in the river.  We don’t know how long that will be, but we’ll enjoy it while it lasts!

Yesterday four of Billy’s boyhood friends came to visit.

From the left, Clarence, Billy, Jackson, and Buzzy.  All of them are in their mid to late seventies, except Billy at eighty.  They were kids riding at the stables in the fifties, when it belonged to Billy’s mother Irma.  Billy, a couple of years older, was the “man” in charge — except when Irma was around.

One thing that I noticed; when they walked in, all of them were old men.  Their voices were a bit rusty (except for Billy’s; he retains his rumble), and they were moving slowly.  As they talked and reminisced, though, I could almost see them growing younger.  By the time they left, they were much more like the brash young men they had been.  The visit did them all good.

There’s nothing quite like old friends.

I spent yesterday morning shopping at WalMart, which I do once in a while when I have a bunch of little things I need (like Metamucil, so important to those of us over seventy).  I had a good time browsing around, bought what I needed plus a couple of pots of bulbs, and came home.

This morning I needed to go get some gas, so I started looking for my purse.  I looked . . . and I looked . . . and I looked some more.

Finally I had to admit it wasn’t there.

It hasn’t been all that long since my purse was stolen with everything in it, and I really didn’t want to go through that again.  At least we don’t use credit cards, nor any kind of cards except library, but there was the fun of getting a new driver’s license.  Not.  And my cell phone must have been in my pocket, so it wasn’t gone.  The last time I used it, I remembered, was to take a picture of some pansies at WalMart.  Really pretty pansies . . .

It was then I realized where I must have left it.

I got on the phone right away, hoping against hope that it had been turned in . . . and it had!  Scott ran me up there, and I picked it up.  Someone had found it in the shopping cart and turned it in, with not a penny missing.

There are honest people left in the world.

Hmmm . . . those are very pretty pansies.  Maybe I should go back tomorrow and get some.

Or maybe not.