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You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Morning Garden Chat: California Spring

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: California Spring

by Anne Laurie|  March 6, 20164:17 am| 111 Comments

This post is in: Garden Chats

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scout211 mar 16 foothillpoppy

From loyal garden commentor Scout211:

Spring is here in the wilds of Northern California. We have had a few weeks of sunny and warm weather. Hopefully, the El Nino hasn’t completely passed us by but so far, it has been very weak. We are expecting rain this weekend but we need so much more.

The little yellow wild flowers are California Foothill Poppies. They are a tinier, yellower version of the California Poppy. They grow mostly in foothill locations.

scout211 mar 16 bluedicks

The purple wild flowers with long stems are Blue Dicks. They grow everywhere on our property and we look forward to them every Spring.

scout211 mar 16 ohenrypeach

This is one of our O’Henry peaches. They are really delicious, and the blossoms are very pretty.

***********
More photos after the jump. What’s going on in your garden (plans) this week?

scout211 mar 16 rosemary

The bush with little purple flowers is Rosemary. We have many Rosemary plants and the bees just love the little purple flowers. The leaves work great as a fresh herb in many dishes.

scout211 mar 16 apricots

Our apricot tree already has fruit. Lots of fruit.

scout211 mar 16 paulownia

I think this is a Paulownia Tree but if anyone knows better, feel free to add your guess to the comments.

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Reader Interactions

111Comments

  1. 1.

    Mary G

    March 6, 2016 at 4:37 am

    We haven’t had as much rain in SoCal as I had hoped. We’re supposed to get about half an inch in the next couple of days, starting in two hours. but nothing shows up on radar yet. I love rosemary and wildflowers especially California poppies.

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 5:00 am

    Nice Scout, very nice. Here in the heart of Mudistan, everything is ready to burst into Spring, but only the crocuses have been brave enough to venture forth. In a couple weeks I fully expect the gooseberries to be dappling our hillsides with white blossoms, but for now, it is mud, mud, and more mud. We have another major rain event forecast for Tue thru Thur. As of right now they aren’t forecast to be as bad as the New Years rains were, but only time will tell for sure.

  3. 3.

    seaboogie

    March 6, 2016 at 6:02 am

    Well – plenty of rain in NorCal, and I just woke up because a big oak tree fell over and landed on my cottage roof and also on my landlady’s roof. Shocking way to wake up and now hard to sleep. Everyone is okay, though…

  4. 4.

    SuperHrefna

    March 6, 2016 at 6:23 am

    We’re supposed to get more snow today ( though I don’t think it will accumulate) so the garden is definitely still dormant. I’ve heard local friends tell me that they have crocuses, but we have so many nibbling deer in our garden I’m not surprised I haven’t seen any of ours…

  5. 5.

    PurpleGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 6:32 am

    @seaboogie: Glad you’re okay. Any physical damage to the roof?

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 6:34 am

    @seaboogie: That’ll get the ole heart a-thumpin’.

  7. 7.

    seaboogie

    March 6, 2016 at 6:38 am

    @PurpleGirl: my roof seems fine. Some damage next door though.

  8. 8.

    seaboogie

    March 6, 2016 at 6:41 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: No kidding!! Woke up with a start and the only thing I knew was that something BIG just happened or was happening. Kind of end of the world-ish.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    March 6, 2016 at 6:42 am

    Ugh. Can’t believe it’s already March.

  10. 10.

    Baud

    March 6, 2016 at 6:53 am

    @seaboogie: Glad you are safe.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 6:56 am

    Normally I would say, “Don’t hold your breath waiting for Republicans to take environmental issues serious.” but in this case, maybe you SoCal folks should hold your breath.

    On Friday, Southern California’s air quality board voted during a closed-door meeting to forcefully roll back pollution regulations in favor of regulations backed by oil refineries and other polluters. At the same time, the board also voted to dismiss their executive officer Barry Wallerstein, who had presided over the board since 1997.

    BillinGlendale picked a hell of a week to expand his hiking.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    March 6, 2016 at 6:58 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    How did Republicans take control of a SoCal board?

  13. 13.

    Gindy51

    March 6, 2016 at 7:13 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Who is getting paid off?

  14. 14.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 7:13 am

    @Baud: We will have to ask Bill, but I suspect it has something to do with industry money and a low turn out local election. You know, the kind you can’t get a Dem to show up for, under pain of death.

  15. 15.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 7:19 am

    @Gindy51: Why the 7 Republican board members of course, you silly girl. Certainly not the 5 Dems and 1 Independent who voted against these actions.

  16. 16.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 7:22 am

    Mornin’. It snowed all day yesterday in Detroit but not much and it won’t last long. Should be above freezing all week. That’s fine with me because I’m over this winter stuff and ready to move on.

    17th wedding anniversary today. Roses, candy and greeting card ready for Mrs. Thunder when she wakes up.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    March 6, 2016 at 7:23 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: So strange for that area, although San Diego is Republican.

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Congratulations!

  18. 18.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 6, 2016 at 7:24 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Nope, too much rain.

  19. 19.

    satby

    March 6, 2016 at 7:26 am

    Beautiful flowers Scout211, thanks for sharing! Hoping the rains do douse California enough to catch up a bit on what’s needed. Here in SWMI it will be the last day in the 40s for the next two weeks, so spring may start to get underway soon. I see the beginnings of tulips and daffodils peeking up, but otherwise it’s the usual ugly mud and downed branches after winter.

  20. 20.

    satby

    March 6, 2016 at 7:26 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Happy Anniversary!

  21. 21.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 6, 2016 at 7:32 am

    @Baud: Easy, per Wikipedia the Board consists of elected officials from the cities and counties that compose the district. The one member from the 5 kings(LA Board of Supervisors) is a Republican, so when you add in members from conservative San Berdu, Riverside, and the OC…

    ETA: I may do some hiking in Griffith Park on Tuesday when we get a break in the rain.

  22. 22.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 7:32 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Happy Anniversary!

    @satby: Are you feeling better?

  23. 23.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 7:32 am

    @Baud: @satby:

    Thank you. The two of us cranky eccentrics staying together for 17 years is the matrimonial equivalent of an 80 foot jump shot. Improbable in the extreme, can’t believe it worked but worth cheering for anyway.

  24. 24.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 6, 2016 at 7:37 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Congrats.

    @satby: Hope you’re feeling better, my neighbor was in the hospital for 2 weeks with that stuff.

  25. 25.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 6, 2016 at 7:40 am

    Beautiful flowers. I’m hoping the snow we got last week melts today.

  26. 26.

    Raven

    March 6, 2016 at 7:46 am

    Nice pix! Spring is bustin out ion North Georgia. I sent in picutres from yesterday but too late. I got 3/4 of the sidewalk done and will finish today. My buddy Who used polymetric sand said he wouldn’t do it again so I’m goinf to sweep the crushed granite in and go with that.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    March 6, 2016 at 7:51 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks. That sucks.

  28. 28.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    March 6, 2016 at 7:59 am

    Watching “Black Mass”. Am weirded out by Cumberbatch doing a Beantown accent.

  29. 29.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 6, 2016 at 8:01 am

    @Baud: Pretty much, I also think there’s quit a bit of anger here in Southern CA about gas prices. They are consistently higher than the rest of the country by $0.50 to $1.00 and they just went up about $0.30 more due to the switch to summer blend.

    To expound on my hiking schedule; I’ll try to get out Tuesday, but my first priority next week is sending my second camera out to be converted to full spectrum. I bought a used NX300(my primary camera is the newer NX500) on Ebay to convert to full spectrum. It has lower resolution(20mp compared to 28mp) but all my lens work with(including the 3d lens).

    ETA: Wow, almost an inch of rain tonight(0.95in)?.

  30. 30.

    Zinsky

    March 6, 2016 at 8:05 am

    It’s too early for spring in Minnesota, but it’s happening anyway! Supposed to be in the 50s today and the snow is nearly gone. Isolated patches of grass are looking green. It’s kinda scary and definitely abnormal. This is more like mid-April weather. The big downside is that I will need to start mowing my lawn soon, which sucks. I have almost a half-acre in my back yard, which takes about three hours with a push mower. Ugh. This may be the year I break down and buy a John Deere yard tractor.

  31. 31.

    satby

    March 6, 2016 at 8:16 am

    @JPL: @BillinGlendaleCA: I am better thanks! Zombie day and antibiotics have worked, today I go get the girls and get back to normal. I was lucky I realized early it was turning into pneumonia, but then with asthma I’m kind of used to it.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 8:17 am

    @Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class: Johnny Depp was down right creepy, in the role of Whitey.

  33. 33.

    tybee

    March 6, 2016 at 8:17 am

    @Zinsky:

    i have a large yard (roughly an acre) and since i didn’t need to plow, push, dig or anything else with a mower, i bought a snapper 28″ riding mower 20 years ago. all it does is cut grass and it’s still doing that. and it was a LOT cheaper than a lawn tractor was.

  34. 34.

    debbie

    March 6, 2016 at 8:17 am

    Scout211, is your spring ahead of schedule or does it usually begin by the end of February?

  35. 35.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 8:25 am

    Although I have close to an acre, only a fraction is lawn. I like it that way. The weeds are terrible this year though.

  36. 36.

    Zinsky

    March 6, 2016 at 8:26 am

    @tybee: I will look at that. Snapper is dependable? Toro makes a decent small riding lawnmower too.

  37. 37.

    satby

    March 6, 2016 at 8:29 am

    @JPL: I was considering letting the back 1/2 of my lawn go, at slightly over an acre it’s too much for my push mower and I can’t afford the guy I used to have cut it.

  38. 38.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 8:33 am

    @Zinsky:

    This may be the year I break down and buy a John Deere yard tractor.

    I used to service those when I was the equipment engineer for a school district. We abused them for pushing snow and dragging trailers full of athletic equipment. Ours all used the great 500cc Kawasaki horizontal V-twin engines, which are bulletproof. Despite reckless operation, minimal maintenance and long idle periods I had few repair issues. They’re solid. Recently as an industrial machine engineer I worked in the Deere plant in Ottumwa. Lots of respect for the company based on that experience.
    But they’re pretty costly for only cutting grass. If you have no other uses for it, a plain rider mower may suit you at a lower cost.

  39. 39.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 8:44 am

    @satby: You can use google earth. It takes me about thirty minutes to mow, and my next door neighbor hours. Fortunately, it was that way when I purchased the house, but I would have carved out large areas for plants and trees, if not.

  40. 40.

    Zinsky

    March 6, 2016 at 8:46 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: My dad, may he rest in peace, retired from the John Deere tractor works in Waterloo Iowa about 30 years ago. He always said they were the best engineered and manufactured machines on the planet. If I buy a John Deere, it will be as much to honor my wonderful, late father (a union man and lifelong Democrat) as anything. We also get a lot of snow here in Minnesota to push or blow in the winter too!

  41. 41.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 8:51 am

    @Zinsky:
    My late mother was the office manager for a Deere dealer in our small town. It was a respectable company and I trust them now. Pushing snow is no sweat for those 19HP Kawasakis.

  42. 42.

    bemused

    March 6, 2016 at 8:54 am

    Is it true that newer dishwashers regular wash cycles take longer to finish due to better energy efficiency? Our current many years old dishwasher seems to take forever and a day to run through a normal cycle and we are probably due to get a new one.

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 8:56 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: I have abused the hell out of mine in the 5 years I’ve had it and my only difficulty has been keeping the mice out of it. They have a particular taste for the wiring.

  44. 44.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    March 6, 2016 at 8:58 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I had that problem with my car, warm and dry and tasty wiring. We got over 1.5 inches of rain tonight!

  45. 45.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:00 am

    Looking forward to seeing the Downtown finale tonight, but I made the mistake of checking my local PBS station’s website for the schedule. Clicked on “Downton Abbey” and the idiots gave away every spoiler. Now I won’t be surprised.

    I’ll still watch it, but I wish I hadn’t clicked the link. Why do they do this?

  46. 46.

    Scout211

    March 6, 2016 at 9:00 am

    @Zinsky:

    We’ve been researching lawm tractors for the past several years. We have 5 acres and currently have a Kubota subcompact tractor with a mower attachment and a DR walk behind string trimmer for the smaller areas.

    We were researching the lawn tractors and were very disappointed in the reviews for the John Deere lawn tractors that are currently sold. IIRC, they are not all made in the USA anymore and their quality is no better (or worse) than most brands sold out there. Like most brands, they use different brand engines in different models so you have to be very careful to research each engine for quality.

    We ended up pushing the decision to next year. We love our Kubota subcompact tractor, though.

  47. 47.

    satby

    March 6, 2016 at 9:01 am

    @Zinsky: My neighbors all swear by them.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 9:01 am

    Wonderful photos! It does the heart good to see all that happy springtime activity. I know spring will get here eventually, but seeing those photos helps me really believe it!

  49. 49.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 9:02 am

    @bemused: Yes. Mine takes two hours. Newer washing machines also take longer, but dries in half the time.

  50. 50.

    tybee

    March 6, 2016 at 9:02 am

    @Zinsky:
    mine is over 20 years old and has had nothing but oil and filter changes, well i did have to buy a front tire when the kid ran over a root during a turn and split the sidewall. proper inflation would have prevented it but teenagers….

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 9:03 am

    @Germy: bastards!

    edit: I try to say that once a day, it makes me feel better somehow. Thank you for this early morning opportunity!

  52. 52.

    Scout211

    March 6, 2016 at 9:04 am

    @debbie: @debbie:

    Late February/early March is not unusual for where we live in NorCal. We are on the edge of the foothills so we don’t get more than a few days of freezing temps in the winter.

  53. 53.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:04 am

    I used to work with a guy who got tired of mowing his lawn and found an old scythe from his grandfather’s barn. Had it sharpened and swore by it. But he was insane.

  54. 54.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:05 am

    @WaterGirl: I say that once a day as well! I usually say it in a loud stage-whisper: “Bastards!” There’s always some fresh outrage somewhere in my world.

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    March 6, 2016 at 9:06 am

    @Germy:
    Ah, but did he ever pose with it as The Grim Reaper?

  56. 56.

    WereBear

    March 6, 2016 at 9:06 am

    Chilling on the couch, enjoying a lovely late winter morning, and the cats are watching one of their “birdie movies” on the Chromebook with lots of cheeping and wind sounds. Delightful.

    And then a commercial for PooPouri comes on, and it is hugely loud and incredibly disgusting and it will not stop. Even when the bird movie returns, it is like they have the song on infinite loop.

    RJ is sad. His bird movie is ruined. I shut the sound off but he’s lost interest.

  57. 57.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 9:07 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    The only storage problem we had with ours is if they were put away salty the shock absorber ‘damper’ on the throttle pedal would seize up from corrosion and keep the pedal from moving. It’s a dumb thing to disable a whole machine. And it’s a [email protected] to get at and disconnect. Solution: a blast of LPS rust inhibitor spray once a year to coat the bare metal shaft. Other than that, trouble free.
    Also, mice don’t like mothballs. A handful in a cheesecloth bag may keep them out.

  58. 58.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 9:08 am

    @Scout211: Your pictures are beautiful.

  59. 59.

    WereBear

    March 6, 2016 at 9:08 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Congrats!

  60. 60.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:08 am

    @Amir Khalid: Would have been the perfect halloween costume accessory. I’ve never used a scythe; it must be tough on the arm.

  61. 61.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:10 am

    @WereBear: Our cat will watch TV if there are animals on it. Anything with four legs: dogs, horses, wolves. But as soon as humans appear, she loses interest.

    She likes watching birds on TV if there’s a nature program.

    She also watches us. Now and then I’ll see her staring at me from across the room. Sometimes wide-eyed, and sometimes I get a sleepy-eyed look of love.

  62. 62.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 9:13 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA: I have the same issue in my truck. (not my wife’s car tho, I think she is bribing them with peanut butter). I may have found the answer, little sachets of aromatic wood chips that they apparently do not like. I’ve got 2 in the JD’s engine compartment and 4 stashed in the trucks. We’ll see if it works.

    1.5 inches of rain!!! WOO HOO!!! Your reservoirs must be getting close to 35%! Of course, here of late 1.5 inches would be called “a heavy dew” around here.

  63. 63.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    March 6, 2016 at 9:14 am

    @JPL:

    Jesus, the steak scene. Gives me chills.

  64. 64.

    bemused

    March 6, 2016 at 9:24 am

    @JPL:

    Ours seems to take a lot longer but we’ll wait for it to die a gasping death as we do with all the appliances, waiting way too long to switch out. We just had to get a new washing machine and so far I’m loving that the regular cotton cycle is so much shorter in time length, spins more water out of load and gets the clothing cleaner.

    @Zinsky:

    Oy. Long, sweaty work with a push lawn mower. We live in the country with a lot of lawn for spouse to mow. He bought a new John Deere last year, a D type, and he’s pretty happy that he can finish mowing in much less time. The old riding lawnmower was only about 25 years old.

    He won’t have to mow lawn for a long time yet here in the northern part of MN. We still have several inches of snow cover on the ground. Spring weather comes about two weeks later here than in balmy southern MN.

  65. 65.

    PurpleGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 9:24 am

    @Germy: It takes a little manipulation of the time function but I checked WNET’s schedule for tonight through the Time Warner Cable TV listings. There’s a BAFTA special about the show at 8 pm, the show at 9-10:30, and then a 1/2-hour PBS farewell at 10:30.

  66. 66.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 9:26 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: I have used mothballs for anti critter work many times over the years, but trying to avoid them in this instance because I am unsure what kind of chemical armegeddon might be loosed when they inevitably escape. Probably not all that much (“the solution to pollution is dilution”) but trying these sachets first.

  67. 67.

    WaterGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 9:29 am

    @Germy: “…sometimes I get a sleepy-eyed look of love.”

    That’s the best. The absolute best. sigh.

  68. 68.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:30 am

    @PurpleGirl: That’s what I learned, but in the process the stupid local station revealed all the spoilers. We’ll still watch the whole thing, including the specials. Mrs. Shoemangler didn’t read the spoilers, so she’ll be surprised.

    She was screaming last week when Doc Martin was attacked and bitten by a large dog. She is not comfortable with large dogs (she was bitten many years ago) and in our neighborhood inconsiderate dog walkers use those loooong extension leashes, and the hounds accost her. Last year, during a walk, a young lady rode her bike with a BIG dog on an extension leash pulling her along. The dog jumped up on its hind legs and pushed my wife down on the ground.

    I told the young lady (nicely) that she should walk the dog, rather than the other way around.

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 9:36 am

    @Germy:

    and sometimes I get a sleepy-eyed look of love.

    Are you sure that’s not a look of hunger?

  70. 70.

    rikyrah

    March 6, 2016 at 9:36 am

    Good Morning ?, Everyone ?

  71. 71.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:40 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: No, when it’s hunger I get a raspy, annoyed chirp and the wide eye.

    The sleepy look is after she’s enjoyed her turkey paté and a nice petting.

  72. 72.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 9:40 am

    @Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class: The president of World Jai Alai at the time of Wheeler’s death, is someone that I know. He took over the position after Callahan resigned.

  73. 73.

    Dmbeaster

    March 6, 2016 at 9:42 am

    @Baud: How did Republicans get control of the South Coast AQMD? The SCAQMD covers all of Orange County and the non-desert parts of LA, Riverside and San Bernardino. The Board members are not elected. 10 are officials from the counties and three are appointed by the state. The seven Republicans are from the conservative counties (Orange, Riversie and San Bernardino) and one from LA County (Mike Antonovich), a conservative jerk from the desert north part of LA County that is not in the SCAQMD. The representation is not based on population in the affected areas. The swing to Republican control occurred recently when Orange County dumped its Dem for a Repub. Time for LA County to do the same and replace of Antonovich

  74. 74.

    Iowa Old Lady

    March 6, 2016 at 9:47 am

    @Zinsky: Mr IOL is an engineer at the Product Engineering Center in Waterloo.

  75. 75.

    PurpleGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 9:50 am

    @Germy: I detest those extensions leashes. I also get, well not quite scared but concerned a dog on an extension will find its way under/between my legs and make me fall.

    My friends in Peekskill with all the dogs used a leather 6-foot lead for each dog. If a dog didn’t obey the walker (Nick, Deb or I) we would turn abruptly and go in the opposite direction. You can’t do that with an extension leash. The idea was to make the dog keep watching your legs and follow you. And this worked with the Doberman quite well; the retired racing grayhounds not so much. I see lots of people with large dogs who have no control over their dogs and it bothers me.

  76. 76.

    ruemara

    March 6, 2016 at 9:53 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Congratulations!

    About to take off for Vegas! No spring blooms here.

  77. 77.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 9:54 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    napthalene or paradichlorobenzene. Not good stuff to breathe a lot of. But fairly harmless in small doses. If it smells strong, air it out until it’s faint is the usual action. They say camphor is effective against rodents as well. Pretty much impossible to keep them out altogether.

  78. 78.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 9:56 am

    Beautiful photos, Scout!

    Holy crap Mary Matalin just popped up on my teevee. At first I thought they had invited a cast member from Lord of the Rings in full costume. Is Elfin plastic surgery a thing now?

  79. 79.

    debbie

    March 6, 2016 at 9:56 am

    @Germy:

    Even worse are those invisible fences. When I walk the neighborhood (I too was bitten by a large dog; you never get past the reflex of fear), and a dog comes rushing at me, I’m never sure if it will stop or crash through the perimeter.

  80. 80.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:56 am

    @PurpleGirl: I worry about my wife when she goes jogging. Last week, she encountered a woman walking a large dog on an extension. My wife jogged off the sidewalk to the side of the road to avoid the dog, and the woman let the dog run after her. So my wife ran into the street.

    And never mind leashes! Once we were walking on a trail (signs all over: “Dogs Must Be Kept On Leashes”) and a woman rode her bike by with her (big) dog trotting alongside her (no leash of course). The dog ran up to us to sniff our asses and crotches. How cute!

    Of course there were also “Pick Up After Your Dog” signs everywhere, and poop bag dispensers, but oddly enough there was dogshit all over the trail.

    I like dogs, but some of them need better human companions.

  81. 81.

    Phylllis

    March 6, 2016 at 9:57 am

    @Baud: Read Dark Money by Jane Mayer.

  82. 82.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 9:57 am

    @debbie: Oh yeah, we had a neighbor years ago with an “invisible fence” and our yard was always full of dogshit.

  83. 83.

    PurpleGirl

    March 6, 2016 at 10:07 am

    @Germy: Yes, so many human companions have no idea of how to treat and/or train their animals. Hugo — the Doberman — was Nick’s from when he was a puppy so Nick trained him not jump up on people when meeting them. Hugo’s alternative was race around a person he was happy to see, but he did not jump up onto a person.

    Nick’s house was on a standard 1/10 acre lot and he had a 6-foot wire fence put up around the backyard area. He also had a dog-door in the downstairs sliding doors so Hugo and the grayhounds could go outside themselves. When we walked them, it was to walk them not necessarily for them to releave themselves.

  84. 84.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 10:10 am

    @PurpleGirl:

    Yes, so many human companions have no idea of how to treat and/or train their animals.

    Someone at a Trump rally forced their poor service dog to take the Trumpmania pledge:
    http://www.chaunceydevega.com/2016/03/trumpmania-on-super-saturday-service.html

  85. 85.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    March 6, 2016 at 10:22 am

    @JPL:

    The world can be a very small place.

  86. 86.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 10:23 am

    I have on MTP and Mary Matalin is on. Is something wrong with her? Her mouth barely moves. When I was in the process of purchasing my house, the owner asked for a delay in the counter offer, because of a bad botox treatment. hmmm I always wondered what that meant.

  87. 87.

    The Gray Adder

    March 6, 2016 at 10:24 am

    Well, the ground is still frozen up here in central NY. That’s about to change, and the ground will become a sea of mud. Maybe I get the dirt turned over, or maybe it’s the consistency and weight of wet concrete and I give up as it’s no use. Spring will arrive soon enough, though.

  88. 88.

    Amir Khalid

    March 6, 2016 at 10:26 am

    @Germy:
    Tsk, tsk. Animals should not be forced to take a position on human politics.

  89. 89.

    Davis X. Machina

    March 6, 2016 at 10:26 am

    @Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class: Youv’e seen Seth movie parody trailer ‘Boston Accent’, I presume?

  90. 90.

    WereBear

    March 6, 2016 at 10:27 am

    We got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers that you plug into the wall for the in laws’ summer cabin. Works well.

  91. 91.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 10:27 am

    @The Gray Adder: I was raised in north central MA and there’s nothing like walking down the street and have a car speed by leaving splatters of mud all over you.

  92. 92.

    Germy

    March 6, 2016 at 10:32 am

    @WereBear:

    We got one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers that you plug into the wall for the in laws’ summer cabin.

    I was thinking of buying one of those, but I was concerned it might drive our cat mad.

  93. 93.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    March 6, 2016 at 10:35 am

    @Davis X. Machina:

    God, that was hysterical. Laughed my ass off.

  94. 94.

    bemused

    March 6, 2016 at 10:35 am

    @Germy:

    True of children as well. Kids need better adult human companions.

  95. 95.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 6, 2016 at 10:38 am

    @Germy: I’m never sure. It always looks to me like my cat is plotting my demise.

  96. 96.

    Mike in NC

    March 6, 2016 at 10:42 am

    @JPL: What is wrong with Mary Matalin? Pretty much everything.

  97. 97.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 10:44 am

    @Germy:

    Dogs not leashed on trails is a huge problem for me. People always say their dogs are friendly but they aren’t aware of how they might behave when they come across a leashed dog they don’t know and without their owner present. I had two big dogs come up on me aggressively so my dog, who is much smaller, went into protective mode and then the other dogs became even more aggressive and tried to corner us. When the owner finally came along he acted like my dog was the problem. Then he pulled the where are you from as if the woods were his. I was so mad at that point. These are marked trails with rules including dogs must be leashed at all times.

  98. 98.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 10:47 am

    @JPL:

    See my comment above. I thought she was a Lord of the Rings cast member in full costume and prosthetic makeup. Wowza but why do people pay to do that to their faces? Can’t we just age like we are supposed to? She’s an accomplished woman so why try and erase her life from her face?

  99. 99.

    JPL

    March 6, 2016 at 10:50 am

    @MomSense: Sad. I was shocked by how little her mouth moved.

  100. 100.

    delk

    March 6, 2016 at 10:51 am

    @PurpleGirl: I see so many people here take their dogs for a ‘drag’ each day.

    Poor dogs have been locked up in a condo for 8-10 hours and when their owners come home they take them out and are either texting or talking on their cell phones. As soon as the dog pees and poops they drag them back home. Total time outside less than 5 minutes.

    It’s like taking kids to the gates of Disneyland but not letting them go in.

  101. 101.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    March 6, 2016 at 10:54 am

    @MomSense:
    Same thing happened to us. Walking our small dog on a leash as required and cornered by two LARGE unleashed dogs. We climbed a picnic table for safety and I gave the dog owner an earful. No apology, even though his animals were aggressive and unrestrained.
    A ‘friendly’ dog that’s friendly toward the owner often treats strange people and animals differently. They don’t get that.

  102. 102.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 10:55 am

    @Davis X. Machina:

    That was wicked pissah!

  103. 103.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 11:00 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder:

    It is dangerous. My smaller dog is almost 60 pounds and the other dogs were quite bit larger. My dog puffed herself up and started growling after her initial approach of wagging her tail and being friendly was rejected.

    Even though my dog is leashed, I always step off the trail and hold her close to me when I hear other people coming. Some people are really afraid of dogs so I think it is more considerate to let them decide if they want to meet a new dog or not.

  104. 104.

    MomSense

    March 6, 2016 at 11:02 am

    @JPL:

    Her eyebrows were at the top of her forehead!

  105. 105.

    J R in WV

    March 6, 2016 at 12:07 pm

    @seaboogie:

    Similar experience 40 years ago.

    We had bought an older home in a nice neighborhood when we first moved to this area, and one day lightning hit the big oak tree on the fence line. It knocked a big (18″ thick) limb off the tree, which fell onto our tiled roof. The flash and crashing sounds, along with the house shivering and moving, I though a bomb had gone off.

    We had a hard time finding a roofer who would replace the ceramic tile, the insurance co wanted 3 competing bids, but when I finally found a guy who could do it, they said go ahead, and then were surprised it was more expensive than asphalt shingles. Duh!

  106. 106.

    Princess

    March 6, 2016 at 12:35 pm

    @MomSense: This is incredibly shallow but I first began to warm up to Hillary when I was at a small fundraiser she did for Obama (really for her own debt) in Autumn 2008. I was up close to her, and I could see that she had had no work done on her face. I liked that she was comfortable in her own skin in every sense.

  107. 107.

    Bob In Portland

    March 6, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    California poppies are orange.

  108. 108.

    Scout211

    March 6, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    @Bob In Portland:

    Yes, California Poppies are orange and much larger than California Foothill Poppies, which are yellow.

  109. 109.

    wmd

    March 6, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    we got a half a foot yesterday here in the Santa Cruz mountains. But the snow pack fell behind normal last month (after being above normal most of the season). I’m hoping the update later this week shows us close to 100% for the full season, as this weekends storms carried a lot of water and did make it to the Sierras.

  110. 110.

    Bill_D

    March 6, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    @Bob In Portland: Eschscholzia californica vs. E. caespitosa- two different species. The latter is not well known to the larger populace, even in California, but is just as beautiful in its own way.

  111. 111.

    Atticus Dogsbody

    March 6, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    I never look forward to a blue dick.

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