Taylor Ridge

The mist was just clearing over Taylor Mountain this morning as my friend Fran and I walked through a carpet of yellow flowers. There are a few flowers that bloom even after the grass has turned brown and there has been no rain for several months. Bright blue chicory, these tiny yellow daisy-like flowers, and most amazing of all, pink ladies. We have quite a stand of these bright pink amaryllis in the gully running through our field.  The thing that distinguishes all of these varieties is that they have very little or no foliage, which is probably what allows them to bloom in such dry conditions.

Fran and I are well matched hiking partners. We are both used to bringing up the rear, we are in agreement on many things....college essays, politics, and the fact that we don't want to discuss Donald Trump, or  physical ailments. Despite the fact that she is an East Coast transplant and I am a native Californian, we have a lot to talk about. OilMan is mystified by the way women can talk to each other for hours without running out of things to say.

Our garden is overflowing with tomatoes of every size and description, thanks to our visit to the Harvest for the Hungry plant sale in April. Our gardening friend,Tobi is coming for dinner tonight and I am giving her a ratatouille made from the tomatoes from the plants she gave us. I hope it's not like taking coals to Newcastle.

We are trying to redesign the area where the palm trees and giant agave were, but it is proving to be a bit difficult since we want to get the house painted, but have yet to pin down the house painter on a date and can't really plant anything against the house until it is painted. OilMan bought a lime tree yesterday, based on a conversation with the produce guy in the market in Fallbrook. He grows them and sells them in the market. Most of the limes in the markets come from Mexico and aren't very juicy, but I think the real reason OilMan wants one is because it is called a 'Bearss' lime tree. It doesn't take much imagination to guess what he calls it....