Callistemon

Even the name of this plant seems a bit celebratory.  It's common name, bottlebrush, definitely less so. It makes quite a backdrop for our bird feeders and reminds me of fireworks or sparklers, especially because of the effect of the light. Due to all the rain earlier, everything is bursting into copious bloom. An article on the front page of the newspaper told of record high pollen counts, not a good sign for allergy sufferers. but spectacular for the flowering plants. 

We had a visit from our former Berkeley neighbor, Susan, who now lives in Minneapolis but comes to the Bay Area every few months for life coaching training. We were pleased to meet her friend Craig, who came with her this time and took the extra picture of us at Trail House where we went for coffee this morning. They had been to Berkeley on the way to our house from the airport and Susan had shown him our side by side houses on Magnolia, both of which she thought looked rather unkempt and neglected. Our reminiscences were anything but as we remembered a rather vibrant neighborhood full of kids, and tried to figure out what has become of everyone.  We have only been gone for six years, but it seems like a lifetime. For Susan, who left home after college, it has been a lifetime.

OilMan planted green beans today. He commented that he enjoyed planting seeds that were big enough to see! I commented that there seemed to be considerably less fanfare and faffing involved than with tomatoes. The beans went directly into the ground with little more ceremony than erecting last year's trellis.

Our neighbors brought home their big basset hound named Hank from the veterinary hospital at UC Davis where he had emergency back surgery on Sunday. Cindy sent a picture of him being taken to their car in a doggy gurney...a sort of combination shopping cart and skateboard...Speedy recovery, Hank!