The wind was blowing hard today, so I took a break and went to town.
There was a gust today of 51 mph although the average has been in the low 30s. The temperature only got to 72°.
Next T/W/Th will be hot again, but the trend is down.
Weather in other places seems to be extremely wet (Jackson, Miss. and Pakistan) or extremely dry (France wine country and the Horn of Africa) . The hurricane season that was predicted to be “active” has, so far, been non-existent. The peak is usually in early September.
I did clean up a pile of old brush where I need to mow. And I cut a little more that was blocking an entry into the “swamp.” About half of the stuff, I will eventually burn in the stove. I need to find a place for the rest, so I don’t have a subsequent cleanup project.
Two bird sightings this week were interesting. A brood, or maybe three, of baby quail trekked across the front ramp.
This photo from the web is a single family.
There were so many skittering across the ramp, I will guess 2 dozen little ones and several adults.
The other sighting was Turkey Vultures in the early morning.
I saw one sail into view and land on a branch of a dead tree. The tree is just southwest of the house and about 150 feet away. My photo is from the back door; hand held, so not as sharp as desirable.
Anyway, there were 6, one to the lower left in a different tree. The close-up is from the web.
The visitors stayed about 2 hours. First 3 left and then the next time I looked they were all gone. From my viewpoint I could not see if they were up nearby and searching, or whether they headed for another area.
Other news:
#1: A year ago I ordered a new dash console for the truck. With the Covid Panic and backup at the LA Port there was a delay. Each time the local dealer checked the answer was “2 months.” That unit was finally classed as “back ordered” and a slightly different one was available. We sent a photo of my dash and If the one that is now in LA will work, it will be here in a week. Fingers crossed – I will soon have hand-free iPhone (Bluetooth) in my vehicle.
Sunday is a bottling day at the winery. A small batch only.
Then lunch. I’ll be gone from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.
From the Naneum Fan
John