It is raining steadily here for the first time months. While we have enjoyed a few cooler days recently, most of the summer has been relentlessly sunny, translated as hot and dry. So why wouldn’t I run out into the rain screaming for joy? Why am I staying holed up in my house unwilling to get my little footsies wet?

I don’t know. If I get myself worked up for a stroll, I’ll come back and add something. In the meantime, I am cozy and dry resisting the outside.

At the end of my walk, I returned home to find four crows in the yard and the street. They clearly were enjoying a repast of something, though I couldn’t tell what it was. Did someone drop bread for them? Maybe something spilled headed for the dumpster? I couldn’t tell. Then I heard a cawing overheard. I looked up and saw eight crows on the roof of our house all eating the same tasty morsels. Suddenly one of them dropped the snack and it rolled down the roof and onto the deck. Ah! Small apples! Now I understood how those rogue fruits found their way into our small garden! Thanks fellas.

What a good walk…I made a new friend!  The white and gray cat up the way came out yesterday and today for a good ear scratch.  She seems sweet and does like the attention.  I confess that I enjoyed it too.

On my walk this morning the verticality of the dried grasses along the path was particularly striking. The stalks are dry now, brown and crisp. The seeds wait at the top of the stalks, to be nibbled, to blow across the fields, to fall into the soil below. There is no vitality in the plants; the heat and dry has sapped them of life. But they are only on hiatus. Growth lies dormant. When conditions change and are right again, they will repeat the cycle.

Comforting, isn’t it?

New guys in the neighborhood…CHIPMUNKS!  I’m seeing them around in several areas along my walks.  Welcome, you cute little things.

For several days my internet connection has been wobbly so I haven’t been able to post about my walks.  I’ve noticed that without the structure of this personal commitment I soon lose what I have seen.  The nuance offered by each new day as I pass through the world, slips away and now a fews days later, nothing stands out in memory.

This is why it is important to write and to journal.  Attention to the world and the richness of its environs are a gift that I don’t want to waste.

I may have to revert to paper and pen waiting until later to post.  It will be worth it.

Today gave an uneventful walk as I went early and it is a Sunday.  Few people were out and all was quiet.  I noticed that the ant hills that had been active were dormant once again.  The flowering cactus has finished its showy stage and the grass flowers have completely disappeared.  Most of the roses are finished.  Flowers now are mostly in boxes on people’s decks.  It has been so hot and dry.  I wonder what will happen if it rains?  A rebirth?  I hope we get the opportunity to see soon.

Today the shocking discovery was a pile of hair lying on the sidewalk next to the split rail fence. The hair was about five inches long and chestnut in color. How did it happen to be there? I can’t imagine.

Today is supposed to be somewhere between 90 and 95 degrees F (30 to 35 degrees C), so I walked early when the temperature was about 65 degrees F. It is a great time of day to be outside…except for the sprinklers. With no warning, water will spray out, often in my direction. It presents an obstacle course of dousing spouts. I managed to evade several sprinklers but finally was soaked at leg level less than a block from the house. No matter: come afternoon, I’ll be looking for anything cool and refreshing.

This morning I stopped to pull a few weeds and water my flower bed before I headed out for my walk.  It was so pleasant out, cooler than usual.  As I toured my trail, I saw four colonies of ants in turmoil, massed on the sidewalks.  Is this the season for them to move house?  I also noticed that most of the yellow flowers I saw the other day on the grasses had disappeared; they must be short-lived.  Two small boys were out biking on the trail.  The larger one passed me several times eying me intently; I spoke but didn’t strike up a conversation.  The smaller one called to a toddler on his deck with his mom and baby sibling.  The toddler’s mom encouraged him to call back.  Learning to be a big kid, one act at a time.

Did you know that grasses make flowers? I didn’t until my walk today. I looked at the tall stalks of grass and hanging from the developing seeds, I saw small yellow flowers. Isn’t that amazing? Not exactly right for a bouquet, but beautiful nevertheless.

Here’s a picture:

It’s always a surprise to see what I find on my walks when I pay attention.

Today was action packed.  First, there were three skateboarders that came rolling down the hill behind me at a fast clip.  I stepped off the path to avoid being run over.  Second, the boulevard was diverted into one lane going the wrong way while some work was done on the opposite sidewalk.  I asked the road crewman what was going on and he said, “Don’t know.  They’re digging a hole and I’m just rerouting traffic.”  Third, I stopped in at the veterinarian’s office that had its backyard area covered in artificial turf then surrounded by a very tall fence.  I was curious what was being constructed.  I walked in and was met at the door by the vet (named Lee).  He explained it was a dog run with fancy turf that allows drainage, and then he took me back for a tour.  I was greeted by twenty dogs barking, yipping, and yapping; impressive.  Fourth, I met Betty who was sanding a bench that had been placed in memorial for a woman who died ten years ago.  It faces an impressive view along my walking route.  I wished her well and headed home.

The crack in the sidewalk was lined with ants, millions of them it seemed, with two large knots, one on each side.  Were they warring factions?  Was it a mass exodus to a new home?  I have no idea, but it was awesome to see so many tiny bodies piled on top of one another.

Come to think of it, I’m really glad they were so small.

Our neighbor is involved with the Homeowner’s Association and when I passed her on Friday she was replacing four fence posts for that had rotted at ground level.  It was quite a project as the old posts had cement poured around them meaning the new posts had to be refitted into old holes.  Today I see that the job is done and the posts are firmly in place.  She must have a great sense of satisfaction to have that job done.  Some of that pleasure even spilled over onto me since I knew of her task.  Vicarious experiences can be pleasant.

This morning was cloudy and cool but still the cactus are abloom!  Flat leafed and prickly, the low-to-the-ground plants have spectacular yellow flowers.  I hadn’t noticed before that there were so many of these plants.  Nothing like a showy blossom to get noticed in a field.