Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
Christmas week was dry, with temperatures averaging above normal. The garden soil is very workable, especially in the afternoon after the sun breaks through the dense fog. The lawn grasses are semi-dormant, with a curious pattern of patches of green and brown grass. There’s enough soil moisture for the poppies to start sprouting. I took a chance that the road construction in front of my home was finished with grade work on the right-of-way, so I planted poppy seeds there as I’ve done for years. I’ve also cleaned up and prepared large flower pots that contained ornamental sweet potato vines for my antique petunias, which will bloom in winter and spring. Most of the native oaks, except for the live oaks, have lost all their leaves.