Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Wednesday Vignette; Agave flames

There's talk of the first soaking rains of the season hitting us this coming Sunday and Monday, as well as weather folks declaring this Monday was our "last 90 degree of the year!" With these proclamations I feel my favorite time of the year slipping away, another summer gone. It seems most everyone else here in Portland is thrilled at the idea, I wish I felt that way too. Instead I feel sad and grumpy, my "outdoor living" way of life is coming to an end...

Autumn can be lovely here, or it can be wet and miserable. Obviously it's too early to know what this year holds. As usual I'm no good at seeing Autumn as the separate stand-alone season that it is, instead it's the one that opens the door for the next one, winter. I still feel the sting of last winter. The cold and ice, and snow and ice, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Thinking about our January escape to Los Angeles — and how it may have quite literally saved my sanity — I realized I still haven't fully written about my visit to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. I find that when something touches me deeply (like wandering through this garden the day after leaving the snow behind at home did), I have a hard time revisiting, and writing, about it. No worries, I will eventually. In the mean time the "flames" of the Agave shawii at the RSABG seem like a fitting tribute to the many parts of the west that are still on fire, the ones that will benefit greatly from that rain. Plus seeing them again here makes my heart happy, just like seeing them there did...

Weather Diary, Sept 12: Hi 86, Low 59/ Precip 0

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2017 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

23 comments:

  1. Yes, you poor thing! My response to your first sentence was "Hallelujah! It's about time!" But I can understand your sense that autumn is the appetizer for the nasty meal that is winter, I used to feel that way when we lived in Massachusetts and every winter was a series of winter storms that dropped feet after feet of snow. Great shot of the Agaves!

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    1. I suppose the hilarious part for some would be how comparatively mild our winters can be, and yet I still dread them.

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  2. Your shot of the agaves is beautiful! Keep in mind that SoCal is always just a short plane ride away. Although it feels like autumn to us here today (our temperature is forecast to stay in the mid-70s for a few days), summer will make periodic reappearances, probably well into November - and even December heatwaves aren't unknown.

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    1. I don't even need a heat wave! Just sunshine and blue sky. Preferably warm enough to wear flip flops (which for me can even be the 60's). Didn't you say something about a guest bedroom???

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  3. Nice picture of the agave flames! I'll be happy for the rain because I'm tired of hand watering so much (also keeps strange folks from sitting on my steps to smoke and leave their trash.) It's nice that you have this happy place that you can at least mentally visit once winter comes.

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    1. I wonder if I can start a "send Loree to SoCal" fundraiser on GoFundMe?

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  4. You know I'm welcoming the cooler temperatures and rain with open arms, but I understand your feelings, too. Just this morning I went out for an early stroll in the garden and wondered why I hadn't been doing so all summer! Now there may not be much dry weather left in which to do that. But I'm tired of watering and I feel sorry for the native plants and firefighters. I approve of your agave flames. I just want an end to the other kind. Cooler, wetter weather will also help me focus on tasks I've been making slow progress on this summer.

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    1. If there is a silver lining to the season change it's the benefit for our natural areas. Now get out there every morning you can!

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  5. We are having beautiful sunny warm weather and I am trying to enjoy every minute of it. We need rain but the dry weather is letting me work outdoors where I can forget what's coming next.

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  6. Oooh - I love your Agave flames SO much more than those awful ones incinerating our forests at the moment. I'm in the "thank god it's almost over" camp. Of course it helps that I like winter, but seriously - working outside as much as I do in the summers totally sucks when you're a heat wimp like me. I feel a great sense of relief... As for the home of the flaming Agaves - with a name like that, it is bound to be fabulous - even if the spelled Santa Ana's name wrong. ;)

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    1. I'm so glad there are people like you who like winter, somebody needs to!

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  7. With fire raging in tens of thousands of acres not far away, only very partially contained, a soaking rain should be one of the most welcome weather events ever, yes?

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    1. There's a difference between "a soaking rain" and the "return of the rain"...a one-off event (or even two) would be welcomed, but far too often once it starts raining it just doesn't stop. For months.

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    2. Ah. Well, as urgently as rain is needed right now (I-84 is still closed, e.g.), here's hoping there'll be another stretch of clear weather after the fire's out.

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  8. I hear ya, Loree. Here in New England we have a great fall, but winter follows right behind it and it is LONG! It is hard not to push against this reality. ;)
    Nice photo - such teeth!

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  9. Yes, a fitting tribute. Those agaves are beautiful, too, and I echo what Anna K said about them. I'm with you re: the summer. We are having a warm-up after cool weather for a week. I'd like it to stay warm as long as possible! I get a little grumpy during the summer to fall transition, too. I feel your pain.

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    1. Hopefully you still have some San Diego photos to revisit during your long, painful, winter.

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  10. Gorgeous toothy agave! Unlike most of these responses, I am firmly in your camp, Loree. As I see the days get shorter and cooler, I know summer is drawing to a close and it makes me so sad. I keep trying to embrace autumn, but I know winter is not far behind so it's pretty grudging, that embrace.

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    1. I am relieved to hear you and I are still aligned in our thinking.

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  11. I feel the pain of autumn. I can't use the f word (fall) with joy like most people do. I completely get what you mean about the outdoor living feeling like it's coming to an end. But, I need someone else to still fly the summer banner and live in denial! I sat out on the patio last night with a glass of lemonade and again tonight it feels hot as the concrete blocks start to radiate the heat they've accumulated during the day. There's hope! No winter. Endless summer.

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