Wind, Rain, Sun and Pleasant Weather

Thank you for the wind and rain

and sun and pleasant weather,

Thank you for this our food

and that we are together.

Mennonite Blessing

Here at MuRefuge we use this blessing as a grace frequently when we share a meal with friends gathered around the dining room table. This year with the erratic weather pattens brought on by climate change the blessing seems so appropriate on a daily basis.

These past few weeks here in West Sonoma County we have had wonderfully warm, sunny days with temperatures nearing 70 degrees. Then came frosty nights with day temperatures barely getting out of the 40's. And snow was seen on the Coastal Mountain tops. How beautiful to see the steam arising from the Geysers, from whence our electricity here at MuRefuge comes, and the contrast of the white snow. Then a  weekend with showers and some hail in some areas of the county followed. Now once again we are blessed with gorgeous sunshine days and night time temperatures remaining in the 40's.

This season's stream, filled by the recent "wind and rain,"  
flowing along MuRefuge's Southmost property line.

And during three different mornings this week past while walking with Shasta we were treated to the sight of migrating geese, huge flocks each time. These majestic birds were flying way too high to identify, but the honking told us they indeed were geese. 

During one of our recent "sun and pleasant weather" episodes our resident cat, Sage, was out cattin' around during the night time. Then several days later he developed a noticeable limp so he was shut into the garage for the night and the following day was visited by the mobile vet who identified numerous bites from another cat (the same one who several days later was returning from his vet after having an abscess drained?). She cleaned up all the bite wounds and gave him an injection of a long lasting antibiotic. His twice a day probiotic was double for several weeks

Here is Sage getting a warm compress
applied to his left leg and left side of his body,
one location of his numerous bite wounds.

The 'Howard McMinn' Manzanita
is flowering late this year; however both the
residential and migrating hummingbirds
are enjoying the nectar.

Other native bushes here at MuRefuge are abundant with flowers providing nectar for the native pollinators which hopefully will do their magic with early flowering fruit trees: Santa Rosa plum, peaches and apricots. A struggling Pink Pearl apple tree has been moved to a more desirable location. Four more kinds of apples in bare root form (Wealthy, Scarlet Sentinel, Cox Orange Pippin and Arkansas Black), from Burnt Ridge Nursery & Orchards located in a microclimate similar to that of MuRefuge's, have been planted and mulched.

The Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum) 
featured here and the White form, as well, 
will later provide food for the birds
once the flowers have been pollinated and the berries ripen.

The California Wild Lilacs are beginning to flower as well.
This 'Snow Flurry' (Ceanothus thysiflorus) provides the
specific caterpillar food for the California Tortoise Shell butterfly.
In addition MuRefuge also sports the blue flowering version.
Other species of Ceanothus also here at MuRefuge are
caterpillar food for the Spring Azure and Hedgerow Hairstreak butterflies.

Whether where you are has the "wind and rain" or snow or "sun and pleasant weather," may you