Meanderings

Meanderings in our new neighborhood is both familiar and not. While I use to shop at Oliver's, the local grocery store here in Cotati, while we lived at MuRefuge, we did not walk about this cozy little town of over 7,000. We did used to walk along the Laguna de Santa Rosa headwaters that our English friend and now near neighbor restored. The plantings are all native and have grown into stunning flowering shrubs and native blooming trees like the Buckeye tree which I love.

We have a long, narrow "dog" park (Delano Park) just across the street from our new home that Shasta and I walk through each morning as we use to walk to Lopez Park in Santa Fe. Some mornings we meet a number of dogs and their owners, other we are by ourselves. As we come out at the far end of the park there is an expansive field across the street. Here's what we saw this morning.

Each morning we see the two cows and usually a small flock of wild turkeys of which there is a plethora, both here in Cotati and other towns and cities in Sonoma County. We have heard of over 200 in flocks and most all the citizens complain of the numbers. If they get into one,s garden they can reek havoc with the plantings for sure!

As we round the corner and come upon the City of Cotati Munipal Center, we pass a stunning planting of Matilla poppies which is my most favorite "bush" for its spectacular "floppy" flowers.

Matilija Poppy (Romney coulters)

And here is what the "bush" looks like.

My plan is to have one? two? three? in front of our breakfast nook window near the "floppy" flowered rose bush that rests against the garage. 

As you can see the flowers of the two have a similar quality. And while I am neither a big fan of roses nor do I have any skill in knowing how to care for roses, this rose is rather growing on me. The other yellow with a slight reddish tint rose bush I will dig up this week. The lady who cares for all the roses at the church down the street is going to plant it with all the pink and red roses which have been donated by people after their loved one's funeral. She was delighted to get another color.  

After breakfast all three of us have a couple mile walk, sometimes longer. One of our new favorites is walking West beneath the freeway into a neighborhood with really old stately homes and small newer ones as well as bigger ones dotting the shady road.

Another common bird is the peacock.
Here is one in his favorite
shady spot
where we see him almost each time 
we walk here.
We have seen a female with two babies
 . . . cute beyond description!

Here you see a male turkey attempting to woo a nearby female
who seem uninterested, at least to this human's thought of the matter.

A touch of Santa Fe: 
here is a picture of
Olive Tyrrell's, the chef at
The Kitchen located
in the Plants of the Southwest,
beautiful slab pot
with a rabbit foot fern
sitting on the back of our
new very low flow toilet.

I know it has been almost two months since I have written a post. Seems the moving, unpacking, having my very first yard sale (with stupendous guidance from Katie), digging up plants and throwing them into the garden waste bins x2  which get filled to the brim weekly, going to an A's game every few weeks and spending time with our long time friends here in Sonoma County . . .  well, the time has sped by. But now you can look forward to the upcoming Summer Solstice post.

There is one native plant, well it is actually a vine, that was previously planted in the gardens of 35 Page Street. This I will not only keep but cherish especially when the Pipevine Swallowtails eventually visit and lay eggs on the leaves. 

California Pipevine (Aristolochia californica)
now retrellised after all the icky redwood bark
was removed, then watered and fed.

May we all during these unsettled times (what an understatement . . .huh?) continue to

Glorious Spring

Our arrival in Sonoma County was heralded by verdant green rolling hills, teeny tiny lambs gamboling together, cows and calves feasting on fields of lush green grass and fruit tree in glorious bloom.

Rosemary in full flower
near the Joe Rodota Trail

Wild plum tree in bloom along the Joe Rodota Trail
in Sebastopol. This trail was previously a railroad track . . .
now a wonderful biking, walking, running path
between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa.

Ahhhhhhhh . . . the very best is BEing at sea level where my heart is so happy because it does not have to work so hard and walking is pleasurably easy rather than a breath taking experience. Shasta is enjoying eating fresh green grass on our early morning stroll down the lane. She does miss her romps with Hobbs at Lopez Park however. 

The Spring or Vernal Equinox is March 20, 2021. It occurs when the Sun heading North in the sky crosses the equator line. This tilting more towards the Sun results in increasing daylight hours and warming temperatures here in the Northern Hemisphere. This shift brings about all the glorious signs of Spring that are so uplifting after Winter. 

We have recently come from the high mountainous desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was Winter when we departed. Thus we are especially joyful to BE experiencing the vibrancy of Spring here in Sonoma County. Rain has been falling a number of days we have been here. The rain feels so nourishing and many tell us that it is so needed. Auntie T in Point Reyes Station, California, tells us she has measured only 1/2 of her typical rainfall in her rain gauge.

Wild turkeys with the males strutting their stuff by fanning
out their tails and puffing up their feather to attract the females.

Mustard blooming in the foreground
Valley Oaks in the back ground.

This whole year plus of "lock down" has taken a toll on all of us. At this time of Spring when we see renewal all about us, may we feel the vitality of springtime and the regenerative energy. Ahold of the season's energy may we dig deep to tap into our own resilience for each day going forward during these trying times.

How strange and wonderful our home, our earth,
With its swirling vaporous atmosphere,
Its flowing and frozen climbing creatures,
The croaking things with wings that hang on rocks
And soar through fog, the furry grass, the scaly seas
How utterly rich and wild . . .
Yet some among us have the nerve,
The insolence, the brass, the gall to whine
About the limitations of our earthbound fate
And yearn for some more perfect world beyond the sky
We are none of us good enough
For the world we have.
         Edward Abbey

As we celebrate Spring in all her glory may we each have a joyful belly