Today we had a break from the high summer heat. High temperatures should be in the eighties the next two days. The outside temperature stays below 80 degrees until the early afternoon.
Half penumbra at 1.34 this afternoon. Sunset at 8.08. I also found a website that recorded the day length and the solar noon (1.11 this past afternoon).
I spent the morning sanding the outside stairs at the barn. The uppermost frame is too high for my vertigo-challenged brain, a stretch from a ten foot extension ladder. Still, I managed to sand the steps and risers on the second flight and the lower frame and posts. The railing has dry rot and will need to be replaced.
I went into Lowe’s for another gallon of primer. The clerk recommended a gray stain and sealer for the decking and frame of the barn stairs He tells me it looks and applies just like paint.
I helped Mike dig out the valve with the main connection from the irrigation water tank in the barn. We uncovered a black plastic drain to no where, totally clogged with mud. We discovered the source of the leak, filling with water as fast we could dig out.
I found a new species of pelargonium at East Bay Nursery to fill in the newly cleared bed for the deep scarlet crape myrtle. While there I picked up cilantro for the herb garden. The new plants received hand water fortified with Plant Starter. Next spring I may expend the peninsula to a half moon, if the pelargonium takes hold.
A Year at the Snake 