Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch ...

Since I returned from my trip to Indianapolis for this year's Garden Writers' symposium, I'm finding it hard to get back into blogging mode. For once, I can't blame it on the heat ... my first morning home, something had changed and I could feel that first faint hint of fall weather to come.  Even the quality of the sunlight was different.  We've had over a week of coolish nights and pleasantly warm mornings, and that weather has made being outside a pleasure again.  The Head Gardener and I are less than happy that the forecast calls for our temperatures to return to triple digits by Monday and continue throughout the week. 

This picture was taken in Indianapolis, where's it also been warmer and drier than usual.

Although my family tells me it did rain the day I left for Indy,  we haven't had rain since I returned, so I'm still spending way too much time of my time outside dragging hoses around.   Even more depressingly, it seems that I will be doing it for many months to come.  La Nina, the periodic cooling of the Pacific Ocean, is back and forecast to gradually strengthen and continue into winter.   What this means for Texas isn't good and it's a wonder I didn't weep hysterically when I read this quote from Texas climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon in SciGuy Eric Berger's blog: "Four years out of five, Texas has a dry November through March when La Niña is in place. We need above normal rainfall to break this drought, and we’re probably not going to get it. This is looking more and more like a multi-year drought. Anyplace that doesn’t get lucky with tropical moisture in the next couple of months is probably going to be in bad shape for a long time."  

No amount of hand watering can make up for such sustained lack of rain.  While some of my fellow garden bloggers tell me that a drip irrigation system will help in the back gardens, I still have some doubts, due to what we'll call my rather haphazard method of garden design.  That said, I recently saw pictures of the garden I planted this spring at my friends' cabin in Somerville and the plants are thriving despite only being watered once a week by the drip system they installed.  The Head Gardener and I are cogitating over ways to get our pal Jeff over here to survey the gardens and tell us how he thinks a drip system should be set up.

At least one thing doesn't need water to stay green.  My sister, the estimable Dr. Laura, asked me this week why I hadn't posted pictures of Wit's End since we had it painted.  Thanks for the reminder, baby sister ... your wish is my command.