Palapa Man

The wind blew away the palapa but somebody else is already maintaining a sad vigil where it once stood. We are certain he will stand there for a long time, even if his hat has to be changed every now and then!

Secret Weapon

It arrived in the mail yesterday...the anti-sparrow weapon we are setting our hopes on.

The strange thing, though, was that today no sparrow activity was noticed. Do you think they may have been blown away to the Salton Sea or beyond? If true, not all is lost. The cover, which may be used "again and again" promises to provide up to 4 degrees of frost protection, transmits 85% light, influences photosynthesis and produces faster crop yields. ( We think it will camouflage the plants, too! ) Best of all, it is 6' x 50'.

We will keep you posted.

Air Mail, Special Delivery

It's funny what you find in the yard after a windstorm.

We received lots of wind borne letters and receipts. Evidently, all the recycle barrels in the neighborhood overturned...but, the funny thing was, I did not recognize a single name! Miller light also seemed to be the most popular brew in the region. Amongst the treasures we found was one black plastic filing crate, one white tailored canvas cover for some sort of appliance, assorted small pots and a few unrecognizable items.

The palapa palm fronds are now in a tidy pile, the citrus has been picked up and sorted. We gave away some to friends and relatives and today, will juice and freeze the rest.

Wind stories are sweeping the town - of demolished roofs, porches, turned over RV's, downed trees and more. Today's plan is to recheck the yard and get rid of things that are not secured or likely to sail aloft during a windstorm!

Winds-74 to 80 mph

The Saturday windstorm did a bit of damage in our yard. Remember the palapa? It needs another major overhaul...this time, structural! All mature citrus was blown off the trees. Chairs, tables, barbeque, chimenea, tomato cage, trash cans tipped over and other loose items were just blown away!

The sky to the east was filled with dust and earth was steadily being blown from the canyons to new locations to the east. And, that's why the desert is ever changing, folks!

The Sparrows Are Winning ( At Least for Now )

In the war against the sparrows, the sparrows have emerged victorious. Their concentrated daily forays have decimated the pea vines. Not all is yet lost, however. A new sophisticated weapon has been ordered. Burpee tells us it will be available within seven to ten business days. I am hoping it arrives sooner rather than later.

It is purported to be as "light as air" and can be reused over and over. We are taking the attitude of, "If you can't protect the target, hide it! " AND, best of all , it even helps plants grow and can be used in other sections of the garden. I hope so, because those pesky birds are pecking at the chard, now!

You Name the Year!

Everyone recalls memorable events and relates them to a special year. People often refer to them...describing them as " the year of the heavy rains...the year of the big fire...the year the war ended " and so on.
Borregans are no different. Everyone here knows what you are talking about when you say..." The year of the big flood". The Park, Sun Gold and DeAnza all remember that! Or..." The year the desert turned lavender " ( huge verbena bloom ) The year of the butterflies turned all our cars and windshields yellow. The year of the grasshoppers turned our automobiles into gooey sticky messes. The year of the rabbit resulted in plants eaten down to the nub. The following year, as expected , was the year of the coyote. The year of the flies and the year of the gnats is best forgotten. But, you get the idea. You associate events with certain years.

I have already named this year. It is the year of the Sparrow War.

The Sparrow War News

Well, I guess we didn't read the small print..." By their very nature, scarecrow devices cannot be expected to be 100% effective against every garden pest or in every application. While this product should outperform other less sophisticated devices, we cannot warrant the product's effectiveness." AND, how right they were!

The sparrows returned again and dined from six to nine. Also started nibbling Toy Choi. ( covered it with chicken wire ) We found out the dog is a better deterrent than the owl! Though the pea leaves are damaged the pods are still intact. From now on, it's just a wait and see situation.

Attack of the Sparrows

Early this morning I looked out the window at the sunrise and noticed my pea vines were trembling. As I looked more closely I saw a startling sight. The vines were filled with little birds with white stripes on their heads. Sparrows! We grabbed the binoculars to see what they were doing and saw they were nipping and eating the tender leaves...and there were LOTS of birds! Who said gardening is not exciting? This morning marked the beginning of the war against the sparrows.

What to do? We first sent the dog out to scare them away but that didn't last long. They were soon back. I remembered I had put bird netting away somewhere, but couldn't remember exactly where or IF we had used the entire roll. Ace Hardware was not yet open, so we just threw a sheet over the entire trellis. As we planned further strategy, we decided bird netting was not the answer. The vines would grow into the netting and make harvesting the peas difficult if not impossible. We were sure, though, we could find something at the hardware store to deter the birds. They did have some whirligigs but they were too small. AHA! In a dusty corner of the store, we found a blow-up owl...billed as a " natural enemy scarecrow " as seen on CBS,NBC and CNN news...over 2,000,000 sold! How could we go wrong?

We'll let you know!

Another Look at the Borrego Sun

Borrego does it again!

Many of us had a sinking feeling when the Sun's editor left us. Could the paper go on without her? The last issue of the paper answered with a resounding YES!

This important community news source not only "tells it as it is" but is reinventing itself in new ways...as seen in the latest issue. Saul Miller's interview of cartoon desert animals , the recent addition of the puzzle, Kathy King's real estate column, results of the Christmas bird count, news of the proposed film festival, mustard weed up-date, photos of everything from a lunar eclipse to a Boy Scout court of honor, the editorial listing the past year's good, bad and ugly, a protest against dust...all part of a fascinating read. What I really got excited about was the beginning of a ten part series by Diana Lindsay which will take us into each Park District, through the eyes of the Rangers patrolling the district. That type article would be unprecedented in a larger paper.

It seems that the Borrego Sun will keep giving us the local news for a long time to come. I hope that you are looking forward to the next issue. We are! A big thank- you to the Staff and contributors.

Certified Arborist

What is a certified arborist and why should we ask for certification when hiring a tree trimmer?

When you consider how long it takes trees ( even some shrubs ) to attain maturity, it just makes sense to give them the best care possible. Tree health is as important to a plant as human health is to a person! A certified arborist has studied all aspects of tree and plant care, has worked in the field, has successfully passed examinations pertaining to the subject and is actively engaged in continuing botanical education.

He is an expert in the practices of pruning...understanding well when, where or IF to lob off branches, twigs and limbs. He is cognizant of the esthetic outcome of his actions and strives to create not only a pleasant appearance but a result contributing to the tree's good health.

In our own garden, we often lob palm fronds, dead-wood on citrus and on native plants like creosote,indigo and a few others but we call upon the services of an arborist to take care of our other mature trees.

We have all seen bushes with "flat top" haircuts, lop-sided trees and other contorted plant shapes. When you do notice such things, one thing you can know for certain...it was NOT done by a certified arborist!

The Parade

Not ONE person I talked to yesterday realized the parade and bowl games had been postponed to Monday! We all tried to view the parade on TV and were frustrated trying to find the channel rather than logically deciding the events just might have been delayed, due to the first day of the new year falling on a Sunday- but, somehow, we all expected the Rose Parade and Bowl game to take place the day after New Year's Eve!

We certainly have accustomed ourselves to going anyplace and seeing anything, regardless of the day ( or hour ). Stores are always open, some of them for twenty-four hours...you can shop almost any time you want...

I remember when most stores, banks and other businesses closed , at least for Sunday, but often on Saturday, too. That was probably inconvenient, but no one realized it. It just comes down to what you get used to...and , now, more of us are getting used to shopping,banking and even reading and going to school on-line.

One thing we can be sure of, in Borrego, though. You need to keep the gas tank full or fill up before early evening...you have to get to the Center market before 6:30 PM and the Post Office window closes at exactly 4:30 PM! AND, even more important... late dining at a restaurant means you have to get there before eight!