The Great Outdoors

Today is a little taste of home. Believe it or not, the sky is overcast and cloudy, the air is crisp and moist. I'm celebrating by having a cup of coffee which I almost never drink. I'm sure it will burn off soon, but there is a 30% chance of thundershowers. I hope we get them. The one thing about the sunny weather all the time with no rain is that everything seems so dirty to me. No rain to wash away the dust.

This weekend Don and I bought a carwash kit for our car and washed the vehicles. Actually, Don washed the vehicles while I scrubbed the barbecue down (both were in great need of a little detailing). When I got in my car to drive to work on Monday I almost didn't recognize it. I could actually see out the window. You really have to keep up on washing your car around here, no cloudbursts to do it for you and the dirt builds up quickly. Plus, washing your car is kind of an enjoyable way to spend a little time outside in the warm sun. Since we have gardeners to do all of our yardwork for us, this is our one outdoor chore. That and picking up dog logs.

I've noticed that though I have not spent anytime sunbathing I am already starting to get a tan just from the little time I spend outside doing errands and such. The criss-cross pattern of my REI sandals has become a permanent tattoo on my foot. The weather this week is supposed to hold steady in the 80's (as opposed to 90's and 100's) which will give me the opportunity to spend a little more time outside. Last night I took the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood and I have some errands to do during my lunch breaks this week which will be cool enough to walk to instead of drive if I want.

I've started to think about trying to grow some fresh herbs at home - maybe some rosemary, basil, oregano, mint, sage, lavender, tarragon and thyme. I'll have to do some reading and find out what kind of plants grow well in California. Since they took out the Hot Tub in the backyard (the landlord moved it over to her house next door) we have a perfect little clay Sunporch that's not being used and there are a bunch of empty planters sitting all around the front and back porch that are just begging to be planted with something. I've never had much luck growing things in the past but I figure it's worth a try if it means I might have the opportunity to have such a convenient supply of fresh herbs to cook with. Looks like I will be making a trip to the library soon for some research materials. Maybe I will make this my weekend project. If anybody has any good tips for growing herbs outdoors in planters I would welcome any and all advice since I know absolutely nothing about keeping plants alive and have been known to kill even cactuses (plural?). But maybe that was just because I kept it on top of my heater in my dorm room.