SCUBA, anyone?

Sacramento - in fact all of California - watches the snow and rainfall numbers with great interest every winter, anxiously awaiting the first rains in the fall and looking forward to drier weather in late spring. Rain and the snow melt fill the reservoirs on the Sacramento and American rivers, and provide water for the central valley's residents and agricultural land. No rain, rationed water.

We watch and comment on the rainfall totals several times a day, and watch them creep toward the "normal" 17.7 inches (by this time of year.) We breathe a big sigh of relief as we pass "normal", and feel elated, this year, because we are about 4 inches above "normal" right now, at 21.11 inches since July 1, 2005. Here's a recent news story about precipitation in the central valley from the Sacramento Bee. (Free registration may be required to view the story.)

In contrast, see this article from the Honolulu Star Bulletin, which describes a 6-week long storm that has been stalled over the islands since February 19, dropping over 126 inches of rain on Mt. Waialeale, and over45 inches in Punaluu. And that's in six weeks! SCUBA, anyone?

(Thanks, Earl, for the link.)

Spring Fling

A week from today, Laurel will be flying with 44 other kids from Sam Brannan Middle School to Washington, DC and New York. They'll spend a week touring just about everything there is to see, from the Washington Monument to Ground Zero, from the White House to the Today Show. They'll see a Red Sox game and a Broadway musical, Ellis Island and the Holocaust Museum.

In preparation, we got her an ATM card she can use, and we upgraded her cell phone to one that has a built in camera - one less item to keep track of, one less item to lose. The trick will be fitting everything she thinks she will need into one suitcase and one carry-on bag.

We've been checking the weather, and it looks like it's only a little cooler than what we've been having here in Sacramento: highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s. The Weather Underground has a neat page where you can type in any zip code or city and get not only today's weather, but historical weather conditions as well.

She will be away for her birthday - but hey! maybe the restaurant will provide the birthday cake! (We'll have a small family birthday dinner for her this weekend.)

Flowers that Bloom in the Spring, Tra La

The park where I walk in the mornings has sprouted patches of tiny daisies no bigger than about a half-inch in diameter. They look so fresh and spring-timey in the green grass, and with the odd bright dandelions that are also starting to flower, the park seems dressed in its spring finest. Although the weather is still cold and stormy, the days are getting longer, and the ornamental trees are all flowering, as are the tulips in folks' gardens.

I did go to Capital Nursery last weekend to buy a camellia, and came home with a pink one called "Pearl Maxwell". I have not been very successful in growing "mainland" flowers up to now, so I hope "Pearl" likes it in my back yard.

I've had more luck with my tropicals - maybe because I know what to expect from them. The ti plant and anthurium are growing just fine, and the white ginger I started from a root I bought in January at the Honolulu airport is starting to come up. It's been pretty cold for them, but the back patio is getting some good sun right now - maybe the most sun they'll see all summer! In a few months, the sun will be coming up behind some tall redwoods, and the yard will be in shade again until October.

Late Snow in the Foothills

Although spring is just around the corner, it's been pretty cold here. Last week, there was a very cold storm that brought the snow level down to about 1,000 feet. This week, the weather was sunny, so Marty and I decided to go for a drive to see the snow. In the meantime, the snow level rose to about 3,000 feet - so we had to go all the way to Pollock Pines. But we did see snow! The last time we did this was March of 1992, when Pat was 4 and Laurel wasn't even born yet.

This was our turnaround spot in Pollock Pines. I did get some other snow photos with my digital camera, but it's so much easier to just send pictures from the phone. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the pictures in the camera and post the best one or two.

Informational Hearing

Marty received an invitation to present information about online gaming at a California Senate committee hearing today. Because it was an open hearing, Laurel and I played hookey and attended part of the meeting. We stayed for his presentation and for that of the state Attorney General's office before I had to leave and go to work.

Marty was first on the agenda, and made some impressive points. There was some serious questioning afterward, but he handled the questions well, and was backed up point for point by the next speaker, who represented the State Attorney General's office.

And we almost saw Governor Schwarzenegger! We walked past his office while the door was open, but were not able to catch a glimpse.

Camellias in Camellia City

Camellias are in bloom everywhere, here in Camellia City (Sacramento), so when I saw an announcement of the Camellia Society of Sacramento's show, I decided to go. In the back of my mind, I thought that, as Camellias don't do well in full sun, perhaps I could find out if they would flourish in my shady back garden. I had never been to a show before, so I was stunned to see that there are no plants in evidence - only blossoms. They stick the stem of each one into a little sample-sized cup of damp perlite. There were literally thousands of varieties - what you see here is a small sample of those whose names begin with "N". To see more gorgeous examples, visit the American Camellia Society's gallery of beautiful blossoms.

In addition to the blossoms, there were some displays of large and small floral arrangements, place settings, and trinkets - all about camellias. Here's the Best of Show arrangement:

So ... did I go out and buy a camellia? Not yet, but I'm thinkin' about it!