Jackie, I'm so glad your dry spell is ending. We've been promised some rain by tomorrow and then another smaller storm later, but neither one will seemingly amount to much. That high pressure system is still plaguing us but they keep promising us that March and April will be wet. They've falsely promised us rain so many times that I'm pretty cynical at this point. However, still hoping they're right this time!

I do too, Ingrid! Every time they show a weather map I look at So Cal, to see if the storms are going there too. I forgot to mention that the 3 storms they say are backed up in the Pacific and coming this way are supposed to arrive in the next 3-4 days (1 per day, basically), so we should know if they are wrong again very soon.

Jackie

We got the predicted light sprinkles today. It's warm, and very humid. VERY humid. It was downright hot on the hillside, where we worked through the morning ... but scattered rain, all the time.

Now, it's just DARK. And I REALLY want it to rain like Hell, so the new owner of the next-door property will begin to believe me about the way rain can come down these hills.

There's been a steady rain coming down this afternoon! Hurray!!

Jackie, like you, I was almost to the point of turning on the drip irrigation. I had collected a few garbage cans and a few barrels of water from the rains we received in Dec and had been watering the garden with that. But I had run dry by the 3rd week of Feb....

Ingrid, Jeri and others in SoCal - hope you get some good ground-soaking rain soon. It's not only good for the garden but good for the soul! Such a joy to watch it rain. I have had my nose pressed against the window pane most of this afternoon :-)

Jo

Please send some of it south. :) I finished filling and ammending new beds and would love enough rain to water them and settle the soil.

Beautiful! Very inspirational to those of us with one foot tall teas.

catspa, I'm lost in wonder at your beautiful rose bushes. You are absolutely required to take lots of pictures when they are all blooming. When I had WRCT mine had exactly that same shape. For some reason my two Mrs. B.R. Cant are very dark pink and not nearly as beautiful as yours. The color makes them look very common compared to your elegant flower.

The sky is clear, not a drop of rain, and we were promised we'd have rain by 9 o'clock tonight. It's 9:30 and I can count the stars. Sigh...

You have very beautiful flowers catspa! Please let up see pics when they are blooming. I'm glad ya'll are getting some much needed rain. We got some here last night as well. Ours wasn't needed like ya'll were though. I'm sorry you haven't gotten your rain yet Ingrid, I pray you get some soon!

Thank you Alana. It's morning now and it rained a little during the night and it's raining somewhat now, nothing like we were told to expect, but wet is good and I'm grateful for every drop. I'm hoping this will open the gateway for future rains.

As of yesterday at 5PM we had gotten 2 inches of rain in 2 days. Another storm is supposed to come in tonight. Sun is out right now, so I am going for a walk.

Jackie

Yay! If I might be so bold as to speak for those of us in the Portland area, we are more than happy to see those storms split off in your direction. I sympathize with of all of you CA gardeners when I watch the weather radar and witness rainstorms veer into OR and WA instead of CA...or worse, when the storms just peter out and no one benefits. Oregon was way behind going into the fall, but the clouds have been kind to the Willamette Valley this winter. Gardens are off to a great start for their vernal celebration. Wising you regular rainfall and glorious roses, Jackie!

Beautiful photos, Catspa!

Carol

Fabulous photos! It poured here on Friday night and pretty much from Saturday late afternoon through the early morning hours on Sunday. Got well over an inch of rain. Good to see after a warm and dry February. Supposed to start raining again about midnight and through tomorrow. Supposed to get another inch of rain. Everything is pretty well soaked. Should be a fun commute in the morning to work. Not looking forward to that nor the thunderstorms in the afternoon. However, I am enjoying the water. Hope it spreads down south to you Ingrid.

Well, it is POURING! Ingrid, any come down your way? I may go into work late. Way too dangerous to drive when it is like this. UGH!

Yes! So grateful for the N. California rain last night! I woke up several times to hear it coming down, feeling happy for the garden (not so great for the morning commute though) ;) I hope it all soaks in!

Well, my friends, it is pouring right now and we couldn't be happier. It did rain a bit yesterday morning but it didn't come to much and we were bummed, but the radar picture this morning was pretty impressive and for once the storm didn't go to the north or the east, it's staying right over us. It supposedly will rain all day and if that's the case it should be beneficial for everything, especially all the native and unwatered trees and shrubs that have been gasping for water. I'm sure Jeri and people in the L.A. area must also be getting quite a bit. They're predicting flooding and mudslides, an unfortunate side effect of all this bounty.

The sun came out this morning, so I convinced my DH to go on a bike ride with me. We go on a bike path for about 45 minutes, round trip to the end. When we were at the far end of the path, it started pouring rain, and we road back in the pouring rain to the beginning. Reminded me of when we went everywhere on bikes in college. Anyway, of course we got completely soaked, but it was not very cold, and not windy at all, so I sort of secretly enjoyed it (he was not amused). I AM NOT complaining! I would do that again every single day, if it would keep on raining.

Jackie

Well, unfortunately the rain did not last all that long. It was supposed to rain until 11:00 p.m. tonight but it stopped not all that long after my glowing report above. I'm still hoping for more, if not today then some time later. I won't give up hope until May.

I've been away for a week and came back to find that we had 4 1/2 inches of rain while I was gone. Hurray! This brings us up to exactly 100% of average for this point in the rain season.

Fortunately the rain did start again and we had at least an inch!

I just figured out that we got a total of 3.8 inches of rain here in the past 4 days - so happy! Today is Monday, and another big storm is supposed to come in on Thursday (with various amounts of "sprinkles" between then and now). Several more storms are evidently in line in the Pacific waiting to arrive, also. The "storm door" is open, and I hope it stays that way!

Jackie

That's what I'm thinking too, Jackie, that the high pressure system has been breached and we're getting the usual progression of winter storms, one building up after the other. We're supposed to have rain Friday, so that must be your Thursday storm making its way down to us (hopefully). I just wish our rainfall were as abundant as yours. One inch versus 3.8 inches makes for quite a difference.

We are now above normal for this time of year in the central valley. First time in five years! More rain coming in on Friday and throughout the entire weekend. Fields are flooded! Snow in the mountains (which is the best part for our water supply). Glad for a couple of days to dry out a bit before the next series of storms.