Annual flowersThe sun rose at 5:52 this morning, and will set 16 hours and 3 minutes later, at 9:55 this evening. I’m going to have to start watching the timing when I go someplace in the evening, since I don’t drive after sunset (or before sunrise, but that will be a while yet.) Maximum solar altitude is below 38°, and the sun now dips more than 12° below the horizon.

The weather is finally getting back to normal – forecast highs in the 50’s and 60’s, low in the 40’s. and occasional rain. August is normally our wettest month, so the high fire danger we’ve been in so far, tempered only by the lack of lightning strikes to start fires is unusual, as is the smoke. (Locally, the Army live-fire ranges have been under most suspicion.) But we’ve had over a third of an inch of rain in the past week – still below normal, but enough to break the drought. Considering we could be having our first light frosts by now, I really can’t complain that every day of the month so far has been warmer than normal.

The perennial flowers are pretty near the end of their season, but the annuals surrounding the raised beds are in their full glory. It won’t be too long until the leaves start turning, though – a few are already littering the lawn.