Where is winter?

I know some of world is currently under siege by a massive storm but here in southern California we are having a heat wave.  It was already 74 at 9:30 this morning.  Truly depressing.  After living in Alaska, Wisconsin, and even northern Arizona, I really don't care for these California "winters".  We don't ever really get winter, just some brief periods of cooler weather.  Last year, my kids never even changed from wearing shorts to wearing pants unless we were on vacation somewhere it actually got cold.  The only thing I really like about all this warm weather is that I can garden year-round without ever having to do anything special to baby my plants.  Of course, sometimes my cool-weather plants don't get enough cool weather to fully mature.  Last year, my brussels sprouts started flowering before the sprouts even got to be eating size.  I'm hoping not to have a repeat of that this year though with the current weather, I'm not holding my breath!

I've still only planted half the garden.  I am hoping to find the inspiration to get the rest of the back garden planted this week.




My tall raised bed is currently hosting spinach and red onion.




One of the brussels sprouts plants that I am currently pinning all my hopes on (they are my very favorite veggie!)




I planted twice as much broccoli this year as we went through it very quickly last year.




The garlic came up much more quickly than last year and I planted it earlier in the season as well.




A flower from the trumpet vine that covers the top of the chicken run.




Just for fun, some gratuitous chicken pictures!

This Delaware is the only adult hen I have who has finished molting for the year.  She still isn't laying again though.  I am getting exactly zero eggs a day right now.  I hope they are resting up and will start again soon!




My other Delaware that is finishing with her molt and looks mostly normal:




One of the young pullets I got a month or so ago (this one is an Ancona).




The young girls hanging out on the roosting bar in the run with my Rhode Island Red who currently has a lot of bare patches from her molt.




Next post will be on trying to figure out how to winnow chaff from sunflower seeds.