h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today's prospect of a 20% chance of rain failed to materialize where I am, though there was distant thunder and I could see a cloudburst on the other side of the Salton Sea, about 15mi/24km away.

It rained last time there was a 20% chance forecast and probably rained in the western part of the Coachella Valley at the base of the Santa Rosa Mts., visibility too low for me to say for sure.

Instead, in the same time frame as rain had been predicted, there was a brief spate of gale force monsoonal winds coming up from the south off the Sea of Cortez, kicking up a local dust storm where I am.

Its trash day and I still had the recyclables bin out on the street.

It was blown across the street to a neighbor's frontage and I had to hose a quarter inch/half cm of wind blown dust out of it before I put it away.

Thankfully, the recyclables had already been picked before the wind hit.

The winds also blew over a stack of old shipping pallets I use for a foudation for flower pots to prevent plants in flowerpots from rooting in the ground.

Wind still blowing briskly, but no longer gale force.

Today's high by my own thermometer 83F/28C, 15F/8C lower than forecast.




Caught a glimpse today of the resident desert racer serpent, who has an annual litter of snake kits under the front porch.

Saw her mate a few days ago, venerable and motley colored old fellow with pale, sandy colored neck wattles rather like those of a turkey.

Both have been on the lot longer than the house has been.

I've got to go and give the place another quick looking over for wind damage before it gets dark.

Great wind report, atmospheric, I can feel the dust in mine eyes. Is this a regular winds? Do people go crazy?

There's a wind in .. in .. is it Italy? sends people crazy. Some kind of Mistral. Or perhaps it's not Italy. Or is it the Sirocco? Or perhaps it doesn't send people crazy.

. Well, that was a decisive and informed posting.

I've experienced the Meltami wind in Greece. That sent me a bit crazy, when it rattles rattles rattles the windows, and sand in the eyes everywhere you go.

Desert racer kitties? Are they tiny? Little snaky kitties.

And Peanut has her kitties. Like, cat kitties.



Bank holiday. Caught some late summer sun on the beach yesterday. Swam in the sea. Amazing.

Been walking through town, writing prose poetry and songs in my head, whilst thinking about the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the other way round.



Walking through town, Autumn is rustling in the trees. Warm greengold sunlight makes me so joyous I write a song in my head somewhere between the bakery and the bench in the park. A chi dog trots past, looks at me quizzically, makes me chuckle.

A billboard outside the newsagent crashes into my horizon. The headline atrocities make me so sick I have to sit on the bench for a while.

Through my fever I read the copperplate inscription, for Dorothy and Bill who loved this park. Ah love! Thankyou Dorothy and Bill, you bring me hope, thankyou for this bench, and I am warm enough to walk on.

And ...

Oh, have to go have lunch.

The new issue of is up for your delectation, Daydreamers, with an article in it by the hostess of this particular salon! And more pretty pictures by Willem.

Desert racer snake kits, newborn (they're born alive, rather than hatched from eggs), have about the dimensions of a number 2 writing pencil and the ones I've seen so far are typically either a pale sandy color that blends very well with the local desert sand, or they're striped alternately in sandy colored and old copper colored bands, unlike their mother, who's almost entirely the color of old copper metal, except for some black brindling around her throat, and their father, who is so motley as almost to defy description.

Their color seems to get more motley and variegated with increasing age, with especially an increase in black brindling.




One year, shortly after the snake kits made their debut, I was hosing off a concrete slab at the bottom of my front steps and the snake kits were lining up, rushing it at high speed and hydroplaning across in the thin film of water on the surface.

I accomodated them, keeping the water flowing until they got tired of the game.

Surprising p!ayful.

Unlike many desert creatures, they don't seem to mind very much getting wet.




They're non-venomous, subsist primarily on crickets and other ground dwelling insects in the same size range and very adept at staying concealed.

I like snakes, venomous or non-venomous! I've seen several different non-venomous species over here in my garden.

We just get rats.

I used to hang fatballs for the birds from a washing line which ran close to a magnolia tree. I noticed the fat balls were going very quickly. One morning I saw a big, brown rat hanging on the fatball container with as much dexterity as the birds. I took it down.

My first reaction was to hate rats - dirty things which get everywhere and spread infections. But it struck me they're very like humans - intelligent, sociable and omniverous. And they do well because we waste things.

Rodents are a strong argument in favor of rattlesnakes.

Without rattlesnakes, rodents tend to get out of control.

Morning all!

I love the colour descriptions of the desert racer kits, ITI, thanks! I can't believe they like hyroplaning! That's so adorable.

What other creatures like playing? Do all creatures play? Kittens, yes, pups, yes. Lion cubs? Yes, I think so. Dolphins? .

Play is so great. I like playing, despite the loss of my cool. Yesterday my niece and I were having a great fool about in the swimming pool, leaping and flipping like a couple of mad fish. . heheh. Even though we're supposed to be grown ups. Who says grown ups can't play?

Do other grown up creatures play? Or is it just cubs and kitties?



Rats! . Where are the rats? What?? I have to change postings, I saw rats, now I lost them.

hah! found mvp's rats! heheh.

Yes, rats. If I saw a rat in the house I'd probably go eeeek and call the police , because I'm a girl , but rats, yes I think they are very intelligent really, and there's a part of me that could chat with a rat.



I'm reading The Salmon of Doubt at the moment. Really funny. The first few chapters that were intended for the next Dirk Gently novel. the bit about the half cat. That was so funny I laughed very out loud in the swimming pool cafe, and people looked over at me and smiled caringly.

I'm also reading the Moomin comics. . I never read them before. The original strips, by Tove Jansson. Published in newspapers in London, in the 50s.

Very interesting woman is Tove Jansson.

I never was attracted to the Moomins before, but my niece bought The Summer Book, also by Tove Jansson, which has been in print since the 70s, translated into lots of languages, so I checked up on the authoress and found she was the creator of the Moomins.

I'm not really into the Moomin books or the film, is there a film? I know there's an entire Moomin store in Covent Garden in London . I'm not really into that either. I just like the original vintage comic strips, the drawings are so amaaaazing.



I had this realisation today which is so pretentious I think I might spend the entire week avoiding myself. . I was thinking about taking photos, and I realised that, for me, a photo is half created by the camera, the way a camera manipulates light, but it is half lit by an inner light, like, a strange light that comes from my souuuul. My what? My soul. Like with writing, and making music. Same thing.

Even though I'm going to avoid myself , I'm quite into it really.

Have you read The Summer Book, mvp? By Tove Jansson. I think it might be your kind of book.

Thanks cc, I'll look out for it.

I've been rereading Joanne Harris's 'Chocolat' and 'Lollipop Shoes'. I think the first is gorgeous - so much sensual description, but I'm not sure about the second.

Hello Daydreamers

Just checking in to send you all my love and to say that I have been having a joyful on your writings

I the story about the kits water play, and the rat dangling off the fat ball, sorry MVP I know you are not keen on them but it made me and CC, you and your niece having a lark in the pool made me grin

I have also enjoyed the play tangent, from an evolutionary perspective, I like it, that it is a part of evolution but also still gloriously pointless fun, for the sheer joy and pleasure of it

In other news, well, first sloes have be picked, frozen, pricked and ginned, blackberries are being eaten,not just by us, there was plenty of evidence that a number of animals had been enjoying a bit of berrying, there are still plenty to come.

Summer holidays are at an end, new terms are beginning although weather wise it will be apparently very Summmery start to the Autumn term...

Owlets have all fledged, I hope they are finding homes of their own and staying away from roads. The box though is still occupied with adult male (Dad) back in residence, moulting and well fed, so looking tatty then with plenty of fresh pellets littering the ground


The lack of and moths still very noticeable, it will be interesting to see what the surveys turn up

Just yabbering on now, I'll leave Perculiar , some and a promise of slow gin

*leaves a basket full of eco vegetables just arrived from Granada*

*sips perculiar... mmm, qué bueno! I didn´t know I needed so much.*

* looks at those baby snakes playing in the water, so cute!"

*starts talking with the self CC has avoided.... in Spanish? ok"
- ah, sí, claro el orégano también lo puedes plantar junto a las otras aromáticas...


all around

The new issue of is up,Daydreamers. Please remember that the September Create Challenge is guilty pleasures. Send in your submission to Create or and enjoy those that are there already.

Evening all!!

Hola Maria! Thanks for the basket of eco veg, fresh from Granada! I'm hungry now.

How has your summer been? Are you well and in the full shine of your loveliness?

OK let me translate the sentence. Hmm, I'm challenged. What does it mean? So mysterious, I love the Spanish.

That'll teach me to go on about lighting photos from my inner soul. . Wait, oregano?

That's weird, I was going to post tonight about how my oregano plants have broken out in little white flowers, and there was a white butterfly on them today, and also a bee. Just the one bee. To bee or not to bee. The one bee decided to be.



Hola Peanut me darlin'. Lovely to hear your news. I love that, about play and evolutionary glorious and pointless fun. I do like a bit of glorious pointlessness, because it brings light to my soul, then I can take photographs.

So Dad owl has come back? But the owlets have flown. Why has Dad owl come back? Is this normal?

Strange about the moths and flutterbys. Come back moths and flutterbys!

Perculiar please! yes and slow gin also, and lovely things.



Hola mvp! You know, I never read Chocolat, although people raved about it. And the film. Have you seen the film?

Funny how some books grab us and some don't.

We me, it's not logical. I often get grabbed by books in unsuspecting circumstances. . Get off book! No, what I mean is, sometimes a book will grab me, and it's not even technically that good. Whereas a technically brilliant book might not grab me at all.



Hola Elektra. Guilty pleasures eh? hmm. I don't have any. hahHAH, yes.

We want a recipe for perculiar .

And a photo montage.

Maria so good to see you here, and with a box of vegetables, rummages around for a courgette, I just have hankering for one fried in butter with salt and pepper

CC, yes this is normal, and hopefully his mate is safe and well somewhere, it is normal for them to spend alone time even though they have a strong pair bond. Last year they moved in together in October so I am hoping that perhaps they will spend Winter in the box too.

Guilty pleasures eh, I have one, mainly because I don't feel guilty about my pleasures but curry pot noodles, really

A recipe for Perculiar , well, it is all done by eye, and much depends on mood or need for particular blend, it is a gift, what can I say, except hey, I'm glad I don't live in the burning at the stakes centuries

Long day today.

Slept badly last night, got up early, made th 50 mile drive in to see my Mom at her board and care, ran a couple of other errands, stopped off on the way bwck to have dinner with some very elderly (92 & 86) old friends, drove the 45 miles from their place to home.

Its about 8:30pm now.




Good to see you back, Maria!

Peanut, found a wild desert owl's roost last time I went out for a hike in the desert.

I'll have to see if I can get some pics next tkme I'm out that way.

ITI, thank you so much for that thought, photos would be fab if you are lucky enough to get the opportunity

I hope you have slept well and feel well rested today. Leaves some pick me up Perculiar