Overcast and dry

Although Thursday turned out to be a sunny day, more recent days than not have been overcast, threatening, but never delivering, rain. The ground is parched and is as solid as concrete. We often see lightning at night, but it's off to our east or west, as if we lived under a bubble that forces storm fronts to split and go around us. Not that I'm longing for storms; they can be scary, especially if they bring hail. But some nice steady rain would be much appreciated.

The vineyard a week ago. Overcast, lush, yet dry.

The grape vines, with their deep roots, are doing fine. You can see their lush green leaves in the photo. The vines are flowering now and there are many more bunches (that will turn into grapes) than I've seen in recent years, thanks to the lack of frosts this spring. As for our vegetable garden, the only thing I can say is that the drought will help to keep the weeds down, in stark contrast to last year's over-soaked summer and weed fest (and we don't want to see that again). The toms and zukes are in, and they're thirsty. At least I can water where it's needed. The next thing to do is to carve a row to plant green beans in. Maybe I should invest in a jackhammer...