OK…rains. California is one of those unusual places (there are others – the Succulent Karoo – isn't that a great name – in South Africa , the Mediterranean Sahara, parts of the Chilean coast to name some I know ) that have winter rains. That means winter is the growing season and summer is the dormant season. Winter is when the hills are green and summer is when they are straw brown or, as we like to say, golden. Having lived here my whole life, it seems normal, but I have been assured that it isn't.

Anyway, we had a huge (5") rain a couple of weeks ago and a light rain yesterday, so, in the grasslands around the Bay Area, all the natives are starting to come back to life. The first thing to show is the grass that is starting to peak through last year's dead grass.

I love the summers in California but late in the fall, when and if the rains come, the hills have a vibrancy and lushness – it is a time of coming back to life.