Drip line auto sprinkler diaphragm replace after it started leaking. Hope it clears leak checks throughout the day.

A green auto-siphon auto-sprinkler diaphragm cap is removed, held in my hand, its underside facing up at the viewer. The old diaphragm and spring can be seen where the cap was installed.

Mercury News: “We may be the last maskers’: California COVID cases are rising. “

I’m still wearing a mask indoors (not at home of course) and I’m going to be extra vigilant for a while.

New The Clientele album! I Am Not There Anymore by The Clientele https://album.link/us/i/1678797674

Huge cooldown for Northern California this week. I’m about to get a lot less cranky 😂

Nice! Photomator and Pixelmator Now Support Fujifilm Compressed RAW: https://petapixel.com/2023/07/21/photomator-and-pixelmator-now-support-fujifilm-compressed-raw/

“Abortion bans and restrictions are known to increase infant deaths, maternal deaths, and maternal suffering. And the US already has the worst maternal and infant mortality rates of any other high-income country in the world.”

Infant deaths surge in Texas after abortion ban: https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/07/infant-deaths-surge-in-texas-after-abortion-ban/

This morning, House Finches were breakfasting on ripe elderberries in our backyard. #HouseFinch #BirdsOfMastodon #BirdWatching #Fujifilm Two house finches are on top of two bunches of ripe elderberries, feasting on them. The upper most Finch has a Elderberry in its beak. The lower most finch is on a branch, reaching up into a bunch of berries. 

Much as I dislike that my heat-pump requires a proprietary communicating thermostat, I do like that I can change some deep level settings to optimize things without dip-switches.

Delta 767 (N1604R) SFO-JFK and flock of Brown Pelicans. #AvGeek #B767 #PlaneSpotting #BirdsOfMastodon #BrownPelican Brown Pelicans flying over quiet bay waters in front of a Delta 767 that was preparing for take-off.

In more expected bird behavior, on the infill shores of the San Francisco Bay, here’s a Willet (a Sandpiper) snacking on a worm. #BirdsOfMastodon #Willet #SandPiper A Willet (Sand Piper) with mottled brown and white steps through the San Francisco Bay shore muck with a worn hanging from its beak.

Back from a relaxing day of plane spotting at SFO. Here’s a series of aircraft landing and preparing for takeoff. Dang that’s a lot of 777s. #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #SFO #B777 #B787 #B737 A United 787 prepares for take off, while above, a Qatar 777 airliner lands on an adjacent runway. A United 787 is turning on to SFO 28L, while above it, a British Airways 777 lands on 28R. A United 777 is holding short of 28R as a Southwest 737 lands. A Korean Airlines with Our Pride livery prepares for takeoff as another United 777 lands on an adjacent runway.

Some real dinosaur stuff happened today at Bay Front Park just south of SFO. This Great Blue Heron caught a gopher, paraded around with it for several minutes, then swallowed it whole. Then the heron proceeded to hunt some more. 😬A Great Blue Heron stands in a dry grassy area with yellow flowers. It has a gopher’s neck in its mouth and the entire gopher is hanging.

Volunteer Sunflowers in the backyard. The scrub jays garden really well. I continue to be impressed with the new Fujifilm XApp for transferring photos from my X-T5. #Fujifilm #Sunflowers #BloomScrolling

Two sun flowers, one at the bottom and nearby and one about 15 feet away. There’s vegetation surrounding the flowers and a weather station behind the forest Sunflower. The flowers are extremely yellow and well lit.A close up of a sunflower, brightly lit by the sun.

Out of an abundance of caution, early this morning I’m watering my front yard native plants in case the neighbors get whacky with their fireworks.The Rachio smart hose timer is working well so far. Turned on at 3am while I was sound asleep.

My #RaspberryShake detected the M6.9 in the vicinity of the Tonga Islands. #EarthquakeMastodon

A map and seismogram showing the Tonga earthquake. The RaspberryShake station is RE49D.

Suppose it will only be a matter of time before the Justices are on the receiving end of their undemocratic, hateful rulings.

In preparation for the heat in California, added a ton of shade for some sensitive trees. That side of our house does get sun blasted in the afternoon, so should help there too. I need to add more attachment points to the shade cloth but ran out of time with work and all.

Tan shade cloth draped over a side yard with broad leaf trees. A house’s siding can be seen.

It sure is easy to rise in FlightRadar24’s ADS-B rankings! I guess most people don’t even try to get a even half decent antenna position and reliable uptimes.

The new Rachio hose timer works well. Currently, it has fairly simple operation with basic App scheduling and timer. It doesn’t yet have smart home support or an API. It’s independent of the Rachio valve controller. But it works quite well for my needs: rare but long (deep) watering of my front yard native plants.

The grey and white Rachio hose sprinkler timer. It is outdoors and connected to a Y spigot. There’s a back flow preventer and a hose attached to it. It has some water on it.Oscillating sprinkler spraying arcing water over native shrubs.

Perfect morning in California to cool the mass of the house off with our whole house fan. Normally it’s in the 90s this time of the year with lows in the high 60s and low 70s. Sorry for those in Texas though 😬 A Weather Strip iOS appweather chart that shows unusually cool June weather with lows in the 50s and highs in the low 70s and 80s.