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November is normally a busy time inside and outside as holidays approach and gardens complete their annual cycle. But this year is somewhat different due to the prolonged drought and mandated water rationing. The best action our gardeners might take is to sit outside and ponder as the last leaves float to earth? The exuberance of cultivating primordial lands and turning them into a personal Garden of Eden as we moved in may have led us to landscape like we were back east or in Orange County. Are the lush gardens optimistically planted in Four Seasons' front and backyards no longer viable even with herculean efforts and copious amounts of TLC? Even with a modest El Niño ever more restrictive water consumption rules are forecast. Xeriscape gardens, rock gardens and drought tolerant plants are options that should be examined if a gardener wants to change their watering demands. Mixing and matching will likely be the attractive design since few of us want to part with mature shade trees and seasonal colors. This also applies to irrigation system integrating drip, spray and hand watering with household recycled water. So, go online, check out some books and visit local florists for ideas then, sit and ponder before investing in mulch, fertilizers and new plants. ~ Leonard Tavernetti Beaumont Blooms CLUBS & GROUPS | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2014 39 The book chosen for our meeting on Nov. 11 at 9:30 am is The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson. Here is a description of the book from Amazon.com: "After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant). "It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life back story: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them. Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world." If you love books and like lively discussions of them, come join us. Our meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month at 9:30 am. Our book for December is scheduled to be The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. For more information, please call our president, Doreen Sanders, at (951) 769-1913. ~ Micki Rosen Book Club

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