We’re back in a dry cycle here in Socal. After getting some badly needed rain around Christmas, we’re back to dry, cool days. It’s great for outdoor activities, but not great for the trees here that need some more rain. We’re at 6.5 inches for the season (since July 1, 2021), and if that’s all we get it’ll be bad. We don’t want any more pictures like this from our back deck, taken in December 2017.

This morning I enjoyed reading about Masten Space Systems and their space infrastructure business. There are some obvious overlaps with SpaceX, but Masten seems to be carving out a niche in the extraterrestrial landing systems area. In fact, Masten’s first space landing mission, set for late 2023, will ride a SpaceX launch vehicle on its way to the Moon. Exciting stuff.

Also, saw this olive oil tribute on CNN today. Makes me happy to see the word getting out on EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and its health benefits. Our modest grove of 250-ish trees produces some spectacular oil (with a LOT of work). I took a break from tree management and harvesting in 2021, but in 2022 I hope to get bumper crop. Here’s the tasty result at the end of the long process from a previous year.