With every rain forecast I hope for enough precipitation to give my garden a good soak. Last Monday I was not disappointed. I heard the pitter-patter of rain on leaves and jumped up in the morning to check the rain gauge. To my delight the last storm dropped 1.67 inches of the wet stuff on my garden in Bonny Doon. The prior three October showers had barely totaled a tenth of an inch. Last year, the hills and meadows were already greening up with three inches of the wet stuff. After this much needed precipitation, the deer are happy, the forest is happy, our gardens are happy, everybody is happy.

Guy C. Earl’s resolve to spend more time with his young family was severely tested by his older brother. One of the first to recognize the potential of shipping California fruit East by train, Edwin T. Earl became a big player in the produce industry when he secured a patent on an improved refrigerator car.

Maddison Taylor, an 8-pound 5-ounce girl, was born to Jessika Renee Bright  and Taylor Robert Wright of Santa Cruz at Sutter Maternity and SurgeryCenter in Santa Cruz. She was born on October 8, 2015 at 2:24 a.m.

n Meetings are open to guests and clubs welcome new members. Contributors to this column are the club members.

There's been much in the news recently about the shigella food poisoning which was most likely transmitted by an infected employee at a Mexican restaurant in San Jose. As of this writing, there are over 180 reported cases in six surrounding counties, including three cases here in Santa Cruz.