Most living things in San Diego seem to get confused during this in-between-time when summer is worn out and winter isn't going to happen soon, if at all; so some trees and shrubs that bloom in South America's summer, which is just coming on, think they are supposed to bloom here... and the Century Plant, the agave which blooms and then dies, seems to be finished. But we don't give up on it. It isn't really finished. By March and April little pups will start to grow out of this enigmatic mess.