Rain!

Pyracantha berries in the rain

Overnight, Mother Nature smiled on us and opened up her skies. We woke several times to the sound of rain drumming on the roof. It rained steadily through the morning, a real drenching, none of this 'misty' crap that sometimes passes for rain around here. I needed an umbrella and my boots for walking the dog; the 'river' outside our house was there again, however briefly. The earth sighed with relief and soaked it all up.

Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'

We had a nice couple of hours to dry out, and now the thunderstorms have started. It's all terribly exciting and fun.

Just before the storm

The chickens don't know what to make of this (ba-gawk!), and Joe the dog is pacing nervously around the house. The cat is sleepily stretched on the sofa. The kids and I are cozy and warm. Lasagna will be in the oven soon, and  Adam just said "I like afternoons like this." I'm feeling comfortably smug because I got the South Garden planted yesterday, just in time (kale, chard, greens, broccoli, cabbage, peas, kohlrabi, spinach, fava beans). I guess I'll need to get the North Garden planted ASAP (garlic, shallots, beets, turnips, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, fava beans), though the outlook for the rest of the week is dry.

Rain feels like a blessing.

"You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams... are filled with water
to provide people with grain...
You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops...
The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness...
They shout for joy and sing!"
                             Psalm 65-ish