Rain

Its my day off and its raining. I love that. I had all sorts of yard things planned for today but now I can't. It's like ANOTHER day off! I also love rain - the sound of it on the roof, the way the flowers look cheerier. (For all you BC people, I love occasional rain, long periods of it - not so much.) I wrote my gardening piece for our church paper on rain. Seems appropriate to post it today.
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Rain.
Sweet, slowly falling, soaking the soil rain filled the puddles in the back lane and cheered up the tulips gradually unfurling in the front bed. We’d all been waiting for it, even during the first bright warm days when we celebrated spring by wearing polo shirts and sandals. We loved it but knew everything would be just a bit calmer, greener and a lot less dusty if only we had a long spring rain.

Yesterday, while I heard weather announcers on the radio apologize for predicting a wet weekend, I smiled and settled down with a good book while I watched the droplets dance in the puddles and the grass turn green before my eyes. It felt as if I should let go a long, contended sigh and savor these last few gentle moments before the scurrying begins.

Rain means I can now work in the yard. While the dust and the mold spores lingered in the leaf litter, I have to stay indoors and watch others doing the clean up. When you have a different raking philosophy than the one who is cleaning up the yard, it is very hard to watch. After a good soaking rain, the things that cause my allergies are floating in the gutters and rivers and I can go out and get my hands dirty at last.

The trees and grass and perennials poking through the beds seem to be feeling the same way. They now have everything they need to grow and bloom and are just sighing, relishing the strength they feel. They are waiting for that next day of warm sunshine and suddenly the world will spring into bloom. There will be leaves colored a gentle green on all the trees, the early plants will shoot up and the lilacs and other flowering bushes will burst into color. The warm smell of rain will be replaced by the subtle scent of flowers. Then the garden shops will be flooded with bedding plant seekers, lawn ornaments will appear and it will be time for iced tea on the deck.

But for now, as it seems so often with a garden, we wait. It will be a short wait and even in this time of holding back there are things to do, pots to clean and plans to make. Our spirits have been lifted, though, because the rain has given us renewed hope for the seasons to come.