It has been raining off & on and nasty for days n' days. Before the rain we had 100 degree weather and before that we had snow and before the snow we had 90 degree weather. What gives??
How is a farm girl supposed to get anything done with such wacky weather? I
should do some more spring cleaning but that wouldn't be any fun. I
should see if I can find the box that has all of the gardening books and my old garden journal. Most of our books, other than those pertaining to homeschooling, are still in boxes in the attic. This will prove to be a daunting task. I kid you not when I say, there are probably 50 boxes of books up there. Ohhhhh, and the spiders and various other creepy crawlies. Maybe I'll wait for the weekend and ask the Inspector General to help with that. Wow, way to talk my self out of that one. :)
This rain has really got me in a funky mood. I really
need to be outside working the garden or planting something. All of my pots of 'things' that I brought with me when we moved back here last fall are starting to take root. The other day, I went to grab a large pot of creeping thyme and the thing was rooted solid to the ground!
New garden tip: Don't let plants set in pots on top of dirt for 8 months before planting them out.
Yesterday, between storms, I took a walk around to see what was blooming. So many things I have never noticed before. I am not sure if I just wasn't paying attention (that ones for you Farm Suite) or if things needed a few years to regenerate after being neglected for so many years. (READ: The woman we bought our house from had M.S. and had been unable to care for the gardens for years, to say things were bad would be an understatement. Things were so badly overgrown with blackberries that the true beauty of the place was hidden.) Anywho, I just found that we have a huge (hence my surprise, because it really is dang big) White Dogwood. It has never bloomed before this year and it only set 3 flowers. We have 2 trees that I was sure were peaches (from the leaf shape and size) but now I have no idea what they are, as they have done nothing but grow leaves. I dreamed and plotted my new rose garden. I made plans for the sunflower gardens for the girls. I discovered the perfect place for a reading bench. I made note of the best place for a secret garden.
As I walked about, I was surprised by the smell. The wind had died down and all was extremely still, truly the calm before the storm. The scents from the plants seemed to settle around me. I could smell everything: the chives, the roses, mint, rosemary and the sweet, heady scent of an unknown vining plant. It was almost dreamy, the air electric and sweet. The sky dark grey as the storm moved over the mountains from the coast. Amazing.
It is raining again now. Puddles lay on the ground everywhere. The garden is too wet to work. The children have long since grown tired of the joys of mud. The chickens are wet and grouchy; they protest the rain by not laying eggs. I am grouchy. I want the sun to shine, so that I might return to my beloved garden.
I press my face to the dining room window, singing softly like a child:
Rain.......Rain.........Go away. Come again some other day!
