Laughing in the Rain

Rain! Finally, rain has come, deep, soaking, restorative rains. The earth has gulped it in, plants have lifted their wilted leaves to receive it, birds and other animals are rejoicing in it.

I am reminded of when my youngest son was an infant. This child was a water baby, dipped in a warm bath immediately after birth, according to the LaBoya method, which elicited his first smile. From then onwards he always loved to play in the tub. I wasn't surprised when he later became a competitive swimmer, and to this day he likes being around water. 

There was a drought soon after he was born, and he was nearly four months old before he ever saw water coming from the sky. It was a Sunday afternoon when the drought broke, and I carried him outside to see the rain. I wondered what his reaction would be.

"Look at the rain," I said as we stood with the water falling on us.

My baby gazed upward. The water drops collected on his eyelashes and ran over his face. He reached out his hand to feel the precipitation, evaluating the situation. Then he laughed out loud. I laughed too, at his response and at the pleasure of the moment we had together. It is a good memory I have, the two of us, laughing in the rain.

Following overnight rains this week, we have had beautiful afternoons with sweet smelling, cool breezes. I want to believe 90 degree temperatures are gone until next summer. Autumn is here!

I wandered the gardens yesterday, enjoying the changes. Follow me on a quick tour.

The Japanese maple near the patio is taking on more golden tones:

The Japanese maple I call our marriage tree has also begun to change colors, just in the past few days. You can see a few red leaves:

Here is the view through the rose arch, one of my favorite spots through all the seasons:

Way down in the front yard I took this photo of Chinese Pistache leaves, Oakleaf hydrangeas and the Crytomeria tree:

There are a few blossoms. The spider lilies started blooming a few days ago. The Penelope rose is putting out new buds after a summer rest, while the cosmos, Limelight hydrangea, and autumn sage have been blooming since mid summer:

Some berries and colorful foliage caught my attention. The dried seed pods in the first photo are from a redbud tree. Also shown are dogwood berries, Japanese maple 'Waterfall' foliage, and heuchera.:

Foliage of nearby plants suffered from September's high temps and drought, but weeping cedar "Feelin' Blue' looks great:

Here's an early fall view of the woodland garden:

And finally, a view of the blue bridge at other end of the woodland garden:

 Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying some nice weather, too! Deborah

A Good Day For Healing

I was sick all last week, and about the time my fever broke, so did the weather. Fortified with antibiotics and steroids, I was able to poke my head out the door for the first time on Friday. The sultry, oppressive heat was gone! Warm still, but bearable with a pleasant breeze, and the sky was lovely with puffy clouds. 

I got a book, my camera, and a glass of ice water and settled onto the patio for some outdoor therapy. I didn't get much reading done as I soaked in the sounds and sights that refreshed my spirit and body. I wasn't up to wandering the yard, but there was plenty going on nearby to catch my attention.

There was the view through the rose arch:

The Zephirine Drouhin rose on the right has been cut back and is not blooming now. It will put out more blooms as the weather cools. The larger plant that is taking over the arch is jasmine. The purplish tree seen through the middle of the arch is a Japanese maple growing on the other side of the front lawn.

I noticed how much the rosemary has grown. This plant loves where I have put it, near a concrete walk, so that some of the lime leeches into the soil there, counteracting our normally acid soil. The little Christmas tree in the middle is a dwarf Alberta spruce, growing in a pot:

Here are a few flowers blooming near the patio:Clockwise from top: Knockout roses have bloomed through the summer heat; caryopteris, also called bluebeard; a plant that looks like a perennial hibiscus but is not.(I have forgotten its name!); cosmos

I was delighted to see this beautiful tiger swallowtail butterfly:

There were lots of hummingbirds, but their arial maneuvers were too fast for me to capture. However, my dog Lily was happy to cooperate for a photo.Matted and wet, Lily was glad to see me and wanted to climb in my lap. We have had some rain, and she had been rolling in the mud. She is collie mixed with some sort of mountain dog, and she really belongs in Alaska or Canada. Although her fur was cut very short at the beginning of summer, already it is growing long. The stuff was thick and warm and sticky. Poor Lily. She sheds almost year round and needs constant grooming.

I sat on the patio for several hours, until the sun began to set behind the chimney.The sky was layered with black and gold and rosy clouds.  

Can you see the two cloud people dancing in one of the photos above? The day came to a close, and I was feeling better.