In the Garden After the Rain

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain there would be no life.

~~~~~~~~~~John Updike~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so wonderful to have a full day and night of steady rain on Sunday....we had not seen a drop in 20 days and the plants, shrubs, grass, and trees were listless and dusty, saved only by helpful humans dragging hoses, hoisting watering cans, and moving sprinklers for hours on end. Soon water restrictions will be in effect. Summer in the South can be brutally hot and dry despite the high humidity.

The potting shed was washed down.

The lilies unfurled their pristine petals.

The dainty fireflies dried out on these seedlings.

The bees collected pollen from the Cabot Rose on the fence.
The thirsty Endless Summer Hydrangeas drank like parched travelers in the desert..........

....................changing their damp green dresses for dry lavender blue ones once their thirst was quenched. My wish is that you all are able to keep your gardens growing happily throughout this Summer. It's a hard job, an almost daily one, and perhaps you, like me, sometimes think you just can't go on and will have to let Mother Nature take over and do what she will. But then comes a day like today. You walk around in the sunshine, admiring the plants and seeing how they have responded to the rain. Peeking into the blossoms you spy the tiny insects at work.................then all the hard work, the love and care you have given is all worthwhile............and you just know you must stay with it for as long as you can.