Wrath of God rain whooshed and beat down all of Saturday. From my desk, early morning, I watched the trees whip around in a frenzy and thought, surely that can’t last for long.
Wrong.
But the deluge meant I had no excuse not to do a mini-purge of my closet and organize all my pretty new things from last weekend’s shopping trip. Or procrastinate tidying the One More Room and gathering the items to go into my Fall Into The Story Brunch raffle basket.
Or come up with reasons not to shovel out my poor, neglected house that collected clutter in the last week as I pushed down the path of finishing a book.
None of those things are nearly as much fun as being outside in the sunshine gardening on a Saturday in June.
BW spent the crazy rain day inside the redone shed, putting in the shelves, organizing it. When I finally get out there to look, I did a happy dance. And enjoyed the really pretty whiskey barrel of impatiens Kayla planted in April.
The dogs spent part of the day in the mobile groomer’s truck. It was Parker’s first time, and he did very well. Grooming was timely as all three dogs decided to sprawl outside my little gym while I worked out–instead of in the many places outside that have cover. I had to stop and put them inside before they drowned.
The dogs smell nice–that won’t last–and my house looks like adults live here. That probably won’t last either.
Today there’s no the natives-have-snorted-a-whole-buncha-cocaine jungle drumbeat of rain, but it’s coolish and overcast. Still, I got the workout in early so I could get outside and weed. And pick up sticks, haul branches–BW had a photo shoot today, so this is solo–pull those sticks, branches and many leaves out of my beds. The sun came out for about forty seconds, and that was nice.
In my circuit, I checked the vegetable bags–why Parker dug at a pepper plant inside a bag is a mystery, but I saved it, and the little pepper on the plant. I find lots of little tomatoes, including the very cool purple cherry tomatoes we’re trying this year.
And I find lots of deer damage. BW told me yesterday when he was in his office–front left corner of the house, lower level–he looked straight out at a deer munching away. Not a foot from the house, with dead nettle hanging out of its mouth. In all the years I’ve lived here I’ve never known the deer to eat dead nettle.
Fortunately I found blood meal that had been buried in the garden shed, now sitting tidily on the new shelves.
I see the mimosa trees blooming. BW and I started these beauties from seen years ago. I love the delicacy of those feathery pink blossoms.
The storm brought down a small branch from one of the mimosas, so I brought it in, cut some other flowers, made a little arrangement. Gotta look for that silver lining.
Now I’ve got a weeded garden and clean-enough house, and a free afternoon. I think it’s time to read a book somebody else sweated over.
Nora
Enjoyed your post…love the sculpture beside the whiskey barrel too. Books and gardens bring such joy. I finally have a gardenia bush that has taken off and have four blooms floating in a little dish. Have a great week.
I love reading your gardening updates. They inspire me to get outside and get something done on my own after this dismal monsoon weekend.
I so envy you your gardening. I do love mimosa trees and just the sight of the little bits you salvaged for that arrangement remind me of my Grandmother. She had a beautiful mimosa tree growing next to her garage. I remember pretending to cook the seedpods and using the pompom flowers as powderpuffs. Ahhh, happy childhood memories 😉
Kayla is so grown up! And glad Parker did well at the groomers.
You had what I consider the perfect weekend. The rain made weeding easier and plants grow bigger and it helped you get things done that you may have skipped. I love when that happens to me. Thank you for the note, it lifts my spirit and the pictures make me smile.
Love reading your posts as much as I do your novels. You are a great author and your comments on day to day living make us realize you are just like us. I love it.
Stick some pinwheels around whatever the deer are eating. We did it and our impatients have not been topped since.
Came in from weeding to find this – what a treat! I live in near-desert conditions and we’ve had rain like never before this year. Weeds everywhere. I don’t miss the humidity from when I lived in Virginia, but I do miss the trees. Thank you for the bouquet.
Since I am on my way home from vacation trip I am wondering what the deer have done to my garden. I can relate to you in this way. They love to ale a buffet from my back and front gardens. Deer spray? Does not work!
Putting the bathroom to rites after it was worked on for the last month to find a crack in the retaining wall. The painting was finished today. So it needs a good clean and its back to normal.
Love your blog and books. You mention vegetable bags..I have never used them and bought 3 this year..I have tomatoes in them but they are not doing well…My bags have a plastic lining in them..wondering if yours do? Maybe mine are retaining to much moisture?
Mine don’t have a liner. Epsom salt’s good for tomatoes. Can’t remember the formula, but you could Google it. We just make up a spray bottle and spray the plants every couple weeks. Good source of magnesium.
I’m going to suggest something a bit odd, but just might detour those munching deer. Have a little(big) boys party and serve a lot of liquid. Shut down the inside bathroom and tell them to point at the deer’s favorite munching snacks. If it works out for the garden and the boys have great fun, definitely repeat often. 😉
Around our home, we call impatiens “Deer Salad” because they love to munch on it, so keep an eye on those! Thanks for sharing about your gardening and how much you enjoy it!
I wish one of the gardeners would come and do mine. I have lots of perennials because I hate gardening, mainly because I have allergies and break out in rashes. I do have beautiful peonies, ferns and hostas along with the weeds.
Actually, I do love a rainy day (but not every day, mind you). It’s an opportunity to do some baking or cleaning or to just curl up with a good book (Nora or JD, of course!). To be inside on a sunny, warm day, gives me a case of the guilts. Love the barrel plantings, so pretty. Thanks for the post and glad the dogs smell good, at least for a while!!
I did not inherit my grandmothers green thumbs, I got everything else almost as I continually hear “you look so much like your grandma when she…”. She could grow just about anything, me I have a hard time keeping cacti alive. I just lost a cute little heart shaped plant to root rot. but I must say that the out side garden looked ok before my dad trimmed the creeping jenny’s with the WEED WACKER! my mom and I where outraged, the cute little yellow flowers looked so sweet before he murdered them.
We have had so much rain here in southern Ontario that we are considering an ARK. Two weeks of rain everyday and everyone is a little water logged.
I’ve been home in California. We sure could use the rain as you all know. I need to get back into gardening. I use the apartment excuse but really that isn’t a excuse. I could do a little on the balcony. I have to be home more though.
But i miss it. This post made me miss it more.