Yes, I'm Alive ...and Wet

"You haven't updated your blog lately, have you?" Sandra asked. We were at our brand new Wild Birds Unlimited store, getting ready for the Labor Day opening.

"No, sometimes you just run out of stuff to write about. I griped about the drought all last year, so I thought about just running the same posts again and changing the date, but somehow that seemed intellectually dishonest."

"Well, you can't write about that now."

I'll say. The remnants of Hurricane Fay came to Greensboro yesterday and drenched...and I mean drenched...the city. 6.6" of rain at my house, most of it in less than 24 hours.

So that's the news from my garden. I've got some other stuff going on, a few rootings, still working on my new flowerbed, but I'll get to all that later on. College football starts tonight on ESPN, so I gotta go.

Oh, wait...I have to show you the most recent visitor to my garden:

Rainy Sunday

It rained all day today, a good soaking rain. The last two weeks have been kind to us, for we have seen about 3.5" of rain over that period, usually coming about a half inch at a time. Today we received about 1.25".

I'm really glad to see it because I said last summer that I wasn't planting a single new plant this fall, as I had my hands full watering what I already had. As it happened, I did plant just a few new things: (In my defense, several of these were given to me and it would have been bad manners not to accept them.)

3 Wax Myrtles
4 Barberries
15 Coneflowers
6 Viburnums
3 Chokecherries
3 Wiegela
2 Foamflowers
1 Daphne
2 Fothergilla
4 Roses
1 Holly
1 Hydrangea
2 Butterfly Bushes
9 Sweet Autumn Clematis
3 Balloon Flowers
2 Pincushion Flowers
1 Crape Myrtle

Christine suggested in a recent comment that perhaps buying more plants might subdue the urge to dig things up and move them around. I'm afraid not. After buying all of the above, I moved:

2 Forsythia
2 Hydrangeas
1 Koreanspice Viburnum
1 Arborvitae
1 Camellia
1 David Viburnum
1 Quince
2 Japanese Hollies
2 Tea Olives
1 Gardenia
2 Lantana
6-8 Spirea
1 Mock Orange
1 Wax Myrtle (yes, one of the new ones)
Hundreds of Daylilies
Dozens of Irises, Asters, and Coreopsis
Several Salvias and Liriope
1 Agastache

And mind you, this is just since September.
And it doesn't include Teresa's Charleston Garden, which is her responsibility.
And I've probably forgotten something.

You know, I didn't realize until I typed this exactly how much digging I did this year. You would think I didn't have a life...(That's my wife you hear in the background, mumbling something about shoes fitting.)

Anyway, I hope it rains all winter and spring so all these plants can establish good, healthy roots!

The Results Are In

Rainfall totals at LMAID World Headquarters came to about 4.25 inches! (Counting last Friday's rain, we got 5 inches exactly for the week.) Contrast that with 5.5 inches in the last four-plus months, and you see why we are all so excited.

The rains didn't solve the drought problem by any means. The lakes are still very low, and the winter is forecast to be dry, so it's too soon to be "dancing in the end zone." It would take 2 or 3 more storms like this one to get us where we need to be, so if you're in Greensboro and reading this, take quick showers and don't be playing in the hose! (And quit worrying about your grass!)

Speaking of grass, guess what I did today. (Hint: the ground was soft and easy to dig in.) Stay tuned for Sunday's post.

Finally!!!

Over the weekend, word leaked out from the various weather services that a great deal of rain may be heading our way. The forecast called for rain to start Wednesday, which it did...in Burlington, where I work. All day Wednesday it rained, and I daydreamed of my plants getting a good drenching, only to come home and find about one good spit's worth of water in my gauge.

I try not to get mad at God. It doesn't do any good, and I usually look foolish. But I couldn't help it. I kicked the deck rail in disgust, sending splinters flying into the yard (it's rotten, so it splinters easily) and stomped back inside, slamming the door behind me.

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" I demanded, in a loud and angry voice that sent my cat scurrying under the sofa. "Well it's not funny. What are you doing, putting some kind of dome over Greensboro? You said ask for what you need. Well, we need rain. Not 'want.' 'Need.' And I've asked. Nicely. Several times. And so have a lot of my garden blogging friends, if for no other reason than they are tired reading my complaints about the drought. What do you want? Tell me what you want and I'll do it, JUST SEND US SOME RAIN!!!"

I was reminded of a story about the 16th century Christian mystic, Saint Teresa of Avila, who, after nearly drowning in some sort of accident, looked up at the heavens and said to God, "If this is how you treat your friends it's no wonder you have so few of them." (I think I would have liked Teresa.)

Anyway, the rains finally came last night, and have continued all day. As of 6pm, we had almost 1.5" and the forecast is for more rain tonight and tomorrow! Thanks to all of you who have sent good thoughts and prayers for rain to NC. We all appreciate it very much.

Oh, yeah, God...thank you too. Sorry about the deck rail incident.

Summer Shower

This afternoon, a little cloud appeared in the west...

A few raindrops spattered on the windowpane...

The rain fell harder...

The trees sang for joy...

And the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and all manner of creatures that fly through the air and creep upon the earth came out and danced in the rain...

Gardener's Gratitude

It began
with heavy,
plunking
drops...

falling from the sky like liquid stones.
A few at first,
as though a small hole had punctured
the firmament.

Then, like a waterlogged ceiling,
the sky seemed to sag
and burst,
drenching
the soil,
splashing
on the street and sidewalk.

Overhead on the attic vents, the rain hammered
a tinny percussion
a song long forgotten...

While we watched through the water-streaked glass,
and listened with awe and reverence and gratitude.

Rainfall Contest

Here's what the sky looked like over our house today. Just for fun, let's have a little contest. How much rain do you suppose fell from this menacing cloud? Put your best guess in a comment, and I'll announce the winner later this week. (No cheating--stay away from the National Weather Service page!)

Winner gets fifteen minutes of fame on Leave Me Alone I'm Digging...and maybe a cool prize if I can think of something. (Don't worry--it won't be anything out of my grandparents' house!)

Good Luck!

Rain!!!

You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it...
You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
Psalm 65: 9-10

I woke up this morning to the sound of raindrops. All day the rain fell, 1.25 inches worth. It was a soft rain and the air was cool, so I worked outside all afternoon, getting soaked and muddy, pulling weeds, expanding the back border, and setting out some beebalm, cannas, Siberian and bearded iris, daffodils, heuchera, and daylilies.

You know you've had a good day in the garden when your jeans must be hosed off before they can even go in the washing machine...