rain

Wonderful the way rain slows things down, almost like snow. I love to watch the rain, the lightning, listen to the thunder. When the rain first starts I can hear a type of music made by my gutter pipes. This little twinkling music wakes me up from a deep sleep some times. I have not really investigated to see how it makes the various notes but I just love it. I can understand how babies will sleep well in a moving vehicle because of the constant pattern of sound. The rain does that for me. Even the wind is soothing, unless it threatens to take the house with it.
I look out into the front and back yard to see the progress of the bulbs and various plants coming to life. The dark daytime skies make the colors pop out almost as if they were iridescent. I wish I could get on my knees to take pictures on level with the garden beds but I'm afraid it would take two strong men to get me up again LOL.
I saw a set of garden furniture at K Mart yesterday. Two chairs of red metal which recline and a smaller bistro type table. They looked so light and airy I wanted to plan a BBQ right away. I think I will buy four chairs and two tables so I can have more company gather when the back yard is in it's full blooming glory. Red always makes me happy.
I think about all the things which have been in the news lately. The volcano, the earthquakes, the violence and I count my blessings which, in retrospect, now seem so large. My little struggles with work (or lack of it) and my budget in the scheme of things mean nothing.
This coming weekend I will plant some Lemon Queen sunflowers. I am participating in the great sunflower project. This is the link http://www.greatsunflower.org/ so anyone interested in counting bees on their sunflowers can join. In 2009 I had so many bees once my winter squash was blooming that I could not count them. HURRAH FOR THE BEES. Yesterday at a meeting with our local Master Gardeners Club I found out more about bees and bee hive collapse. It is not the all out dire circumstance I thought it was but it once again points out the fact that we can not use pesticides with abandon and think it will solve all our problems with pests and or weeds. We all need to be more responsible. Me included. Once a year at College of Southern Idaho we get to rent a plot of land, 50x100, to use for growing whatever we wish. The cost is forty dollars and includes water and some tools. This year the refugee center has one and I paid for a plot adjoining it so we could have a space which is now 100x100 for all intents and purposes. The master gardeners are installing a drip system for our convenience and are plowing up the area for us in a couple of weeks. They are a splendid and dedicated group. The community is also coming up with donations of everything from starter plants to equipment for our use. The deal is that every refugee who helps with the garden gets to have a share of whatever we grow. They have some input in what they would like also. Hot peppers are a very desirable item for them along with tomatoes and white eggplant. I can hardly wait to make my ratatouille!