During the past week we finally got some much needed rain. First, there was tropical storm Hanna with 4½ inches of precipitation. That long dreary day gave me a chance to clear the house of an army of dust bunnies, which were threatening to take over. Days later we had another long soaking rainfall and three days after that more of the same. Now at the tail end of summer everything looks pretty lush and green again.

I have been like a little whirl wind in my garden, touching down here and there, uprooting plants big and small alike. It all starts innocently enough; an idea, a picture in a magazine or a book and suddenly the possibilities seem endless. In June I dug up a piece of the back yard in preparation for a small retaining yard to tame a bit of a slope. Out came my Dainty Bess roses, the lupines and columbines which bloomed so magnificently this spring.

As summer goes, we can’t complain too much about this one. Well, we could have a bit more rain, but we are in no drought situation, so watering when needed works just as well.

This Sunday past I celebrated yet another birthday with friends, both old and new. My, how the years just come and go. The weather was perfect so we spent all day outside. In the evening it could have been a little less windy, as the candles kept getting blown out. Oh well, it was romantic and at least we didn’t have to worry about bugs biting.

At last it rained; a downpour at night followed by a soaking rain. Over an inch in rain fell and the garden instantly looked better. All the watering in the world does not compare to rainfall; Mother Nature does it one better!