Rainy Day (makes me Green, not Blue!)

"Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk.

The rain makes running pools in the gutter.

The rain plays a little spell-song on our roof at night-

And I love the rain."

-Langston Hughes

I LOVE the rain. There is nothing more relaxing than listening to the sound of rain peppered with the rumble of thunder. Totally delightful!

Even better than the relaxation is the effect that the rain is having on my garden. It seems as if one rainy day makes the plants shoot up in double time growth. The bamboo in my backyard isn't growing as fast as some of these vegetables. Marvelous!

The rain barrels are filled to capacity and this week I put in overflows near the tops of the barrels so that the water can be directed out of the garden rather than flooding my tomatoes and beans. The first picture is an excellent example of what the overflow is supposed to do. The pipe sticks outside the garden and allows the fastly cascading water to splash happily onto a water rock (in this case an old cider block! - gotta love poetic license!) Unless the rain comes down so hard and fast that the overflow cannot keep up with the water level, this is a fantastic way to make certain my grass is nicely watered!

Now....what happens when the gardener becomes lazy and says, "Gee....I don't have an extra pipe to add to this threaded overflow right now. Maybe I can wait and buy one the next time I am at the hardware store! What could possibly go wrong?" Well, folks....here is exactly what happens when said gardener sits on his lazy keester and forgets to get the extension pipe until the rain is pouring and overflowing.

Yep! That's right! The rain runs down the side of the barrel and begins to wash out the soil along the edge of the garden. This, in turn, undermines the beans that are planted along this side of the garden. I know that sloth is one of the seven deadly sins, but I think that this is going to qualify for the eighth deadly sin....stupidity! Ouch!

Now on a happier note....I transplanted a maple tree from another location on my property and the results are fabulous so far. I thought that I would share a pic of the tree in its new home. If you look hard enough, you can see a giant smile. Apparently, this tree is happy in its new home. The bucket is a drip bucket that I made out of a 5 gallon plastic bucket and a spigot. Slow, steady, life-bringing water right at the roots when the tree needs it the most....and very little evaporation. (and YES!, I know that it is crooked...the pole to point the tree straight up will come in a week or two.)

Until next week,
I wish for you quiet, dignity, and grace.
Dan