We had another five inches of rain as a bonus, after the generous rain yesterday. Now the backyard has plenty of standing water, a good-sized pond besides.
A third storm is rolling in. We heard the initial cloudburst at Walmart. When the sun came out, Sassy ordered her second walk for the day. When we came back, rain began again.
I gave the birds some older berries that were not yet eaten. I never see them as wasted. We keep fresh fruit for humans and share the older fruit with the birds. I filled the platform with fruit and saw a blue jay land for some soon after. He was soaking wet.
At Walmart I bought low cost seeds, Alyssum was only 20 cents. Nasturtium was 50 cents. Shasta Daisy - high on my list - was 50 cents. This time I used the rake to pull back some mulch, sow, and tamp it back in place.
Sweet alyssum is easily grown from surface-sown seeds (the seeds need light to germinate), and transplants are a common find at garden centers in the spring. Because of its tendency to self-sow, sweet alyssum has become naturalized across much of the United States and is recognized in California as potentially invasive. Each year I plant sweet alyssum at the top of my rock retaining wall as I enjoy it cascading over the wall’s edge. I especially like the frothy white blooms in the evening when their color reflects the fading light and their fragrance is the sweetest. Sweet alyssum also finds a home each year beneath my roses. It is attractive to several species of parasitic wasps
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2453-2459). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.
The flowers of Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum ×superbum) provide shelter, pollen, and nectar to natural enemies, including this ladybug larva.
Walliser, Jessica (2014-02-26). Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 2397-2398). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.
Now that the barrels, wheelbarrow, and mopbucket are full and overflowing with rainwater, it does not seem so valuable. A few days ago I was scraping the bottom of the barrels to help the laggard plants.
When God gives us abundance, we take it for granted and even scoff at it, like gardeners who plant too many zucchini squash, as they always do. When there is a shortage - as there is today - of liturgy, creeds, hymns, sermons, common sense, character, and honesty - we realize what that drought really means. Unlike the rain, which comes back again, these expressions of faith do not return as easily as they are cast away.
