Yesterday and the night before, we got some much-needed rain. Uncharacteristically for Maine, the month of June has been dry, and in some regions there has actually been a mini-drought. Last year was the same, and I wonder if we are entering a new phase with Maine weather.
As a bicycle rider and a patio hound, I love the good weather. As a gardener, I start to fret if it goes too long without rain. Then, when it does rain, I fret for my flowers if the rain falls too hard. Like most people who grow flowers and vegetables, I want the rain to be just right—a nice, steady, gentle, soaking rain that has enough sense to stop after a day or so. Seldom do we get this, which means when it comes to my gardens, I am in a constant state of fretfulness.
Yesterday’s rain wasn’t too bad, and as the irises have gone by, I didn’t have to worry about them. It did beat down my pansies, but the pansies are getting leggy, and soon I will be replacing them with some other flowers. I haven’t decided which ones yet.
I do love how the flowers look after the rain. Somehow, drops of water make the blossoms even more lovely than they already are.
Today has the kind of dry, sunny weather that makes Maine famous for its summers. Clif and I will be going on a bike ride tonight, and we’ll be grilling chicken for our supper.
What a fine way for the last day of June to go out. Many of our summer visitors are here. Lightening bugs flash on the window screens at night; the hummingbirds whir to our feeders and then zoom away into the woods; the thrushes sing every night; and the swallowtail butterflies are as beautiful as the flowers they visit.
All seasons have their beauty, but summer’s is the deepest, the most nurturing. Plants, flowers, insects, birds, and other creatures get their fill of green life during this abundant time of year. When I sit in the backyard and just look and listen and smell, I feel as though I am a part of all that is around me.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Patio hound – I like that expression.
That’s a perfect description of Clif and me 😉
send some over here…it is hot and dry!
Wish I could!
We only got a passing shower that didn’t even register in the rain gauge. I have to go out and water the seedlings again!
Hope you get a nice rain soon.
There was a front that passed through tonight and the same thing, just a sprinkle. I’m getting worried! 😦
Oh, goodness! Hope rain comes your way SOON!
Me, too. No real rain is forecasted. Possible thunderstorm on Fri and Sat. Hardly anything to bank on. 😦
Sigh.
My sister who lives only an hour to the north of me said they got 2″!!! Arrgh!
We depend on water to charge our well. All things point to it going dry this summer. The water for June is recorded as only 1/2 inch shy of normal for June. I don’t get it! Anyway, that rain sure did bring on the weeds!
Fingers crossed that your well doesn’t go dry. Oh my! Those are interesting statistics. Somehow, they seem off.
Another lovely post. Your bits about the rain could have been written by Jackie 🙂 Glad you’ve got it at last
Thanks, Derrick. I expect most gardeners feel the way Jackie and I do. We’re always fretting about too much rain, too little rain, insect invasions, mildew, and a host of other things. But still, we garden on!
Yep
I cannot imagine more glorious weather than summer in Maine. But a little more rain would be nice!
Summer in Maine is indeed glorious. Hope we get a little more rain.
We received a little rain as well but we sure could have used a lot more. I have that same day lily – beautiful. Love your bird bath. 🙂
Thanks, Judy. Yes, more rain would have been good. We are supposed to get rain this afternoon. Hope you do, too. On another subject…recently you asked how long it took us to bike eight miles. Last night we timed ourselves, and it took us 50 minutes, which means we’re going about ten miles an hour. We’re not breaking any records, that’s for sure 😉 But we are building strength, and most important, we’re having fun.