Living in Place

And Then the Rain Came

77 Comments

A busy, busy weekend for Clif and me, two homebodies who live on the edge of the woods. And we never went farther than two miles from our home. (Of course, it does help when people come to your house.)

On Thursday—not technically the weekend but close enough—three new friends came for lunch, and the weather, not too hot, not too cold, allowed us to eat on the patio. Very nice getting to know these three.

On Friday, Clif and I headed to van der Brew for a rousing night of Trivia led by Nick the Librarian. We were joined by friends Claire and Lori, and what fun we had. As usual, a few times, we talked ourselves out of the right answers. (I still feel bitter over Berlin and Beyoncé, when the answers should have been Moscow and Alicia Keys.) But despite our missteps, we had enough points to finish in the middle of the pack, and we were pretty darned happy about that.

On Sunday, our friends Alice and Joel came over for a barbecue of patties made from Beyond Burger, which they agreed tasted like regular hamburgers. Alice and Joel were so impressed that they indicated they would be looking for Beyond Burger when they go grocery shopping. Naturally, we finished the day by solving the world’s problems. Good of us, isn’t it?

Over the weekend, the temperature dropped to 60°F and it rained. Normally, this would be a bummer for a holiday weekend, but after the extreme heat and the drought, it felt like a blessed event.

My new rain gauge collected an inch-and-a-half of water. The gardens should be happy for a few days, anyway.

Gray skies and rain make a perfect combination for photos of white flowers.

And here’s a bonus picture, taken before the rain came, of a lily and the world.

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Nifty posts from blogging friends far and near:

Lavinia, of Salmon Brook Farm, wrote a poignant farewell to her beloved cat Hope.

Going Batty in Wales featured an oh so magical round house, much of which was built from recycled materials.

Thistles and Kiwis was greeted with a beautiful sky on the morning of her birthday.

Ju-Lyn, of Touring my Backyard, has posted mouth-watering pictures of hawker noodles.

On Suzanne’s Mom’s Blog there are some deep and insightful thoughts about Independence Day, better known as Fourth of July.

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Finally, the return of a  feature I know you’ve all been waiting for—well, maybe some of you more than others—the video of a song I’ve been listening a lot to lately. “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads came out in 1985. Still seems appropriate.

77 thoughts on “And Then the Rain Came”

  1. Just reading your post and the rain started here as I type a reply 🙄, trouble is, it hasn’t been hot enough here yet to be relieved about it.
    We are working our way through all the available meat free ‘burgers’ and have settled, for the moment, on one of the originals which is the Linda McCartney’s brand. We are also sampling all the different meat free sausages and there are some good ones. I do worry a bit about what goes in them to make them taste like they do though.
    Talking Heads! – oldies but goodies – Psycho Killer is my favourite .

    1. Too much rain is as bad as too little rain. I have never seen Linda McCartney’s brand here, but I will try it if I ever do.

      “Psycho Killer” is a good one!

  2. That talking heads video was fun – and I bet some of those video features were cutting edge for mid 80s – like picture within picture and other elements
    And you are right – a timeless song and in a way reminds us to not take things so seriously in this cycle of life
    —
    And glad you were able to enjoy a beautiful patio meal with friends

  6. I’m glad you got some rain! We have had way too much, but now it’s been 3 days without rain and I’ve started watering the tomatoes and gardens again. Today will be the hotest day of our year so far. Katie and I are grateful for air conditioning. Loved the video! Enjoy the rest of the ‘weekend!”

    1. Yes, we have, and we, too, like Impossible Burger a bit better. But, in our area, we can get a better deal on Beyond Burger, and because our budget is as big as a minute, that’s what we go with.

  8. Looks like you had a lovely long weekend with rain in the end, your garden must be happy !

  10. Flowers look so pretty when they’ve got rainwater droplets on them! We’ve had a couple of days to dry out — thank Heaven! — but I’ve been watering the hanging baskets that don’t get wet naturally. My high school pals and I used to “solve the world’s problems” on a regular basis — yes, that’s great fun!

  13. I am so glad the temperature dropped and you got rain. I’d like to think we sent you some of ours but there is still plenty here! Your flowers will be glad of it and I was pleased to see my water butts filling up. Thank you for the link too!

      2. That would be wonderful! In my dreams, I have a fantasy tour of England, Wales, and Scotland, where I would stay in B &Bs and meet all my blogging friends. Plus see the wonderful countryside. A woman can dream!

  16. Your flowers look absolutely beautiful in the rain. Bet you enjoyed getting some rain if it cooled the temperature down.
    I’m glad you had a pretty good score for your Trivia night, who organises the Trivia questions? I always rely on Paul for music and tough general knowledge questions on Trivia nights.

  18. Gosh, we ended up with 5″ – boy, did it pour! The thirsty ground just soaked it right up. I enjoyed the time off with my feet up. 😉

  19. One day I too will be able to use your title … one day. In the meanwhile, this post of yours has lifted my spirits enormously: what a glorious few days with friends,old and new, a quiz, as well as rain and a cooling down from your fearsome heat. Your flowers are a boon too – such a pretty collection of them you have!

  20. Sitting around with friends, setting the world to rights – one of life’s most enjoyable pastimes. A bit too much rain here, and cold for the time of year. Summer is having a hard time making an appearance.
    Thanks for the links, some fascinating posts.

  21. Love the rain gauge — and all the pictures. Many thanks for sharing my thoughts on an Independence and Introspection holiday.

  23. I do believe the rains came because my husband and I went on vacation(our first in 2 years) to Rangeley where it pretty much misted and was cool the entire weekend. I think the next time people want the heat and drought to end they should send us on vacation. LOL

    1. That is definitely a what-the-heck situation. Yes, the next time we have a dry spell, we will consider sending you and your husband on vacation. 😉

  24. As soon as I read “Talking Heads,” I was taken straight back to this video of theirs. I laughed when I first saw it, and I still laugh when I look at it from time to time. I’ll bet your flowers were giggling with that lovely rain, and maybe even singing a little. We’re heartily tired of rain here. It seems interminable, although it has been spotty and/or intermittent. A few of us dock workers are giving it up today, and going out to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. I suspect it will be as pleasant as your social occasions — isn’t it great to be doing such “normal” things again?

    1. That video made me laugh! I’ve heard the song many times but somehow missed the video. It’s quite something.

      To much rain is as bad as too little. Only in recent years has Maine suffered from too little rain.

      It is wonderful to be doing normal things again, including having friends come inside for visits. Enjoy that lunch!

  26. Love your lily and the world. Mid-pack is enviable. My mother is pretty good on quizzes and competitive with them, but my sweetheart and I usually come last. If it was just on flowers we might have a chance… 🙂

  27. Get together with friends after a VERY LONG lockdown. A break in the weahter after the EXTREME heat dome. And rain for the garden (and for oyur new rain guage). What could be better? 😀

  28. Glad you got some rain. Trivia night sounds fun. We’ve recently taken up a sort of card game called Splendor. Are those white flowers hostas?

  29. Beautiful garden photos Laurie! So glad you could get some much needed socializing. I, also , ventured back into the real world this past weekend. It felt great. One of the things we did was to have the twins and my mom over for a cookout yesterday. And Beyond Burgers were a hit with us too!

    Funny – I know that talking Heads song – it was the year I graduated college – but I had never seen the video. As a poor college kid I couldn’t afford cable. lol

    1. Thanks, Jodie! Wonderful that you could get together with your mom and children. I mostly heard “The Road to Nowhere” on the radio, too. Like you, not familiar with the video.

  30. Beautiful photos and what a fabulous weekend of fun and friends!!🙂 We are having another round of thunder and rain as I write this and I’m hoping for better weather again this weekend.

  31. In this season of craziness, I pronounce every day a weekend!
    It’s lovely that you are having companionable gatherings and outings – it’s a long time due!
    And I am glad the rains came … a long cool drink for the garden, and reprieve from the heat for you!
    Love the composition of Lily & The World: you have such interesting things in your garden!

  32. My , but you certainly do have a full social calendar there in the Hinterland! Sounds like a lot of fun. Isn’t it great to enjoy the simple pleasures of being with friends after this long lockdown?

  34. Glad you had fun with friends at Trivial Pursuit.
    We have come through four days of rain – sometimes a downpour, sometimes a farmers’ rain. Sorry about your car and backsides being soaked (mentioned in a previous post). You are real troupers, though – you kept going.

  35. Pingback: artful blooms – Touring My Backyard

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