Flowers, Movies, summer

For the Rain it Raineth Every Day

85 Comments

As I noted last week, you can get too much of a good thing, and this certainly applies to the nonstop rain we’ve been having.

WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station, recently featured a newsletter with the headline “Weather whiplash hits home.”  Nik DeCosta-Klipa wrote that the “historic rain caused severe flooding in Vermont and washed out roads and farms in western  Massachusetts.”

In her post this week, Judy, of New England Garden and Thread, writes about the west side of New Hampshire, “which has seen a dam break and roads just disintegrate leaving communities land locked until it is safe to start repairs.”

In western Maine, heavy rain caused washouts and extensive road damage. However, in central Maine, where I live, there was not much damage. This reminded me that sometimes luck—or Fortune as the Elizabethans would call it—plays a big roll in life. If we lived fifty or sixty miles inland, we might be landlocked, too. But while the rain was heavy in our area, it wasn’t heavy enough to cause extensive damage.

While my gardens definitely look beaten down, the flowers are blooming, bringing spots of color to my shady yard.

A toad peeks through an opening of the green leaves of  a platycodon.

Various daylilies are in bloom.

I know I posted a similar picture last week, but I just can’t resist the red against the blue.

Finally, more peeking, this time it’s astilbe through ferns.

We’re supposed to have a few sunny days in a row this week, and I  am looking forward to them. We don’t have central air conditioning, and every thing is damp and sticky.

I’ve heard that summers are only going to be getting hotter as we go forward. We have to adapt, but we also must do what we can to stop the situation—climate change—from getting worse.

Perhaps this is foolish of me, but I remain hopeful.

****************************************************************

Book Reading

This Saturday, July 22, at 2:00 p.m., I will be giving a presentation at the Vassalboro Public Library.

This is the library I went to as a child, and it is one of the libraries featured in my Great Library Series.

I know many readers are far-flung, but if there are readers in the area, please do stop by if you have the chance.

****************************************************************

Watching

Movies: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Last week, we had such a wonderful time seeing the new Indiana Jones movie that we made a bold move: We bought movie passes at our local cinema. For $20 a pass, we can see as many movies as we want. Normally, because of the cost of tickets, we are very judicious about which movies we watch at the cinema. Now, we can take a chance on movies we normally wouldn’t go to the cinema to see.

Mission Impossible is such a movie. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of Tom Cruise—sorry Tom Cruise fans. But this seemed like a fun summer movie to see with some great supporting actors—Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg, to name a few—and off I went with Clif and Dee.

How was it? Well, there was a lot of action, including one extremely suspenseful train-wreck scene. (That seems to be a thing in movies.) Not surprisingly, Mission Impossible was short on character development, and in both books and movies, I love character development.

The plot revolves around a sentient AI gone rogue and the race to find two keys that will stop it. There will be a Part Two, and I couldn’t help but think that if some of the action scenes had been trimmed, one movie would have been just fine.

Mission Impossible wasn’t exactly a bad movie, but it wasn’t riveting either. Not to put too fine a point on it, but Tom Cruise is no Harrison Ford.

Next on the movie docket: Barbie and Oppenheimer. Or Barbenheimer as the two movies have come to be called because they are opening on the same weekend.

Stay tuned!

Addendum: I forget to mention how long the $20 movie passes were good for. They are good for a month. Going to two movies pays for the pass. After that, it’s gravy. Vegetarian, of course. 😉

85 thoughts on “For the Rain it Raineth Every Day”

  1. We had a monumental torrent of rain last night, resulting in lots of flooded basements and washouts. It sure made me think of Vermont and other bad situations everywhere (like in Korea at the moment). Sadly, I think all these extreme events are only going to become more frequent. 😥

  2. Send the rain this way, please. It’s about 100F every day. We’ve had a fair amount of rain this year, but the heat is very wearing. Thanks for the movie reviews–Barbenheimer is (are) definitely on my list. And I’m not a Tom Cruise fan. (I think Katie Holmes is one of the smartest and bravest women ever to ditch a man.)

    1. Sure wish I could send the rain your way! I am sure that high heat is very wearing.

      Looking forward to Barbenheimer.

      One thing you can say about Tome cruise is that although he doesn’t have much of a range, he sure has been successful using what little he has.

  3. Sounds like you are having rather a washed out summer – hope you get some sun soon.

    I will give Mission Impossible a miss….though I did like the old TV versions way back in the day! However, Barbenheimer is/are on my list.

    1. Sun is in the forecast for the next three days. Yay! And, yes, as far as I’m concerned, Mission Impossible is not a must-see movie. Good enough for a rainy Sunday, especially if you have a movie pass, but not good enough to see if you don’t.

      Onward to Barbenheimer!

  4. Although it seems crazy, I too am feeling a little bit optimistic about climate change…….well I live in hope anyway.

  5. We’ve been movie binging since June. We’ve always loved going, and have missed it over these past three years. Like you, I’m looking forward to Barbie and Oppenheimer. We also saw Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones, and I agree on that train scene. I read today that it cost $291 million to make, and it took in $235 million in box office this passed weekend. Do you know what I love the most? The sound track.

    As for the rain, my gosh you are getting a drenching. I agree with you on climate change. I hope we’re not too late.

    Break a leg at your library presentation. I’m sure you never dreamed of this day. Wowser!

    1. Yay, another pair of cinephiles! It’s almost unimaginable how much money was spent on Mission Impossible, but that’s par for the course for blockbusters, I guess. Yes, the sound track was good.

      Rain, rain, rain. Phew!

      Thanks for the good wishes!

      2. I agree completely with Gerwig. I’m glad the scene stayed. It might not have moved the plot along, but it sure expanded Barbie’s character. Yes, the heart of the film. Saw Barbie this weekend and will be writing a mini-review in today’s post.

  7. I was wondering about the rain in your area. Thanks for the update. Seems you received manageable rainfall, so that’s a good thing and your beautiful flowers love it.

    Thanks for the scoop about the latest Mission Impossible. I imagine we will see it in a couple of weeks after the initial craze calms down. $20 for a movie pass? Wow … It’s good for how long?

    1. More or less manageable rainfall. The ground is super saturated.

      Sorry I didn’t mention how long the pass is good for; they are good for a month. I will add that to my post.

    1. I hate to write this but I don’t think he’s capable of it right now. In his younger days, yes. But his range is not the greatest as he ages. But, how long can he continue doing action movies were he does many of his own stunts, including running? Well, that’s a problem for him to work out.

  9. Sometimes (often) it’s challenging to remain hopeful in the face of everything that seems to be going wrong. But giving up seems such a bad thing to do, so we need to keep trying to change how we live.
    I hope you will get at least a temporary relief from the rains!
    Best,
    Tanja

    1. It is challenging to remain hopeful, but as I wrote in another comment, a lack of hope can lead to apathy and inaction. So we must continue to hope. And to act.

      The weather forecast is for three sunny days in a row. Hurray!

  10. Such rain I have never experienced, I guess there is a first for everything. I can’t help but compare this summer to last, when we were so dry. How are the plants and trees taking it, I wonder? I noticed some cherry and birch are dropping yellowed leaves, something they don’t generally do until mid-August. Too little or too much water are stressful to plants. As you’d expect, these questions run through my mind! Overall, my gardens look like they are having a good year.
    A $20 pass sounds like a good deal to me. I haven’t been to the movies since early 2020. Your reviews are tempting me to return. 🙂
    Have fun this Sat. (I feel like I know that library from your books!)

    1. Right? Holy cats, what weather! Yeah, good question about how the plants and trees are taking it. No doubt they will be affected, just as they are affected by drought.

      That pass is a good deal. I forget to mention it was a monthly pass, but still a good deal. I will add this to my post.

      Thank for the good wishes! How fun that I have brought that library to people outside of Maine.

  13. So cool. Your garden looks lovely. We watched mission impossible in the last week. First day first show, my husband insisted 😊. We had endless discussions about the shooting sites. They are not very far from our place 😀

    Indiana Jones and Oppenheimer are on the list.

    1. Sounds like you two are movie lovers just as we are. I can see how the you had discussions about the shooting sites as they are not far from your place. Fun!

      1. Yeah but sadly we don’t have $20 pass. We pay much more but now we are used to it 😁 On Thursday we shall watch Indiana Jones.

    1. Thanks, Derrick! It’s been frightening to see how much damaged the water has done. Very grateful to have been spared the worst. We are having such fun with that cinema pass.

  16. I could see your daylily against the blue every week it flowers. It reminds me of Chihuly’s garden and glass museum.

    1. Oh, thanks! I feel the same way and was hoping it wasn’t getting too tedious. Might just have to feature it again if I have the chance. 😉

    1. Sure is! My nasturtium seeds rotted as did a beautiful flowers in a hanging pot. But, the daylilies are indeed thriving. And that’s something.

  18. Some folks are getting too much rain; others can’t get any. Now if we could pipe the excess to the drought areas, we’d be sitting pretty. Glad to hear you at least haven’t suffered major damage, Laurie. By the way, I haven’t been to the movies in ages, so I’m enjoying your mini-reviews!

  19. I think buying your pass was a good move Laurie as it will make you go and see films you wouldn’t normally and there will be treasures amongst the trash.
    I want to see Barbie because I will watch anything with Ryan Gosling in it.

  20. I am glad that you escaped the worst of the weather. I am not very hopeful that governments which receive massive amounts of money from coal interests and oil companies are going to see the climate crisis in quite the same way as we do.

  21. Apparently I’m lacking the movie-going gene, but I’m really glad you came upon that pass. For someone like you, who loves films, it’s going to provide some real treats. And, as you said, it allows a little flexibility; if you happen upon a truly terrible movie, it’s no real loss.

    That magenta alstilbe peeking through the ferns is gorgeous. It’s such a nice combination of colors!

  22. Great to hear you have a few sunny days ahead and a fabulous movie pass!!🙂 Just watched a special about the Oppenheimer movie and it looks like a great movie. Please keep the reviews coming and how wonderful to be speaking at your childhood library. It is getting very scary watching all the extreme weather reports and I’m glad you missed the worst of the rain. Enjoy the movies, I’m as envious of your movie pass as your lovely flowers.🙂

    1. More sunny days are in the forecast. Boy oh boy do we need them. Yes, those extreme weather reports are scary.

      Fun to have that movie pass. On Monday, I’ll report back on Barbie and Oppenheimer.

  23. I feel ya about lots of summer rain and no central air. The whole house gets damp and stinky and disgusting. Glad to hear you weren’t decimated like Vermont.

    Enjoy that movie pass!

  24. This rain has gotten real old, but we’re still seeing it in our forecast either every other day or every two days. I just saw some news footage from VT on all the trash from the flooding on the sidewalks waiting to be hauled off. They’ve certainly got a tough road ahead of them. I have a lovely blue balloon flower blooming right now too. After reading about your passes, I decided to go look at our local theatre and see how much tickets are – $17 or $15.50 for seniors. Sounds like you got your self quite an entertainment deal. Hope your library visit goes well and you have fun while you’re at it.

    1. Sunshine and less humid days are in the forecast. So there is hope!

      I guess we did get quite an entertainment deal. Holy cats! One ticket cost nearly as much as one senior ticket. No Regal in your area?

      Thanks for the good wishes.

      2. Interesting! As far as I know, the passes at our Regal can be used for any movie, and we used ours to reserve seats for both Barbie and Oppenheimer. The movie event of the year. 😉

  25. It’s amazing that some parts of the country are locked in oppressive heat and drought while others are experiencing relentless rain and flooding. I hope you get those sunny days, Laurie, and I’m hoping that it’s not too late to turn this climate ship around before we hit the iceberg.

  26. I love the astilbe peeking through the ferns Laurie and I truly hope you’ll get those sunny days again soon 💛

  28. I hope the sunshine shows up. And if you have any to spare, please send it over to the UK! What a summer – it’s grim, wet and windy here, but there are record heatwave temperatures further south in mainland Europe.

    1. The sunshine has shown up. Today is the most beautiful Maine summer day that anyone could ask for, and according to the forecast, there’s more to come next week. Huzzah!

      Sorry about the grim, rainy weather! I sure know what that’s like. But it sure is better than record heatwave temperatures. Hope you get some Goldilocks’s weather soon.

  30. Glad you escaped the worst of the weather and its consequences Laurie. We are having a really weird summer too. Ho hum! we do what we can to ameliorate Climate change and just have to adapt to what is unavoidable as best we can.

  31. The rain was certainly welcome in our area, even though we lost power for several hours. The trouble is, in some places it doesn’t know when to stop once it starts. I hope you see some sunny days soon, Laurie.

  32. Fantastic lilies! And thanks to your title, I’m having a nice memory of being in a high school production of “12th Night” in which we used that song for Feste. (I was Sir Andrew Aguecheek — it was a girls school.)

  33. Congratulations on your book talk at the Vassalboro library, which I now know as my own new friend! And your photos are lovely. I particularly love the one with the toad and the one with the blue ball.

    Thank you also for sharing an account of how heavy rain as been affecting Maine, etc. We’ve been rooting for you down here.

    Jeremiah attended a Barbenheimer party, and I saw Barbie yesterday. To my shock, I adored it. I hope you like it too. Oppenheimer next!

  34. I see you have a pretty white balloon flower (and a handsome toad). I’d be glad to mail you some seeds for beautiful blue balloon flowers if you’d like? LMK

      1. Seed won’t be ready for as month or more. I’ve tagged a couple blue ones with twist ties so I don’t accidentally send you more white ones ;-). I have both. So fun to share seeds!

  35. Pingback: For the Rain it Raineth Every Day – ReBlog24

Comments are closed.