Lots of Rain

Friday: After two years of drought, we have made up the deficit and everything is growing madly. It’s a great relief although we could go right back into drought this summer. Still, it’s good for the trees, the bushes, the birds, the butterflies, what there is left of them, and all living things since we’re all made largely of water. Last night, we even had some thunder. Schwartzie was scared. Xena ran around crying. Mingus, the eldest said, it’s just rain, and went back to sleep. Timid Willow hid.The peonies are incredible this year, especially the luscious pink ones. We’re filling the house with vases of peonies. Today is our friend Dale’s birthday, but he wants to celebrate it with us tomorrow instead. His partner Stephen is out of town until late tonight. I’ll make a strawberry-rhubarb pie in lieu of a bake – I’m great at pies but not so great at cakes. Some tasty hors d’oeuvres. A leg of lamb and scalloped potatoes and I’m including toward our own spinach with pine nuts, garlic [still from last year’s harvest] and currants. Sort of Middle Eastern leg of lamb and Middle Eastern spinach and French potatoes. I think of strawberry rhubarb pie as quintessentially American.Woody surprised me tonight with a lobster and fresh corn. A great meal with a bottle champagne a friend gave us a while ago. A little celebration. Pretty good news from my doctor. I don’t have COPD, already knew I didn’t have congestive heart failure or lung cancer and I may not even have adult onset asthma. My lungs seem to be clearing at last. I had viral pneumonia all of January and it left me short of breath. That scared me. But now it seems to be slowly receding. I don’t get out of breath nearly so quickly. Basically it happens when I exercise. Today I did some tentative but real exercise and did not lose breath at all.Saturday: At least it has stopped raining. I’m about to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. ihaven’ got to weed the rhubarb patch yet but there’s plenty of rhubarb because of all the rain. Woody is about to put down the irrigation system – plastic drip hoses-- in the main garden. then I’ll grip and put a good rub on a leg of lamb. I need to thaw and then cook the spinach.After that early cooking this morning, I plan to get outside and plant many herbs and 3 echinaceas. The perennials go into the new raised bed right outside the door. Everything else goes into the herb bed at the end of my Rosa garden or into sizable pots. I want to pot two of the rosemarys and the miniature basil I ordered. I’m hoping if I pot two of the rosemarys, maybe they can survive coming into the house in the fall. Two rosemarys in the herb bed did survive this mild winter under a light mulch. Okay, time to make a pie.