On Friday the remnants of tropical storm Andrea went through and deposited a lot of rain. I thought my trusty raincoat would be enough to keep me relatively dry but I was wrong. I had a few dogs to walk and tried to time my walks when it was not a torrential downpour. I succeeded for the most part but at one point I could not avoid it. I thought the two dogs would not mind the rain as they are labs, love water and regularly jump in the pool in their backyard. But I was wrong. I put leashes on them, opened the front door and out we went. They stopped four steps up the walkway and refused to go any further. So thankfully ninety minutes later the rain let up enough to try again. I had just gotten them back inside and dried them off when I was blinded by lighting. I thought for sure a ear cracking boom of thunder would follow immediately but it came about ten seconds later. I really should probably watch the weather forecast more and maybe I would have known thunderstorms were also in the mix.

I take a laid back approach of seeing what the weather brings when I wake up in the morning or just watching the sky. My father worked for company that produced printing plates for presses in newspapers and books. He fed my voracious desire to read by bringing home books that were not always the spruced up final piece you see in the stores today but was just a copy not yet bound. The copies often had ink mistakes in them where the ink color was not yet uniform all the way through the book. One great book he brought home was how to read the sky and know the weather. I think I got that when I was around ten. I loved it! And still have it. It had wonderful pen drawings of the sky and weather. It was a big treat when Dad came home with a book that was a final finished product. The middle picture I took prior to the crashing downpours. At my nighttime job I was filling in for a vacationing coworker so sadly I was required to be in the rain for half the night. The only plus to everything is the air temperature was warm as was the rain so I was not cold while being wet. I was glad when the night ended and I could get into dry clothes again.

I enjoy the many different gardens at the homes where I house sit or pet sit. Some are very elaborate and maintained by gardening contractors, some are very simple as if an after thought while other very much reflect the personality of the owners. The top picture shows one of my favorites from a bird eyes view. Along the porch is a wonderful herb garden, rose bushes line the side of the home, on the other side of the home is a lovely collection of house plants. The raise beds are a combination of roses, wild flowers, irises, and other plants whose names I don’t know. I love sitting in this yard with the dog, smelling dill and enjoying the flowers. Last week while walking the garden at my Mom’s I was getting buzzed by a hummingbird. He kept zipping up right near my head. I wonder if he thought my red hair was a flower or if he wanted me to get the hell out of his territory. I container garden and I am late this year but sometime before the month is over I hope to plant them and put my houseplants outside for the summer.

I love magnolia trees and flowers. It is a tree that did not grow where I grew up. I love the flower of the magnolia and it’s lovely scent. I am running from tree to tree this time of year trying to get pictures of them. I am just as intrigued with the flower in it’s closed state as when it opens completely. It fascinates me. Watching and trying to capture the magnolia flower in it’s various stages of bloom is very much paralleling a relationship that a friend and I are considering embarking on. We have known each other for about eight years. He is concerned about damaging our current friendship while I’m of the opinion let’s see what happens. I admire nobility and have made similar decisions in the past but I’m of the opinion lately just go for it.

I received some lovely books for my birthday. I look forward to starting one or two this week. Have you read any good books lately? Any suggestions on good reads? Let me know, I love reading new things. Enjoy your week and thanks for stopping by!