Saturday, September 21, 2024

After nearly a month without rain, the heavens have finally opened.  It has been a wonderful spell of warm and sunny late summer days, but for the gardener, those days always come with a bit of worry.  We fear far more than the growing patches of browned grass on the lawn.  We worry about the load of tomatoes drooping on the vine and the late crop of green beans looking positively parched. The branches of the peach tree hang heavy to the ground as if in search of a drop of water. The watering can and hose are helpful tools, but there is nothing like the rains that fall from the sky.  And yes, those rains have cancelled so many plans for this last day of summer.  I feel for the picnic planners, the wedding goers and the ferry runners. The day is a washout.  But this is God’s plan for us.  We need the rain to fall from the heavens with its perfectly created blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium.  The plants of the earth bear a silent praise, and so should we for those magical ingredients are what make life on this earth possible.