Taking My Rain Sunny Side Up

There are many noted benefits of gardening.  Relaxation, exercise, fresh air, an instant bond with fellow dirt-diggers, and, if you are sprouting some veggies, knowing where your food comes from. Powerful stuff.  Also on the "pro" list-- a changed relationship with the weather. 

Saturday's overcast start was an incentive to hurry home and get in zinnias and other green goodies purchased at a yard sale from The Tomato Man (more on him later).  The rain, then humidity, then rain that followed? Victory!  My plants were ready and waiting to soak it all in.  Instead of scowling at the clouds, which I often do, I did a little happy dance knowing this meant less watering work for me and a better chance of flourishing for my growables.

Don't get me wrong, I still hit snooze an extra time for each rain drop.  But it was nice to feel CONNECTED to the rain, to be able to recognize all the good stuff it brought along, frizzy hair be damned.  That's what pony-tails are for! 

Ah, and The Tomato Man, he is one of my best yard sale discoveries ever.  First of all, he was selling great plants, organically grown for super low prices.  A snow-related collapse of his greenhouse meant his plants were smaller and there were discounts to be had.  As we chatted and I told of him my goal to grow wedding flowers, he not only recommended ones that would be perfect for cutting and would bloom well into the fall (thus, the zinnia purchase), but gave me his card and offered his greenhouse for starting more flowers for my project.  He even gave me tips on some of the flowers I am already growing. 

Ok, so bond with fellow growers--- pro.  Being able to enjoy the rain--- pro.  Nervously checking and rechecking frost warnings for tonight--- well, I said a CHANGED relationship with the weather. Not a perfect one. ;-)