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<\/a><\/p>\nA single brugmansia bloom dangled while Evie groomed. The rest of the unopened buds were jettisoned in response to high temperatures.<\/p>\n
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That same evening, the ‘Siam Ruby’ banana unfurled an enormous solar panel, daring the sun to do its worst.<\/p>\n
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The banana lost its dare. On the afternoon of October 4, 2010, it began to lightly rain, the first in, oh, six months or so. After a fitful start, on October 6 a proper rainstorm strode into town, rolled up its sleeves, and got down to business.<\/p>\n
A cold chronology of dates can’t convey the sweet relief that first rainfall provides. When those long-awaited drops begin to penetrate the soil, some project always presents itself that can’t be delayed and must be accomplished now<\/em>. Really just an excuse to experience water again falling from the sky and not out the end of a hose, to feel the warm drops on the skin, the hair, squishing into the shoes. <\/p>\n Yesterday, as the skies filled with clouds swollen with impending rain, it seemed a good time to consolidate a bunch of summer-accumulated pots into one gigantic pot vacated by a large sotol. After the empty pots and shovels are cleared away, the clouds really let loose, and I head for the shower. The rain-soaked pot of xanthosoma which I’ve moved umpteen times all summer now won’t budge an inch and will probably remain in this spot before retiring for its winter snooze, sometime in November. The banana will be pleased with the forecasted temps into the 90s this weekend, but I’m looking forward to my next play date with the rain.<\/p>\n Mediterranean Zone 10, averaging 15 inches of rainfall per year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A single brugmansia bloom dangled while Evie groomed. The rest of the unopened buds were jettisoned in response to high temperatures. That same evening, the ‘Siam Ruby’ banana unfurled an enormous solar panel, daring the sun to do its worst. … Continue reading
\nSo in went Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead,’ an enormous pelargonium, two begonias, a golden-leaved jasmine, and the eggplant-colored pseuderanthemum ‘Black Varnish,’ almost 3-feet tall.
\nAs the rain morphs from mist to big splashy drops, I shake my head like a dog to get the wet hair out of my face and go grab more compost. Soil falls onto the wet bricks and creates a muddy slurry, and even as I work I marvel at the glorious mess the rain and I have created in under 10 minutes. A couple lily bulbs are thrown into the pot for good measure. The rain is here, so once again everything is possible.<\/p>\n![\"Photobucket\"](\"http:\/\/i52.photobucket.com\/albums\/g23\/botanizeme\/103evening040.jpg\")
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