10.14.09
Here Comes the Rain Again
We have RAIN! I can’t remember if it was last February or March since we last saw rain this year. Since then things here have been dry, dry, dry. Because of the drought, we have only been allowed to water the yards on Mondays and Thursdays after 4PM for 10 minutes. In addition to the dryness, So Cal has been weathering fires while other parts of the country have been cold and rainy. Even the Philippines was deluged with water while things dried up here. But yesterday morning a glorious thing happened here. Rain fell from the sky. . . Aaron and I even went out and walked in the rain. In the evening, I laid in bed and listened to the pitter patter of the rain. This morning it was still raining, and as I type this afternoon, I can hear the water continuing to fall.
Rain doesn’t show up so well in pictures, so I took a shot of the welcomed water on my rose vine. No roses this time of year, so the leaf will have to do. . .
No, that water is “not” from the hose, but from the sky! I am thankful for the rain, but also awed at its power. It can give life as well as death. The last I read there were about 600 deaths in the Philippines as a result of the storms that passed through there this past few weeks. Fortunately none of my family members living there were hurt. Yes, some experienced property damage, but at least they are all safe.
Days like these make me reflect on my life and how blessed I have been. For the most part of my life I have lived rather comfortably. While the floods in the Philippines got so high that people had to stand on their rooftops to get out of the water, this is the minor commotion we have here with the rain.
Part of our neighbor’s tree fell during the rain. It just happened this morning and already there are workers outside ready to clean it up. And I think of those in other parts of the world and how long it takes for assistance to get to them. It’s as if our lives are a luck of the draw. We don’t choose where we are born, but where we are born (and who our parents, family, and friends are) can greatly affect how comfortable our lives will be.
Even amidst our drought, we still have access to a lovely variety of organic produce. Here’s part of the nice produce I got at the farmer’s market. They had a much larger variety than I needed.
And interestingly, during the heavy fires when our weather got kinda hot and muggy the fruit in my parents’ backyard ripened quickly and we got to taste their first harvest of their sapodilla tree. My parents call it custard apple, which is a very fitting name because it tastes just like custard.
Also during this drought we managed to grow a little produce in our yard. Here are a few old pics I found in my camera, which were taken a few months ago when our first fruits were starting to come in. The first fruits are always a small batch. Here’s the first batch of crookneck squash. . .
A couple varieties of string beans.
A few varieties of chili peppers.
Our Mandarin orange tree is loading up with fruit. We also managed to grow a bunch of herbs this time around, but I’m too lazy to upload all those pictures. . .
The bottom line for me on this day of contemplation is that God continues to bless us and care for us. There’s so much more to be thankful for. Today it’s the rain as well as many other things. I think I’ll go and see what my boys are up to and enjoy their company for now.
Marlakins
