Rain, Rain, and More Rain

 It sure has rained a lot this summer.  I've heard many people say that they've never seen it rain so much in such a short period of time.  I don't know if that is a scientific observation, but I'd say they were pretty close to being correct.  We've lived here about 7 years and even the hurricanes that have passed our way didn't deliver this much flooding.  We are so saturated that even after several days of no rain, we still have standing water.  And the stench of rotting vegetation... phew!

We did not need to go outside to splash in the puddles, they came inside to seek us out!  Once I got the sump pump working, it didn't take long for the carpet to dry.  This has happened at least 5 times so we almost have the drying out process down to a tee.

1a, b, c... This is a panoramic view of sorts of our side yard, north of our house.  Our property line is just beyond the Mimosa trees in the background.  This latest downpour happened within a day of this area ridding itself of standing water from previous rain.

2...  The east side of our house.  Our entire parking area was under water, about 2 inches in places.
3... Across the road to the south. 
4...  Looking down on our parking area from the deck.  Even the pavers are under water.

 5... Most of the grass in this shallow ditch is rotting and sludge-like.  This was taken 4 days after the last round of rain.

6...  Again, 4 days after the last rain.  This is the same area as picture 1b above.

 7...  The happy moment in all of this rain?  I looked outside and saw that my Crape Myrtles are blooming!  My son gave these to me for Mother's Day this year and I wasn't expecting them to bloom because they were quite small.  As I've mentioned before, if shrubbery could represent my childhood it would be the Crape Myrtle.  I like to think that one day a young girl will find herself perched in this one's branches, entertaining herself with all the thoughts that she is able to imagine and singing at the top of her lungs. 

All this rain has caused us a few problems with a backed-up septic system, dead grass, stinky air, wet carpet, walking through water to our vehicles, day after day of dreary weather, and now, intense humidity and mutant-sized mosquitoes.  But these are just minor annoyances, really.  Nothing that can't be dealt with using a shop-vac, a few fans, time, and judicious use of water.

I try to never say "it could  be worse" because it minimizes the situation.  Both minimizing and exaggerating are dangerous to my state of mind.  They lead to dis-quiet of both mind and spirit.  The more I practice defining things "as is", with a reasonable degree of emotional detachment, the more able I am to access the grace and wisdom that I am promised because of my faith, despite the depth or height I am currently experiencing.  And I am blessed no matter what!  

A friend shared a quote a few days ago that is so appropriate for this rainy season...

"If God sends rain, then rain's my choice." -- Dan Crawford, missionary 



A-Junking We Will Go

I am a self-declared minimalist.  Have been as far back as I can remember.  But something has taken ahold of me lately and I haven't a clue how it happened.  Perhaps I should blame Pinterest.  Just when you think you've seen every craft or re-purposing project that could ever be thought of, along comes a new crop of ideas that you simply MUST recreate.  That website is both a blessing and a curse!  

Or I could blame a latent gene that kicked into effect out of nowhere.  Both of my parents were collectors and savers-of-stuff.  No, they would not have been featured on an episode of "Hoarders" as they were both quite tidy about their treasures.  But Dad enabled Mom by building houses for her that had PLENTY of storage and Mom didn't fuss too much when Dad kept that motorcycle that didn't run... or brought home that gargantuan-sized piece of furniture... or that Pit bull puppy.  Dad was a plumber for many years and would occasionally do work for barter rather than money so he often came home from work with something unexpected, like the puppy!  Mom had collections of bells, fabric, greeting cards, jars, and much more.  Perhaps needless to say, we had a BIG job of clearing out their house after they passed.  I brought home some of their stuff, so maybe that's where it started. 

Perhaps my husband is to blame.  He is a pack rat extraordinaire.  We've had some of our most heated discussions about his disorderly collections!  I've even gone so far as to tell him that he is not allowed to die before me because I don't want our kids to blame me for "this mess"!  No matter how much I try to keep him organized he manages to clutter up the place <sigh>, but he is a decent sort of fellow so I'll keep him.   

Blaming the kids comes in handy, too!  Both of my children are collectors.  Zachary (23) has always been meticulous about keeping tabs on his collections.  He's been collecting action figures since before he could say "action figure" and still has every tiny little phaser that goes along with them.  Amelia (21)... not so much.  But she has progressed past saving used tissues so there is hope!

Since we moved around a bit when I was a teen I would often get the response "It is packed away" when I'd ask where this or that was.  I vowed that I would NEVER have a land called "Packed Away" at my house, and so far I've made good on it. 

Visitors have even remarked on my lack of  "stuff".   

Bare surfaces are comforting.  Empty rooms invite me in.  Even the slightest bit of clutter registers to my brain as chaos.  OCD-level panic sometimes strikes when the few things I have are out of place.  The weird thing is, even in my current "Collect Mode", it still does!  All this stuff is driving me bonkers!  But I am learning to work with it rather than against it and it is somehow making sense.    

So now that I have made this short story long, I will tell you about my husband's and my Junking Day yesterday.  It started last week when my daughter and I stopped in at a flea market about 45 minutes from our home.  I saw something that I wanted but couldn't purchase it since it was too big to fit in my car (see **Note** at bottom of post)  Hubby said we could go back with the pickup to get it and we finally got around to it a week later. 

Even though it was cold and raining, and I was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, my husband really, really wanted to look around for awhile.  So we did, and I found more stuff.   Of course! I found several small items for re-purposing but the best find was something that just needed a bit of cleaning... 

Isn't it a beauty?!?  Turquoise, aqua, and teal shades are very appealing to me right now for some reason and this 9-inch vase practically leapt off the shelf into my hands.  No, really, it did!   It had rainwater and gunk on the inside, and dirt and scuffs on the outside, but I knew it really, really needed to come home with me.  I didn't know how much it cost, still don't, but I brought it in, cleaned it up and now it is doing its job...

The reason I don't know how much it cost is because the lady who runs the flea market likes to price smaller things as a group.  She priced a couple of larger purchases separately but the vase was grouped in with the other small things that asked to come home with me.  If I had to guess, I'd say it ended up costing me about 75 cents to a dollar.

When I arrived home I discovered that I truly did need this vase.  A couple of stems from my beloved peonies were bent over with the weight of their huge blooms and rain and had to be cut.  A perfect pair, don't you think?

Now that I've discovered how much fun junking can be, what is next?  Yard sales? No way am I getting up at zero-dark:30 to look for stuff!  But you never know.  A year from now I may be writing a post that tells about a new fondness for it.  Of course if that happens, enormous amounts of coffee will likely be a factor. 

 

What are some of your favorite junky finds?

 

**Note** Some of my finds will be featured in an upcoming 31 day series in October.  The item that we went back to pick up will (hopefully) be one of them, if it works the way I plan.  So excited!

31 Days of October: Day 6... Beauty in the Brambles

Many years ago when my children were in 4H I decided to participate in the Worchester County Fair (we lived in Maryland at the time) by entering a wildflower collection.  I don't remember how many examples I needed to have an entry but I do remember exceeding that number by far.  I only say that to say this...  My husband wanted me to be done with the project sooner than I wanted to be done with it! 

We drove so many back roads that year.  He didn't mind that part.  He just didn't like driving 5 mph and having me screech "STOOOOOOP!" whenever I'd see a specimen that I didn't already have.  I jest!  He really was a good sport about the whole thing.

That wildflower collection really was fun to do... Everything from building my own flower press to uncovering hard to find information (one flower even stumped the weed guy at the extension office) to assembling the book and winning 1st prize AND Division Champion. 

 My title page contained the verse Matthew 6:28-29 "...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."  How true!  So many of these wildflowers are considered weeds, but have you ever noticed how beautiful they really are?  Yes, some of them are invasive, I know, but just take a minute to examine them more closely.  How delicate and intricate!  How diverse!

One thing I learned by doing that project is to notice beauty beyond the obvious.  Sure, heavily cultivated and hybridized flowers can be stunning but the less showy flowers of "weeds" have a simple elegance to them that is inviting to me.

Fall is an excellent time to roam among the weeds... cooler temperatures and fewer bugs!  This morning my ever patient husband went on a short walk with me to gather some of these fleeting beauties to share with you.  Some of my pictures didn't turn out very well (I've GOT to learn how to use my camera!).

I want to start my pictures with this product that I found at the Dollar Tree.  It is a collapsible vase and waterbeads.  I saw it in the store yesterday and thought "Why not?"  I don't particularly like the color of the beads (looks like algae to me!) but I love the idea.  It would be the perfect thing to carry a small bouquet of flowers to a friend.  I often use disposable containers when taking a meal to someone so that they don't have to worry about returning dishes, so why not a disposable vase? 

The waterbeads are tiny!  I put them in the water before I left for my walk and they were almost fully expanded by the time I got home.
  

Two pretty little flowers along my path.

 

Most wildflowers fade quickly after being cut so they don't do well in arrangements, but that doesn't keep me from trying on occasion! This is what I brought home.

This is the arrangement I made.  Notice that there are some dried Queen Anne's Lace stems from last year.  I thought they added good height and texture.

Most of the flowers were wilted by evening but that is okay.  I'll take out the worst ones and allow the others to stay with me until they, too, fade.  So put on your walking shoes, grab your camera and a heavy pair of scissors and head out for a ramble in the brambles!