The Junk Drawer

Every endeavor needs a MISC file, a catch-all, a junk drawer. This post qualifies for such a distinction.

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The rains are within twenty miles of here as I write this, 1:40 am central daylight time. The radar shows a band of strong rain building to the west. It does not appear that it will quite make it far enough to the east before it has slipped away northward. Though it rained the other night, leaving about an inch of water in the dog bowl, the soil beneath the dish was as dry and dusty as if it had never rained. It is going to take a lot of water to saturate the soil again, fill the ponds, restore Spirit Creek. Eventually, it will rain again. It always does. It always will.

I just heard the first rumble of distant thunder! The Duke and I need to take a little stroll about the place to see if we can entice those Thunders this way.

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An unexpected, wonderful event happened to me today. My friends returned from a trip to California, bearing gifts. They brought a living white sage plant to me. I often burn the dried leaves of that plant. It possesses a much stronger aroma and presence than the Plains sage. To have a houseplant again is good. I have had none in my house for many years. It will be pleasant to share my indoor space with a living plant this winter and I hope we have a long, lasting relationship.

People and plants can have enduring, monogamous relationships. A great aunt on my mother's side of the family had a particular cactus that flourished in her care. It started as a little cactus she got on a trip through the desert when she was a young woman. In time, it sent out long tubes of spine-covered arms in all directions, dominating its space in her comfortable old home. My aunt took a hatchet to the cactus in order to give my cousin a start from that venerable old plant. Apparently, the cactus took no umbrage to the axe treatment. For many decades the cactus thrived in the care and companionship of my aunt, growing far too large for its allotted space. I never heard of its fate when she passed away. Truly, the cactus was too large to be moved. Perhaps it soon followed her and they continue their long companionship in a new environment.

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Amazingly, the rain looks to be splitting right around the county. There is a clear area almost exactly in the shape of the county as the rain moves to the northeast. I should not despair, but when it is so close, and the chances for more rain are still a week into the future, it is disappointing. Perhaps my neighbors have field work that needs to be done right now, so they are hoping the rain will hold off, Duke and my enticements notwithstanding.