Blessings from Heaven

Finally, some rain!

With apologies to Shakespeare, it was "mercy, falling as raindrops, blessing all they touched." Rain on Friday night, and rain again on Saturday. You could just about hear the Earth sigh with relief and pleasure. Saturday morning, as I sat at the computer in my upstairs home office posting on the ArtFire forums I could look out directly into a midst of the large tree in our front yard. No fewer than 5 brilliant red male cardinals flitted and played among the raindrops dripping from the leaves. It was hard not to be happy!

More rain Saturday afternoon and Saturday night helped quench the thirst of so many plants and trees. It was so pleasant to be able to sit out on the porch of our cabin and knit while watching it rain! Haven't been able to do that in a very, very long time.

The extreme drought Central Texas is enduring has taken its toll on things. It's so sad to see tall, stately pine trees dead; half-century or more oak trees dead or dying--and all for a lack of any significant rainfall for the last two years. Surface moisture in the ground is long gone, and even deep moisture in the ground is gone. Ponds have dried up, streams aren't running any water. Water is being rationed. It's not a good situation.

But this morning it was different. I drove into work and it seemed as if all the world was green again! It felt so good to see something besides dusty, brown, brittle, and dead vegetation. It was still sad to see the dead trees--victims that didn't make it--among the newly green world, but hopefully those that are stressed will be able to pull out of it with this much needed drink.

Mexicans of South Texas believe that the cenizo blooms as a way of asking God for rain. God finallly answered!