Really Ripe and Really Rainy!

Today it was NOT 100 degrees in the shade, today it rained and rained and rained.  If this day had happened during a normal summer, we would be complaining about the terrible humidity which made the air feel sodden and heavy even in the middle of a downpour.  But this is not a normal summer and any rain is a cause for celebration - and this was A LOT of rain.

 I actually spent several hours this afternoon weeding the back and side yards in the rain.  People were working in their gardens and walking their dogs and doing all sorts of normal Saturday things as if the sun was out and the streets were dry.   Even the birds were out in force.  I was visited by a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird while I was weeding and several Goldfinches were chirping in the sunflower area.  Later I sat on the porch and watched two juvenile Cardinals practice flying from bush to tree to porch roofs and back again.

We were actually disappointed when the sun finally did peek through late this afternoon.  I think we could stand another two, three or four days of this before we got tired and cranky about wet weather.

It is amazing how quickly the plants responded to all that water.  The hydrangeas - which I really thought were a lost cause - perked up beautifully.  The Sweet Woodruff, which appeared to have died back, was springy and green in a matter of hours.  Unfortunately, the rain didn't come soon enough for the Shasta Daisies.  Their blooms faded in the heat three days ago and all the new buds turned brown and hard.  No amount of rain was going to help that.  They were beautiful while they lasted, but they didn't last nearly long enough.

I thought the tomatoes were doing quite well in the heat and drought, but I realize now, they were waiting for water to ripen.  In the course of the day, about half the plants had tomatoes begin to blush.

The biggest excitement of the day, however, was the picking of the first ripe tomato of the season.  It was a Japanese Black Trifele, a little on the small side, but it tasted like heaven!  Normally, the Black Trifeles don't produce a lot of fruit, but what we get is the most delicious tomato we ever grow.  This year, however, the plants are loaded with fruit so we have great hopes of a strong harvest.  Warm from the plant, these tomatoes rival fine wine.  They also give a depth and complexity to sauce and soup that can't be rivaled.  We have some new varieties this year, so we'll see if I find something I like as much - but I think these Tirfeles are hard to beat.