Moist Summer Morn

The "dog days of summer" are upon us at the Chicken Ranch, but it feels a bit more like autumn.
It has rained, off and on, for three days. At times the rain has been thunderous on the metal porch roof, like a parade of hooves across a covered bridge. At other times, the rain has fallen in a whispering ghostly mist, allowing the drops upon the leaves to answer the call of gravity in a slow hypnotizing dance to the earth beneath it.

The rains earlier this year were hard downpours that pummeled the garden soil into a flat, hardened,  and unforgiving surface. The recent rains, however, have been freshening. Slowly, the moisture has massaged the plants and dirt, has freed the trapped roots, and encouraged garden and grass to breathe and bloom. The gentle rains have chastised their harsher cousins, and offered the gift of softness in apology for them.

Pumpkin blooms stand taller, brighter now. Like bonnets to be worn over a grandmas' bun, these blooms dress up the huge dark green leaves along the vines. By October, there should be several plump balls of orange, ready to offer up a wonderful pie or two, or become a scary-faced jack-o-lantern to light up  a cool Halloween evening.

All the plants that labored to grow under the oppressive heat, have now sighed in relief, and renewed their strength. The weather is an all-important factor in ranching and farming. Weather is predictable only in that it is unpredictable. The challenge is in being prepared and accepting of what may come.

Mother Earth can be harsh, some would even say cruel, at times.  Tornadoes and hurricanes, earthquakes and forest fires; all destructive and frightening. But, the balance in nature is evident in the green shoots that rise from the  ashes of the inferno, or the pristine lake that forms from a quake- altered river. Science proves that the Earth was born in violence, but the violence brought forth a planet teeming with life.

Nature has always taken from us; but has given so much more. The terribleness of some of natures fury is not as prevalent as the charitable giving of unspeakable beauty and sustaining life. Sometimes, Mother Nature reminds us that some things are fleeting and temporary, so we should cherish them, and care for the gifts we are given. Give back to the Earth and she will continue to give to us; rob her,  and we will suffer the loss.

As I walk the vegetable and flower gardens here at the Chicken Ranch with a coffee cup in hand, I'm grateful for the kinder side that Nature has shown here in recent days . I survey all that's around me now that the rains have ceased. The breeze is soft. The sky shows the promise of a glowing sun; once the sheet of fog lifts and drifts away.

All life glistens, as the rising sun plays on the cleansing moisture that dresses it. The plants and trees are alive and refreshed this early summer morn... and so am I.