Rain

At last! The long, soaking rain the weatherman promised for the last four or five storms but did not deliver. We've had an inch and a half since nightfall, washing the dust from the road, the sparrows' feathers and the leaves of the trees. And the downpour continues.

Rain has been predicted for the rest of the week. Odds are small that we'll catch up to normal, but we can dream. Rain has been fickle for the last three years, and when it rains, we Californians count our blessings.

Rain keeps the frost at bay, something my garden will appreciate after a couple of weeks of really cold weather that killed the potatoes and stopped the beets and turnips in their tracks. Maybe I'll go ahead and put the cabbage and broccoli starts in the ground. Should have done it in September, but who knows where the time goes?