woke up just after midnight wondering what I was hearing…

took me a minute to realize it was rain pounding against the open window… once what I was listening to sank into my brain, I jumped up and closed the windows and patio door… then I went downstairs to see if it was coming in the corner of the basement, but it was dry…

when I got up in the morning it was fresh and green outside and the rain had stopped… after grocery shopping I took this picture out the front window…

always interesting how the rain can green everything up so nicely, much better than watering can…

sat out in the garden for a good portion of the day enjoying the beauty and finishing a novel…

kids came for dinner and we had our first meal of the season on the deck…

lovely, because often by dinner time it is already cooling off and we end up in the dining room…

afterwards there was some hot tubbing and visiting and I took this shot of the sky with some beautiful  clouds floating by…

the family stayed later than usual which was nice, and I am enjoying a last few minutes of quiet in the garden before heading in…

will be going to bed early tonight after a busy, but productive, long weekend…

I truly am blessed, having my family around me and the health to be able to enjoy working and spending time in the garden…