Celebrate the rain

Today it's pouring down rain, the gutters are overflowing, and I'm feeling stranded. I'd rather be outside, digging in the dirt. Or on a walkabout with my new Nikon, trying out the settings and features I've been learning through online videos. But I'd be soaked in minutes (and so would my camera).

So instead, I'm celebrating the rain, and the good things that will come of it. The pond is overflowing, which gives more room for the ducks who are settling down to raise their families. And the frogs are ecstatic (if such a thing is possible for a frog). Lots of water, oodles of rivulets running down the private road, lots of drowned grasses and weeds to explore.

Weeds are exploding in the gardens, too... thanks to this over-abundance of water. I swear you can almost see them growing from day to day, and that's actually not a bad thing. I'd much rather wait and pull big weeds, than try and pick out tiny shoots.

The perennials are already larger than this time last year, especially the hollyhocks and garden phlox. The forget-me-nots are in full bloom, and the daffodils are still blooming. The blue and yellow are beautiful together. My oldest (and favorite) perennial border is thriving, thanks to the rain (and all the extra light the plants are getting this year). Yes, the weeds are growing. But so are the flowers and ornamental grasses, the ferns and shrubs, the plants I chose and tended and loved for years. I can see this border from the house, and it's going to be spectacular this year. I can hardly wait.

Tulips at the Pike Place Market

Linked at Texture Tuesday
Layers of Marabella (overlay @ 41%) and 1412 (multiply @ 86%)

The original photograph was taken at Seattle's Pike Place Market, where the flower stalls are spectacular, especially in April when masses of tulips are stacked in buckets at the market, waiting to be sold. I love these bright red tulips with yellow edges, with a few mauve blooms peeking out from behind. The photograph had a soft, painterly feel to it, which the textures accentuated.

Tulips at the Pike Place Market (original)