Mother Nature's Way

For November it is repressively hot. Mother nature has been breaking records with 90 degree temperatures. This much heat in Novembers makes me uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable because its hot and humid but because it should be cool, dry and perfect for sitting outdoors having a glass of wine and reading a book. I decided to brave the heat and work on the garden I had planned out. Even in the heat, there is something about working in the dirt and planting that is cathartic. I love creating something that will be eye pleasing. 15 years ago the backyard started out a barren and uninviting space. It has slowly become my oasis as plants have gotten taller and block out the surrounding rooftops. Colors splash at different times of  the year and sometimes I can even forget the world. Its still a work in progress, but that's the fun of it. Today it didn't take long for the sweat to start soaking through the clothes. I jammed to my music, dug holes and planted. With every plunge of the shovel into the ground, pent up frustrations dissipated. Fresh new dirt would would give growth to the plants that I nurtured in pots for several years. Some of those plants had been re-potted over and over and it was time to give them to the ground. Two cacti were special. They had been Pete's; a Buxbaum and a Fish Hook. I also had an Agave and 2 Bayonets. The heat was getting over bearing and I knew it meant rain was likely. I was close to being done when the blue skies started to give way to gray and a breeze began to stir. It wasn't long after that the first raindrops began to fall. The rain got heavier but it felt so cool on my skin after the blazing sun and heat that I kept digging and planting. The rain got heavy and splashed mud onto my arms and legs. I stood up and let the rain wash over me. There is something cleansing about standing in a downpour. I love the rain. I love the smell of rain and I just stood there soaked to the skin with my eyes closed, eventually jolted back to reality by a low rumbling of thunder. In Florida, that's the time to call it quits and head indoors. I gathered up the wet tools and put them away and I, with my spirit now cleansed, headed indoors to wash they physical vessel.