Well, here we are, well into June, though you wouldn’t know it by the type of weather we are having. Here in the interior of BC, we are experiencing a rainy May and June. We have had below average temperatures and very few days without rain.

Now, I am not complaining per se. My hope is that this will be an indicator of a mild summer, with very little wildfires in our area, and nice, clean, breathable air to enjoy while in the garden. Oh, and milder temperatures. I would prefer not to get into the mid-40*C ranges again. We just end up hiding inside because with those temperatures comes fire and thick smokey air. So, yes, I am happy for the mild spring and rain in that aspect.

The flip side of that is gardening and landscaping are getting behind. Not that it is a race, but it is somewhat. It is a race against time since growing season is only so long. We are lucky, and have a longer growing season, but with costs what they are, we are especially looking forward to growing our own food and cutting down on those grocery bills. I delayed putting some of our plants out until late May. Some of those plants would have gone in a few weeks earlier in previous years. I did risk putting in some seeds that normally like warmer soil, and lucked out with a few. A few others, I lost the bet on and have had to re-seed.

In May, despite my restlessness to get into the yard to plant our garden and finish up the walls, I did try to slow it down and work with the weather. Other than planting a few things late, we have also been delayed in our wall building. We are so close to being done with rock walls….and it is killing me! I love what we have accomplished in our yard. I love the look of the rock walls, and look forward to one day soon having a nice gazebo down in the lower area and getting to just sit, relax and take in the sights. Unfortunately, we have a bit more to do. Due to this rain, we have been stuck on our last wall. Yes, our LAST wall! To be fair, it is closer to a wall and a half, but I consider it a single wall, just in a “Y” shape. We got most of the lower part of the “Y” posts cemented in, but at the point that it splits, we didn’t cement those 2 posts in, because we wanted to take the proper time to get the spacing and angles right. Well, it hasn’t stopped raining since the day we did the other posts. Darn it!

Looking at the forecast for this week, it looks like the heavy rains will be easing and we are likely to get minimal mists everyday. Light enough that I am comfortable cementing in the last posts and covering them with plastic to cure so that we can get moving on that last wall. It has to happen, because now that we are in June, despite the rain, the temperatures are rising. Hauling rocks in warm or hot weather is terrible. And I refuse to wait until the fall. This is happening. Can you feel the desperation I have in getting these rock walls finished? 4 years of building them is plenty. On to the next arduous task or cementing the walkways, building stairs, creating a pad for the gazebo, topping the rock walls with wood caps, and so on, and so on, and so on. I’m ready to tackle those finishing touches.

Anyways, I digress. As I write, I am sitting listening to the rain tapping away on the deck…mocking me with its chatter. Chatter that I usually enjoy hearing. It’s ok though. I will be patient and look at the upside. Our grass is looking amazing! After the heat dome last year, it was very thin with patchy areas. This year it is thick and growing at impressive rates. Our cedars are getting much-needed soaking. And the plants are lapping it all up, growing happily. A few days of sunny weather this week, with humid air will hopefully add a huge growth spurt to them.

I consider myself a Pluviophile.

Pluviophile (plural pluviophiles) (neologism) One who loves rain; one who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.

Living in a semi-arid desert, I am generally very excited about rainy days. I usually love the sound of the rain outside while sitting curled up with a good book and a cup of tea. I relish the smell of a rainy day and that fresh air smell. I enjoy being outside, under an umbrella or a bit of shelter, feeling the rainy air around me. A few of my favourite camping trips were in the rain. One, when I was young and all my cousins were camping with us. We made garbage bag ponchos and ran from campsite to campsite playing. Another was a camping trip where Kurt and I got a fantastic spot with our tent overlooking the water. We stayed in the tent and watched the rain over the water, playing cards and just enjoying the coziness of the ten. I am sure in another month I will be looking back at this rain streak wishing for just one day of rain to come.

So what is the point of this post? A lament about the rainy streak? Complaints about not being able to work in the yard? Reminiscing of happy rainy day memories? Admiration of how great our plants are doing because of the rain? Apparently all of the above. I’m not sure where this post was going, or where it has gone.

I’ll end it with a sip of my tea, a look at the yard and the hope that this week we will be able to get moving on the last rock wall.