Saturday, June 29, 2013

and now the weather

It rained all week. Mostly a heavy mist or light drizzle. Sometimes dumploads of water with fierce winds. Thunder and lightning.

Mushrooms sprouted all over the lawn and garden. The lawn was like a marsh; water squished up over my toes when I walked around back there. Slug paradise. Except for the coffee grounds I sprinkled around the lettuce, spinach, and sunflowers. Slugs don't care for coffee.

 This morning I walked in the mist and took pictures of wet leaves. The forecast was: several more days of rain with chance of thunderstorms and more mushrooms. More mist, drizzle, and damp.

Instead, the clouds lightened and brightened. I could see shadows. The clouds parted to reveal blue sky and shafts of light. Was it real? Would it last? I looked to the west. Most of our weather comes from the west. The west looked good, with one suspiciously sick gray cloud. Should I mow the lawn?

I headed to the beach. A pond beach, not the ocean. My pond beach is 15 minutes away, the ocean at least 30.

4:30 pm. The parking lot was mostly empty, the beach too. I plopped my chair into the sand and dropped into it. Got out a good book, Anita Shreve.

There were a few small quiet families. Just one family at my end of the beach. Several more on the bigger section. Nearly deserted.

The water was blue, pine trees dramatically green, and the sun was hot. I waded in up to my waist and then dove under. Cold. I swam hard for a bit, then paddled around, enjoying the cold acidic water. Pine needles floated on the surface. On the sandy bottom I could see something that looked like a cluster of mouse droppings. Fish eggs? Frog?

I don't know. Is our pond water usually acidic or alkaline? I think of tannic acid of oak leaves. Acidic. but what about pine needles? Is a piney pond acidic or alkaline? And it's Poland water. In the town of Poland, you know, like Poland Spring water. This pond is just a few miles from the original spring. I swim in Poland Spring water.

I didn't see any loons today. No eagles. Just seagulls. Rats of the ocean, according to Anita Shreve.

Anyway. After a week of rain I went to the beach. The sky was blue. Clouds and people were rare. The water was cold and refreshing. The sun was hot but there was a breeze. I had a good book. Peace, bliss.

Hope your day was just as surprising and rewarding, dear reader.