It is such a delight to be blogging about rain after so many blogs about drought.  I know this spell hasn't ended the drought but every little bit helps to raise the levels in our reservoirs and restore our groundwater.  To date, my neighborhood has been very fortunate, no downed trees or major flooding.  Many other areas of California have not been as fortunate.

I thought I would share our crude rainwater collection system that captures rain that comes off our patio cover.  There is a bucket positioned just underneath the spout.  When the bucket fills, we rotate in others.  Then we begin decanting into watering cans and old milk and juice bottles.  We've been filling them fast.  The system works better with sporadic rains.  When we have days of rain, we can't use up the water fast enough to empty the buckets to be reused.  And we don't have room for more buckets.  But at least we feel like we are doing something. 

The rest of the yard is faring pretty well.  There is the usualpuddling in the low-lying areas.  My “dry creek” in the side yard, which has a French drain system underneath, is helping to drain the low-lying areas.  We have not had any major wind damage.  There is another series of storms that may come in next week so we will see what happens. 

I already see many small weeds sprouting up.  I am anxious to get in there and pull them up.  Weeding is so much easier if you catch them small and when the soil is moist.  But muddy, soggy soil is too easily compacted when you are out there working.  I'll just have to wait until it dries out enough.

Likewise, some of my shrubs and ornamental grasses are looking a bit rangy and seedy, but I am resisting the urge to prune them.  I know that birds and insects may be using them for shelter and eating any remaining seedheads.  Also, pruning damp plants can spread bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases between plants.  Most pruning can wait, unless you need to clear damaged branches for safety reasons.

For the most part, now is just a time to let things be, in the garden.  I am enjoying getting to use some of my colorful umbrellas that I've brought back from vacation spots.  The beautiful patterns and the memories they bring put a smile on my face. The dark afternoon skies have allowed us to light candles in the daytime, which feels like such a treat.  And it's great reading weather.  Cozy up with a good novel, or a book on succulents or bonsai, or one of the seed catalogs that seem to fill our mailboxes this time of year.

And if you absolutely have to DO SOMETHING in the garden, there is one garden task that is perfect for this weather.  The dampness and humidity case the snails and slugs to come out from their hiding places.  If you see them on the leaves of your plant or the edge of a pot you can pick them off and throw them away; thus saving your plants from being pillaged.