I hope our 24 hours of torrential rain and thunder boomers are done for now but look how blessed we were to enjoy such a splendid weather weekend and the rain returned after the holiday drew to a close. I just went on a small stroll this morning as it was a little murky and wet and the sky was looking ugly as if the clouds would open up any minute. I’m not a fan of walking in the rain, but a post-rain promenade is fine and the nostrils got a chance to identify a few new smells, among them the aftermath of everyone’s landscaping ventures over the long weekend. The scent of recently mowed grass, fertilizer and the aroma of mulch filled the air and I think it even smelled of worms as well. No really!! It seems as though everyone packed down a ton of mulch over the weekend and the air was pungent with cedar and cypress as I walked through the neighborhood. I watched airborne elm seeds settle down on newly laid mulch and I suspect there will be sprouts everywhere within the week – I know that for a fact since mulch weeds are problematic for me too. Sometimes I am lazy and just grab a hand rake and turn over the bark and bury those weeds for a week or so, then repeat the process until they just die off. What mulch pieces I don’t turn over, the rambunctious robin will come along and pluck the pieces out with his beak and toss them up and over the edging and onto the lawn in his ever-present, worm-finding expeditions. Oh well … we cannot control Mother Nature’s critters for they have a mind of their own.

I am closing this post with one of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes … I was sad to hear about her passing earlier today:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou