Today's Gifts

Today's first gift was the will to put on my walking shoes and hit the road with Annie. I would rather walk on the beach, but finally settled for our gravel road. The air was heavy with moisture, the sky overcast. We walked to the Timberline Acres sign and checked out Gwen's Winesap apple tree. She doesn't use them, and generously allows us to pick the fruit. It looks like a good crop.

After our walk, a big thunderstorm rolled in. Annie had to hide out in the house for safety.

Two hours and three-quarters of an inch of rain later, I ventured outside. Right away I spotted a second gift, this newly opened coneflower with several additional flowers forming. Coneflowers don't form buds, they just grow from small to large.



By the garden fence I spied the third gift, the boundary between wild and semi-tame – ripening raspberries, larkspur and daisy fleabane snuggling up together. Fence decor by Cleo is almost completely concealed by raspberry canes.


We are especially watchful in this area where a copperhead snake bit Dennis last summer. A hoe hangs on the fence as a handy weapon, if needed.

Next came the gift of seeing the pod-laden pea vines still glistening with raindrops.

At that point I came to my senses, realized that I hadn't protected against chiggers, and fled to the shower.