Gardening in the rain and dreaming about travel.

Sometimes common beliefs are misconceptions, sometimes overstated, sometimes plainly false – but sometimes, they are true. A common belief about Seattle is that we receive lots of rain. Buckets of rain, rivers of rain. And today, as I write this, we are receiving rain in huge amounts. We ended January three inches over our normal amount of rainfall. My garden – soggy, mushy, in a deep sleep – has soaked up so much rain that the soil is wet four inches deep. And as our soil is primarily sand (even after 30 years of mulching/composting/enhancing), that is quite an accomplishment. All six rain barrels are full, the pond is close to over-flowing, the fish are unusually active for this time of year, and the neighborhood raccoon appears to tip-toe over the beds to avoid muddy paws. So, during these days of incessant rain when gardening is neither practical nor beneficial, I start to daydream. And my favorite daydreams involve travel.

My spouse and I had planned to spend two months in the UK last year but COVID-19 made that impossible. He has family ties in Liverpool and the surrounding area and we planned to spend two weeks in that lively city. I wanted to return to Hadrian’s Wall, Haydon Bridge, and surrounding areas for more hiking. But both of us wanted to return to Kew Royal Botanical Gardens to spend at least one week getting to know that magical place on a deeper level.

After the UK, we had planned to spend time in eastern Washington. Four years ago we visited Spokane and enjoyed their city-wide garden tour. I was impressed with the beauty, creativity, and enormous variety of gardening styles and plants I saw during the day-long tour. Most enjoyable was the time the hosting gardeners spent answering questions, sharing ideas and tips, and talking about our favorite plants.

We had planned to return to Smith Rock area in Oregon. My spouse and I hiked that area years ago and were impressed with its rugged, austere beauty.

And last, I have visited San Diego three times in the past but my spouse has only visited once for a short time. I had planned to take him with me on my biennial visit. That was cancelled, also. But this year, who knows? We may be able to travel again – vaccinated, masked, and social distancing all the way. I’ll enjoy it in any form.

I wish you interesting travels, beautiful daydreams, and a gardening season full of adventure. Just hang on – life always gets better!