Rain swollen streams, that is. This morning, thunder rumbled and crashed around my bedroom high in the trees. Soon, raindrops pounded against the skylight. Two hours later, as I drove ASW and Bear to school and myself to vote, big fat drops still splattered and plopped against my windshield. Rain, glorious rain. As I took these pictures, I breathed deeply, and the air smelled like pure, cold oxygen. Normally, this month brings gray days filled with more ice and snow, not rain. Although it's the shortest month on the calendar, it can be the longest in the year for gardeners. For those of us who live in fear of drought, rain in February is a big event. While we were getting ready, Bear asked me why we had thunder. She doesn't like the loud crashes and bangs, and much of April and May she spends in our bed, not her...

Symphony in Yellow By Oscar Wilde An omnibus across the bridge Crawls like a yellow butterfly And, here and there, a passer-by Shows like a little restless midge. Big barges full of yellow hay Are moored against the shadowy wharf, And, like a yellow silken scarf, The thick fog hangs along the quay. The yellow leaves begin to fade And flutter from the Temple elms, And at my feet the pale green Thames Lies like a rod of rippled jade. The Diva turns 15 on Monday. Her favorite color is yellow, and she is a symphony to me. For more musings, please visit Sweet Home and Garden Chicago.

In 2000, visions of blossoms danced in my head, and I planted two climbing 'Joseph's Coat' roses on the East side of my house. The border in this photo didn't exist. Like everything else, it evolved over time. Instead, imagine three tiers of rotting railroad ties that we eventually replaced with a stamped concrete wall and formed concrete steps. At the end of the stone path, is an iron bench painted in a rust color. As a focal point, it blends in too much with the landscape, but that's because I wanted it to be a kind of secret spot to linger where the children couldn't find me. I take my iced tea and a book out there and hide in the shrubs. Why 'Joseph's Coat?' I've always been attracted to bright yellows, pinks and reds. In that respect, I think Christopher Lloyd and I would agree. However, after reading...

I am nearly finished with the December/January selection for the Garden Bloggers Book Club. This was my first time to participate, and I was excited because I love good books. A good book about gardening is even better. However, about twenty pages into Dear Friend and Gardener, by Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd, I thought, I'll never get through this. Being experts in their fields, Chatto and Lloyd mostly used Latin names for plants they discussed, instead of common names. For me, this was a hindrance to reading their letters. When I write articles or post on my blog, I use both Latin and common names, although I know that Latin is more specific. Instead of putting the book back on the shelf, I decided this was an opportunity to learn. With my laptop in one hand, and the book in the other, I spent the first half of it...