A rain washed walk

As I have been tweeting because it’s so exciting, Northern California is getting much-needed rain. I can see the trees drinking up the rain as fast as it comes, and the storm is even behaving itself by pausing from time-to-time, allowing the ground to absorb the water. Late yesterday afternoon, we took advantage of one such break and went for a walk.

Not only was the sky beautiful, the air was redolent with the fragrances of flowers both seen and unseen. A neighbor’s rose garden was the first news of this phenomenon. As we rounded one of the last turns in our three-mile walk, the air we were breathing changed from fresh to rose-scented, filling three deep breaths before fading in our wake. Imagine a rose perfume and then remove all unpleasant aspects of perfume, the over-saturation of the scent, the other weird under-notes of the other things the fragrance is mixed with like alcohol, and so on.

Twilight had fallen, and something about the hour and the rain-washed air conspired to create a solution capable of transporting the fragrance much further than the scent would normally travel.

A block later we came upon another fragrance, fresh and green, floral but not sweet. We looked around for the source, but there was only one thing nearby that it could possibly be. My husband said, “Do daffodils have a fragrance?”

Yes, it turns out, they do. I’m here to tell you that you need to buy daffodils when they come into your area and put a bouquet on your desk.

In fact, in the United States, there’s a great fundraising event every spring called Daffodil Days sponsored by the American Cancer Society. While you can’t order daffodils through them individually (they only do large orders for organizations to reduce costs and generate revenue for the fundraising), you can make a donation for this wonderful cause. When I had a day job, the department secretary made it happen every year, which I really appreciated. I liked to get one bouquet for myself and give one to a patient. (The American Cancer Society would deliver one on your behalf to a cancer patient in the hospital.) When my daffodils arrived I was always amazed by how much they lifted my spirits, filling me with optimism and joy at the arrival of spring.

I knew the moment we stepped outside yesterday, that I needed my camera.

You have seen these palms before, but I was being nervy by taking another shot. I felt the sky was different. I hope you agree these were worthy of replay.

Ditto with these bird-of-paradise flowers. They looked magnificent freshly washed. I wish I could have taken a macro, but it would have required trespassing.

I take what I can get with the long reach of my lens.

Happy Sunday, and, for Californians, happy rainy day.

Nicci