Husband came home very early this morning, after his shift, and as usually happens, his various small thumps and clatterings woke me as he got ready for bed. After all the usual pleasantries about how we spent the time apart, he sat on my side of the bed and rubbed my back. In a few moments, in a very grave, soft voice, he said, "Wife, I have something to tell you." I peered at him in the pre-dawn gloom, wondering. A pause. "I LOVE YOU!" and he laughs. He knows that Wife just had five things of varying degrees of seriousness pop into her head. Did he wreck his patrol car? Did he get promoted to detective? Did he lose his job? But they adore him. Did he chase someone through briars again and have an infestation of ticks that he needs me to help get off him? Oh, please not that. Maybe it's something pleasant... I wonder. When he gets in a mood, there's no telling what he'll say or do, and it keeps me guessing. I love that man.
I slept a while longer, but I felt the call of the morning - though there was no sun to greet me, only a drizzly dawn - and got up. I washed my hair with new shampoo this morning... which I'd been looking forward to ever since I discovered I was about to use up the last of my huge bottles of Garnier from Sam's Club. Clean and refreshed, I wanted to see about the blueberries in the orchard, knowing that they were close to being ready. I even took my picking bucket, in hope. And what did I find? The first of the ripe blueberries! Each clump had one or two that was perfectly black-blue under their light blue dusting, and I very carefully picked them away from their pink and green cousins.
Eddie had seen me coming up the drive, and met me at the oak by the swing set, sliding/running down the slide to accompany me wherever I was bound (I think he had hoped it was the house.) As I began to pick the bushes, a soft drizzle began and Eddie fussed at me - either using me as a water shield or trying get me to go inside already, circling and snaking about my legs and reaching up to bat my knees. The rain wasn't unpleasant though, and hardly rain at all - only the very nicest kind for soaking into needy gardens and thirsty trees - so I paid him little heed. And he waited until I had picked over as many berries as I could reach, followed as I tramped through the Big House's garden to look for ready produce - of which there were a grand total of four cherry tomatoes, which I washed and presented to Ma - and he was vastly relieved to be finally let inside to be a civilized cat with dry food and foam from the milking to eat. Silly cat.
It was such a beautiful morning, even being grey. It was a welcome thing, because it came with a good soaking, light rain. I thoroughly enjoyed the cheerful tedium of picking each lovely, ready berry, feeling and smelling the warm rain, knowing that even the smallest amount would benefit the earth around me and the tree before me.
Are the any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things. [Jeremiah 14:22]
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man's heart.
The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
....
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD. [Psalm 104:14-16, 31-34]
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