Another downright gorgeous summer day. It has cooled off markedly from the heat registering all last week, with extreme humidity to exacerbate the heat. Thankfully, it was all accompanied by a really emphatic wind, so relief lay in being in the shade, exposed to the wind.

Which we certainly were, yesterday afternoon when we embarked on a ravine walk under cloudy skies. With the weather warning of 40% chance of rain and thunderstorms in mind, but figuring it was worth the effort to get out into the woods for a hike with our little dogs, anyway. Anyway, we weren't long into our walk when rain began. A light rain, which my husband optimistically, as is his way, saying would be over soon. I always wince when he does that, hoping his opinion would be confined to my attention only, not nature's who always enjoys a challenge to her authority.

And we were being kept reasonably dry by the forest canopy, so no big deal. And then, distant thunder. Distant enough, we thought, that by the time it was overhead we'd be clear. But darned if the continuing thunderclaps didn't move closer in a great big hurry. So we took a short-cut through the usual circuit, and hiked across the spine of the ravine, and down back again to reach home in record time.

During that time the rain became more persistent, slightly heavier. The topknots of Jackie and Jillie began to look pretty wet and limp and they're not the least bit fond of rain. But we emerged from the ravine before the thunder was right overhead, and as it happens, a few minutes after getting into the house down it came, with a vengeance, sweeping through the area in a wind-driven assault of heavy rain, beautiful to behold from the front door of your house, standing inside your home, not outside somewhere, vulnerable to the downpour.

Today, no rain, just sun and more sun. So we decided to spend a little time in the garden. My husband took a variety of garden sheers and began cutting back the Jade ornamental crab, which badly needed the treatment, went on to the Japanese yew standing next to it, and then the spirea got the same attention, and we ended up with two compost bags' worth of shorn greenery, ready to be picked up tomorrow morning by the municipal collection crew. Now, when he backs the car out of the garage, it will no longer be brushed by those impertinent, protruding branches.

Jackie and Jillie had the opportunity to have a little social time with Rosie, whose elderly companion was walking the little white fluffball down the street, and I finally popped back into the house to begin Monday's cleaning-house ritual.