Quoting Environment Canada, the newspaper informed us that the rain that came down on Sunday and Monday represented more rain altogether than would be expected for the entire month of August. And it makes sense, given the volumes that came teeming down, lapsing now and again into ordinary rain, before returning full force again. The howling wind that swept through trees, bending them back and forth gave growing things a lesson they won't soon forget.

 

To make the effect of the weather triply unusual, the high for the day yesterday was 16C, and that after 30C on Sunday, soaring to 33C on Monday. A thoroughly unpleasant weather day, was yesterday. And given the temperament of the weather, no opportunity presented itself for us to get out to the forest trails with Jackie and Jillie. 

 

The house interior was beyond cool, in contrast to its heat-box status for the past week. So cool that in the evening on came the fireplace to take the chill out of the air. We felt that cool-weather comfort food was in order for dinner, and so we indulged in French onion soup, and that warmed us up nicely. There are times when summer fare turns out to be inadequate to the need of human frailty when weather decides to deliver the unusual. And yesterday was unusual.

 

When we left the house early this morning to do our grocery shopping it was still cool, but mediated by humidity. Cool enough regardless that light jackets came in handy. Later on in the afternoon the choice was for light rainjackets in honour of wide-ranging dark clouds that looked as though they'd burst any moment. Jackets for Jackie and Jillie tucked into our pockets, off we went.

 

They had followed me upstairs when I planned to change my clothing; long trousers, long-sleeved top, and sniffing the garments gave them the impression that a trip to the forest trails was imminent. That transformed them instantly into madcap little flying dunces, as they chased crazily after one another,  yipping with expectation, leaping from loveseat to bed to bathroom, skidding scatter rugs and leaping at me.

 

By the time we actually arrived at the ravine their behaviour had moderated to docile-expectant. As soon as we detached their leashes from their halters, off they went downhill into the ravine, awaiting our arrival at the bottom, then hopping around Irving to beg for treats. Everything in the ravine, all growing things, from bracken to shrubs to trees were dripping rainwater.

 

The creek was full and running madly downstream carrying with its flow all manner of woody detritus that the wind had blown down out of the tree canopy yesterday. All the vegetation glowed an effervescent green, content with the soaking it had been treated to. 

During the first half of our circuit we saw no one else out on the trails, but soon that changed. Although the sky remained cloud-filled and the forest interior maintained a dusky atmosphere, the darker mass of clouds had passed and no rain appeared in the offing. We began to be met with a succession of dogs, all of them familiar with Irving's bounty of cookie handouts in his cornucopia bag of dog treats. Without exception all the large dogs are polite and patient.

 

The exceptions are there however, in the personae of our own little dogs, excited at the promising presence of other dogs which always means they too will get extra treats. The cookies doled out to the large dogs are large cookies. Irving hands out tiny cookies usually used for training to our two shrimps who are always on the lookout for wayward crumbs that might fall as other dogs crunch into their treats.

 

When we returned home and J & J had their afternoon salad treat I went back out to the garden, under a light drizzle, to cut back the flower wands of the hostas, trim roses, and trim the overhanging foliage of the weeping mulberry, among other things. And then finished off by sweeping the walkways of the abundance of leaves continually shed by cedar, juniper, ornamental crabs and  weeping flowering pea trees, in a light shower of rain.

 

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