The Meadow in December

I love listening to the rain.. The soft patter of raindrops against my little wooden house.. soothing, peaceful. I need to hear the soothing rain right now.

Just yesterday I was remarking what a glorious Autumn-like day it was.  It was almost 70dgs as I looked up into the branches of a Sycamore tree, not quite bare yet, at the golden leaves against the clear blue sky.  The sun was shining down on them, lighting them up.

I walked my dog to the Meadow and took pictures of him lying in the new green clover.  I delighted at the fragrant white narcissus blooming in the field.  How many years have I come to this spot to drink in their fragrance?

The narcissus were planted at one time long ago by someone who used to live here. I imagine her.. she used to look out at the Meadow from her window at all the oak trees.  And she planted an elm tree and eucalyptus trees, probably to shade her house from Summer heat.  Now, these trees are all very tall, maybe 100 yrs old, and surround the Meadow, protecting it.  The land was recently given to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy so that everyone could enjoy it .. a sort of neighborhood park :-)

My new dog, with the youthful exuberance of a 2yr old, went racing around in a large circle through the clover, while my older dog, sank down into the soft clover and drank in the beauty of it all.   How many times has he come to this Meadow, with all the smells so familiar to him?

Now today, the drying out is over.  The rain is back.We had already gotten 13" in 3 days last week.  And of course, it's always the little things:  Forgot to bring in the clothes from the clothesline that were washed over the sunny weekend.  I listen now to the gentle wind chimes in the predawn hours, knowing the clothes are hanging there, getting wetter & wetter. As light begins to come to the sky, the call of the owls is fading away..