slowly, slowly emerging from the fog...

The past few days, during my illness, the weather has been very unlike Colorado - more like something I imagine belongs in the Pacific Northwest. It has rained...and rained...and rained! Not just a steady rain like on the East Coast, but torrential, fierce rain with constant, deep, dangerous-souding thunder. Very dramatic. Very moody. And it turned chilly as well, that kind of bone-chill that comes with damp weather and that you don't usually experience in this part of the country. Oh, and all the cookies went soggy.

So much rain has fallen - all the rain that we missed out on during the earlier part of this very dry, hot summer. Since we were in China for two weeks, and then it rained for several days straight (let me emphasize this NEVER happens in Colorado!) our already jungle-y garden has turned into a deep, dark, tropical place of mystery, shrouded and dense and overgrown with fierce, vigorous vines. It has officially passed out of our control, and is a creature of its own devising now.

The produce, I think, is going to be fantastic...it's just a trick to hack through the undergrowth and get to it!

Sunflowers in the rain.

Everyone who gardens knows the sight of a proliferation of zucchini! These plants are unstoppable.

A profusion of squash blossoms.

Lion being overrun by vegetable vines.

More squash blossoms, encroaching on the lion.

A flowering bean plant of some sort...we cant' remember what sort. Anyone recognize?

I love the intensity and purpose of these vines, the musculature of those fierce and tenacious tendrils. I feel like if I put my finger out they might actually grab me!

Yup, the zucchini are going to be big this year.

Overgrown pots of lettuce, planted before we left the country.

More seeking tendrils.


Nasturtiums running wild.

Late flowers in the herb garden.

This is the first day that I'm sort of on my feet again...sort of. I got as far as the front yard, anyway. That's not really "on my feet", but it's a step in the right direction.

Flynn's outfit was a gift...it's still a little big on her, but she looks good in the bright colors, and it was perfect for the unexpected chill in the air this week! I think Flynn has a bit of cabin fever. I certainly would if I were her. We've been watching the neighbor's dog, Grey, while she's out of town for the weekend. I put on the Bjorn and stagger lamely across the lawn a few times a day with QiuQiu to give Grey cookies and let her out in the backyard. You should see how excited QQ gets to see the inside of someone else's house! She coos and bounces and flails her arms and grins in my face. Poor kid. She's gonna hate the site of the inside of our house by the time I'm over this illness!

We had about five minutes together before M headed back to work this morning. Enough time to say goodbye.

And enough time for QQ to put her entire fist in daddy's coffee. Don't worry, I wiped it off! The last thing I need at this point is a caffeinated kid! She's already turned into a wild-child with all the new nutrition that's going into her body!