We’ve had two feet of rain this month. Yesterday, an early morning storm arrived with a tornado warning that sent me and Gizmo splashing down into our flooded basement. Our yard may be squishy, but some of our neighbors could raise catfish on their lawns. That’s a real thing- locals have been reporting catfish and carp around their houses. It’s just a good thing we don’t have alligators in these parts.

After all the rain, my poor garden is a hot mess. But a few years ago my friend Kiki gave me a mysterious “voodoo lily”, and the other day it finally came into bloom. The huge flower was fantastic- deep red, frilled along the edges, with a long, nearly black spathe. Gorgeous- and it stunk like a dead raccoon. Flies crawled all over, pollinating. I held my nose and peered down into the hollow bulb at the bottom of the spathe where the plant’s sexual parts are hidden. It seethed with black beetles.

The next day, Dracunculus looked a little, well, flaccid. The fetid odor was diminished somewhat, too. A one-day garden wonder, but what a performance.

The weather forecast over the next few days looks pretty good, so far. Maybe a thunderstorm or two, but basically okay. A little sunshine would go a long way. And I can’t think of anything better than a day in the garden.

Happy Friday.