Oh glorious storms!
It's monsoon season in the desert and finally, there is rain.
Will a rain cloud make its way over your house in this neck of the woods?
If you are lucky, maybe.
Monsoon season technically runs from about mid-late June to September.
From experience, for us on our parcel of earth, the range is about July to the end of August.
Monsoon storms typically brew up in the afternoon after a crazy hot day, and the funny thing?
It can rain two streets away, and never on yours, or vice versa.
It depends on what clouds you get.
You might just get a phantom monsoon, wind darkness clouds, and no rain.
It can rain on the east side of town, and be sunny on the northwest side, or vice versa.
June is so hot you can hardly stand it, 100's + forever.
You beg and plead with the skies for rain.
It doesn't rain here very often, and we had not seen rain for months.
(we do get rain in winter, and some snow even in late winter for 1 day or so)
So far, we have had about 3 good rain storms this monsoon season.
Monsoon season doesn't mean it will rain every day.
It only means, if you are really lucky, it might rain once a week.
And that, that is B L I S S.
It's so exciting when a storm rolls in.
Sure, as soon as it stops raining the sun comes out again.
Which means it's the only time really, that it's humid here.
Normally it's so dry, if you have curly hair it goes straight.
But right now, my wavy hair is puffs of crazy ringlets.
Miles looks like his hair was professional crimped after playing in the rain.
These storms are so exciting, and beloved, that I was inspired to take tons of photos to share with you…
So here we go.
Monsoon season at my house.
The time where everything is green, not just the places where you water.
But, everything.
If I see a sprinkle, that's it.
I am outside begging pleading and praying up to the sky.
Please please please.
More more more.
And then…
The other day, after some heavy duty sky begging, this happened.
YES!
Huge droplets on a crazy hot day.
Even some hail falls.
Then rain rain rain.
I, determined to be in it the whole time.
So excited for the earth to become moist, and feel some relief.
Poor dry parched earth.
I planted my zinnia seeds 2 times this year.
All but a couple were eaten by rabbits.
Of course, there was little else for them to eat, but my garden.
So, I gave up and opted for great big pots.
But now, now with the rain, the gardens explode.
The front flower garden looks so happy in the rain, doesn't it?
Thankfulness bursts out of you in endless glee.
Droplets like no gift you could ever ask for or desire.
And then, the fruits.
Peaches…
Grapes.
The summer shifts and turns.
Ripening.
There you are, right in the midst of the summer moments.
"This Magic Moment…."
Time, washing past you.
And so, I decide, we shall be a part of every rain storm.
Soaked to the bone goodness.
Giantest sunflowers droop, as seeds are ready to fall.
14" diameter, just wow, self seeded too.
As the rain lets up a bit, we tiptoe to what I call, Willie Wonka Land.
Where peach tree meets a corridor of oleanders and eucalyptus.
Where peach tree droops, and branches arch with gifts.
Heavy with so many gifts.
Sigh…
It's peach heaven.
Heavy heavy branches.
Every single branch covered completely with fruit.
Hundreds and hundreds of freestone peaches.
Baking like mad has begun.
This is just 1/4 of the tree, with wood posts and chairs holding up heavy branches…
You stand underneath, quietly looking around.
You barely touch a peach, brush your hand near it, and if it falls right off into your hand – well then, you eat it.
The pit falls right out.
The fruit succulent and sweet.
No tartness at all.
Just perfect.
You eat peaches until your belly gets round and full.
And then, you take one with you on a walk to see what your growing things look like after the rain.
Pumpkin vines explode like mad.
Time to inspect.
We have a domed little garden, and behind that, a chicken wire enclosed garden with 8 beds, and a center planting area.
I should mention that Mister Lovee built these backyard veggie gardens for me.
I helped dig up the beds and lay the mesh to keep gophers out, but he built them so that critters couldn't get in, enclosing them with chicken wire. I do all the planting and harvesting.
(Thank you Lovee, I love my veggie gardens!!)
You remind yourself of why you keep a pumpkin patch, and wonder why you let the vines go crazy this year?
Vines pour out of the enclosed gardens.
(next year I'll go back to my pumpkin patch, silly me)
Garden treats plump and expand like mad.
Growing bigger and bigger…
Pumpkins, red and white onions, basil upon basil, tomatillos, dill, red bell peppers, tomatoes of all kinds, arugula, 10 different kinds of pumpkins, so many leeks, a fresh wave of strawberries, green onions, lettuces – and a very big fulfilled heart sigh.
Oh my goodness, it's a jungle in there these days.
You know you have changed when…
A clothing rack, is now used for pumpkin vines to crawl around.
Leaf explosion city!
The domed little garden beckons…
Let us in, let us in…
Bees buzz about, doing their pollinating work.
As we enter.
A place where self seeding sunflowers droop, and pumpkins hang from the ceiling like chandeliers.
Pumpkin loving heart, oh my!
And, as the last of the storm passes by, the sun comes out in that western sky.
As do little friends.
Hello Mister Tarantula.
Or is it Miss or Ma'am?
The pups enjoy the moist earth.
As the hot steams rises when the rain leaves.
We nibble around the yard, Lovee and me.
The grape vine was so kind this year.
We enjoyed several bunches, sweet like candy.
And then, the zinnias…
These are giant zinnias, and boy do they love water.
Carnival Zinnia Below.
Yellow and white dinner-plate dahlias peek out too.
All staked and safe.
And so here we are…
Right smack in the middle of monsoon season, and summer.
The waves of flowers starting to come in.
Thick moist clouds dancing over mountains early in the morning.
Burned off by the sun, and returning in the afternoon, if your wishes come true.
And boy oh boy, when they do…
You'll know where to find us.
Soaked and smiling, in the Arizona desert.
Where time ticks by on long hot days, at curiously rapid speeds.
But how?
Time, where are you going?
And age, age changes you.
Because for the first time, you are happy that summer lasts until October in these parts.
And there will be much more warmth to come.
Hooooray!
Ever so many pictures for you, hope I didn't bore you silly!
Love, Vanessa
Wow! Everything is beautiful but I’m especially in love with the peach trees. They are bursting and glorious! I can imagine how they taste. I’ve been craving fresh peaches since my drive into Georgia last weekend. There weren’t any — it’s rained so much here it’s messed up the crops! Arrrrrgh, lol. Instead I bought vanilla ice cream with peach cobbler crushed up inside of the mix. It seemed to slightly satisfy me until I saw your trees…so lovely. 🙂
I feel so ridiculously lucky that this peach tree was here, thank you to th old couple who planted it 30+ years ago.
It’s just one tree, but boy it gifts like 10.
I have been baking like crazy!! 😉
If you were near, I would give you a lil’ basket full!
Oh wow…Vanessa!
The rain, the flowers, the pumpkins, the peaches.
I feel like I took a lovely tour through a magical botanical garden. A Heavenly arboretum.
I close my eyes and imagine I am there, smelling the rain and the damp earth. Hearing the heavy swish of the storm.
Did you get thunder and lightning?
Poor Mr. Hatter. He missed the whole storm. He’s been here, in the sunny rainless Inland of Southern California guarding my studio. I hope he’s not too disappointed. I will make it up to him. I’ll fry him up a batch of green tomatoes…that’s what I’ll do.
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
you could NEVER bore me with your photos and creations!
Kimcakes, oh yes! there is lots of lightning and thunder with these storms!! 😉
You are always welcome here, xoxo
you and your little tiny fiance’, the hatter 😉
Wait, when is the wedding?
it looks beautiful! I’m looking outside in Las Vegas, also monsoon season, but it doesn’t look as beautiful or green as your monsoon does! All I see is a river flowing down my street. lol
riseandrosegold.com
LOVELY!!! “Thank you”!!!
You had me swooning on this trip through your garden …. Up until the tarantula…. And then I am reminded of my paralyzing fears of the things that crawl and wend their way in and around. So it’s nice to see from here knowing I can enjoy the beauty without possible stepping on something – or have anything crawling on me. Silly for many I know but it is what it is.
You’ve done your garden proud my friend!!!
Now I just want to go hug on Miles.
XOXO
Oh, never no NEVER would pictures of your gorgeous surroundings bore me! I know it is so wondrous to be there in person!
The peaches are absolutely overwhelmingly impressive! What will you do with them all? Peach cobbler? Preserves?
I love zinnias so much–all the beautiful colors.
I’m so glad you were treated to the rain. I know a day off from having to perform watering duties yourself is most welcome. Thank you for sharing your Wonderland with us!
Vanessa, I l🖤ve your garden pictures!!! You’re so lucky to get some rainfall. Where I’m at, we can see those big clouds, but not a drop of rain has fallen all year. I’d venture to say that you’re the richest person on earth with all that natural beauty/bounty.☺
Thank you Miss V for such a delightful journey through the gardens of AFanciful Twist! I totally love your wondrous world and feel as though I am actually there when you share so generously. Puts me on a magical high for the rest of the day…
I have to ask though, was that Tarantula for real!!? I thought those crazy critters were only found deep in the the jungle, you know, where Indiana Jones hangs out woweeee! And you weren’t scared one bit – impressed!
Soooooo when is the fanciful twist documentary being released, I need more More MORE! 🙂 xxxx Laurie
Vanessa, thank you for this lovely post!! Wow such gorgeous gardens and flowers! I wish I could stop by for some of those yummy peaches… I smell cobbler and tiny pies cooking 🙂
Always a treat to read your posts and see such beauty through your camera lens.
Oxo
Kristi
No, no, no! I always love your photos. The flowers, vines, seeds, fruit and everything else between or in-between. But I hate spiders! I feel so guilty. Spiders are so good for the garden, but they give me the heevie-jeevies! I can hold a praying mantis, or watch a roly-poly turn into a ball. But I could never ever watch a tarantula stroll across the lawn. I beg your forgiveness, but I just don’t like spiders at all.
Vanessa…..how gorgeous does your garden grow. I do love the rain and your garden is such a riot of colour, a real pleasure for the eyes. I can actually smell the rain, such beauty. Keep sharing. xxx
I am totally swooning over your garden pictures! SO beautiful, and I’m so jealous of your peaches.
Stunning garden photos! You had me all set to move to the desert until that tarantula picture! o.O I think I’ll stay here in NY where the bugs are smaller than my hand.
Bored? NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. I adore the trips through your garden–your place is dreamy, dreamy! I love seeing the furry angels almost more than anything. I dream of my beautiful acreage becoming something similar to yours, with lush gardens and lots and lots of flowers. Sadly, due to some pretty dramatic life events, it is still a dream, but seeing your photos helps me cling to hope. Thank you for that. As an artist who is not doing a lot of creating at the moment (due to same said events), your art inspires me as well. Blessings to you and your beautiful family!
Oh Ms. Vanessa….you could never ever bore me with photos from your slice of heaven. We too in NM are enjoying the moonsoon. Granddaughter (Bad Alice the little) and I did the same our last storm and danced in the rain and watched our turtles relish the bounty of water and snails. This is our first visit again with real monsoon in four years. I’ll take all we can get.
Thanks for sharing your paradise pix. Oma Linda, Casa de Cuckoo
I loved your pictures..Thanks for sharing..You have a wonderful garden..We haven’t had much rain this summer..I love to watch the weather..Nothing much to watch when it’s hot and dry..
Please don’t ever stop sharing photos of your gorgeous garden. I share the sentiments of others – I could never get bored looking at your magical garden!
I wonder, with such a bountiful harvest, do you end up wasting a lot of it?
Do you bake, cook and preserve like crazy? I do admire your respect for all living things, including that scary tarantula, and that big fat caterpillar you scared Mr. Lovee with a while ago! Do be careful Vanessa. Even smaller spider bites can be nasty. You were the one who inspired me to grow more veggies than I ever did. I grow in Earth Boxes due to my very tiny bit of land here on LI, NY. (35X100) Now you know why I envy you! What I wouldn’t give for that peach tree!
Oh wondrous, stupendous, miraculous, rain in the desert ! Don’t you know, it literally brings a tear to the eye at the sight…not to mention the twirling that brings such drenched delight 🙂
Your garden looks so happy, oh such pumpkin love, I can hardly stand it.
PS: I hope your creepy crawly friend is safe 😉
sigh… i love your garden so very much!
blessings
~*~
Yes, the tarantula was real 🙂
We only see them maybe once every couple years or more, so it was a treat. Mister Lovee called me and said, “run and bring your camera.”
Poor thing, it was more scared of us than we of it.
They are very mild creatures, and they don’t generally bite, which is why people keep them for pets. But I hear that if one bites you, it just feels like the pain equivalent of a bee sting.
It’s weird because when I saw critters and insects at the city house it used to really creep me out, but out here, it doesn’t bother me at all anymore.
I think getting stung by scorpion sort of made me tougher 😉
Love, V
Melanie,
Yes yes, I have already been baking and preserving and sharing like crazy. I sent off huge trays of peach crisps (cobbler using oats) to peach loving friends who await eagerly this time of year. I made about 100 empanadas, and will make more tomorrow. I used peach filling, and even shipped a box to my parents in the mail.
Then, I will freeze a bunch of peaches to bake with in the winter.
Like you, the thing that freaks me out the most is waste.
I hate waste. And to date, I can’t say that anything gets wasted. I also send small bags of peaches around the neighborhood to people who would normally buy them, so they can enjoy some fresh peaches.
Sharing ensures there is no waste, me thinks 🙂
One thing that I hate is wasting the basil. I try to use all I can – I even contacted a local restaurant (Italian) to try to gift them some last year, and they were angry at me for even offering it. It’s all organic etc, but I can understand they have to be careful.
So, I need to get freezing some basil too. I make a ton of pesto, and I also just throw basil with olive oil into the foor processir for freezing.
It’s so fun to have so many treats in winter. I don’t have a huge freezer though, so I make sure to package as best as I can.
Oh and, Mister Lovee has already eaten two trays of peach crisp 🙂
He’s on a roll ;))
(no to mention all the fresh peaches we have eaten)
YAY for gardening yourself, earth box awesomness!!!
Love, V
Dixie, it sure does, that rain just feels so unreal after month of no rain and unbearbale June.
Tarantula is safe, we left her on her way – and off she went.
I saw a big hole in the ground covered in spider webs, so maybe that is where she lives?
xoxo
Could I possibly come live with you? I could bring Laura, paint by numbers, and ice cream for the peaches. I would be the most lovely house guest you’ve ever come across…pinky promise.
Your world. Your world is just…wow. What a lucky lady you are.
xoxo
Holy cow, that is a lot of peaches! The monsoons are my favorite part of living in Tucson, but our little house is just in the rain shadow of the south end of that little mountain range that runs along Oracle and into Catalina. It is so frustrating! I see big storms all around, but then so often they just never get to us. When they do though, it makes me so happy!
Ps. If you need to get rid of some peaches I will buy some!
It’s heavenly!!! Thanks for sharing your bounty 🙂
xoxo
Deb
Vanessa,
I loved your monsoon pictures and the wonderful worshipping of the rain with your fur babies! I have been waiting for our summer storms, but sadly they have happened in the middle of the night. We get the dark clouds that hover and tease you into thinking it’s going to rain down hard, then nothing. Later in the evening while you are sleeping, it pours down and then dries by morning. The only evidence is your windshield is stuck with dried up dot marks. I’d like to dance in the summer rain with my fur babies soon. Till then, I’ll keep looking at your pictures and imagine. Thanks so much for sharing! <3
Dawn
I could almost smell the rain from your pictures. Your garden is just gorgeous beautiful. Oh the abundance! And peaches! Oh what I would give to grow peaches such as these. We are getting grapes for the first time in our garden and I am so excited. I wrapped netting around the whole plant in hopes of keeping birds, squirrels, and raccoons away. I hope we win.
The peaches look so good. Everything is so green. Glad you got your rain.
We’ve had a wet summer, a rarity for us. It is so nice not to be in the middle of a drought this year.
I love spending time in your garden, even if it seems we are a world away.
Last weekend the Amish came to town with a truck load of peaches. I did not think they were ripe yet around here but the Amish do seem to have the magic touch.
We have had plenty of rain and the whole range of temperatures. Sadly I did not put in pumpkins this year, but that allows me to go buy a whole rainbow of them this year!
So – what are you reasding these days?
From all the suggestions I am about to begin the audiobook of Some Day someday maybe written and read by Lauren Graham.
I just finished a short fun read called the Frog Princess.
You are amazing, Vanessa. So hard working, sweet and generous.
Oh, what a beautiful storm, V.
Great shot of that bee, and the rainclouds pouring out.
Wow…I didn’t know homegrown grapes could look that good!
OH YOUR GARDENS!!!!!! Vanessa….I’m swooning!!! Hooray for rain!! 🙂
Que fotos bellas Vane!!
Esas flores divinas.
Besos
Me imagino que te encontraste con haditas….no?
It seems like it is “monsoon season” here in the UK after weeks and weeks of arid dryness, that uncomfortable humidity it finally poured down yesterday evening and has rained on and off since. I stood looking out of the window loving every moment of it.
Pero claro!!! 😉
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 7/30/2013 2:21:10 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
Beautiful gardens, vegies, flowers, fruit and even the tarantula ! I don’t care for them but for some odd reason we need them. Because of your amazing gardens your photos are wondrous. I especially like the monsoon photos.
Oh! Thank you for sharing your rain photos. The Monday my sister and I were having a craft day at my house with her kiddos, it RAINED TOO! In fact, my sister went outside on our residential street where her SUV was parked and she twirled around in the street in the rain…she looked across the street and there was a grumpy old man in his front yard staring at her! Ha! She came back inside my house and laughed, and said ‘Oh! Well’ If the old goat thinks I’m crazy to dance and twirl in the rain, so what!!! It was a rare day, and I left our kitchen door open to listen to the rain, and the thunder. It was so very magical! There is nothing like a rain storm on a hot summer day! I felt like Time stood still and shared a moment of bliss with us fleeting human beings. It’s days like these that make the most amazing memories.
love and hugs,
Miss Teresa
http://amagicalwhimsy.blogspot.com/
GORGEOUS!!! So glad that you got rain….oh…I can almost smell it…beautiful…
And those peaches, grapes, and pumpkins, oh my! 🙂
Bliss.
xoxo
Gorgeous! Rain please come back!!! My daughter loves to get out the umbrella!
well again i sitting here wishing i had your wonderful garden … all the pretty flowers oh my just heavenly BUT then SCREAMMMMM okay beautiful without large hairy spiders….. ( I sit here with my feet pulled up) just in case… hugs Wendy
Loved all your photos, Vanessa – except for the spider. Oh they scare me! Miles and Matty looked like they had fun in the rain. I do love watching the rain and I adore how it lingers on all the flowers and plants and veggies afterwards. I cannot believe all your peaches! How divine! 🙂 Have you ever had overnight oatmeal? It’s basically cold, and you can add all these great fixings – like peaches. 🙂 I am addicted to it in the warm summer months. 🙂
Oh I forgot…that storm photo is both beautiful and scary. 🙂
Oh My!! So so pretty is your garden! The peaches are divine, we didn’t get any this year due to late cold spell :(. Loved all your beautiful pictures of everything, except the tarantula… I can handle snakes and mice but not big hairy spiders! EEEEKKK!!!!!
Take Care,
Tracy M.