“The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected;
I have always considered the rain to be healing — a blanket — the comfort of a friend.”
Douglas Coupland

It has felt like Spring here the last few days with gorgeous rain that lulls me to sleep and leaves the whole farm smelling earthy and green. I absolutely love it.

dew on nasturtium leaves

Yesterday before the rains came I got to spend a few hours in my gardens pulling weeds, transplanting seedlings, and eating asparagus straight from the plant.

It felt so good to be outside in the sunshine, basking in the unusual winter warmth, tossing weeds over the fence to the goats who eagerly munched them up.

I love seeing the random plants growing from seeds planted by birds and wind. I’ve got tomatoes growing in the strangest places, strawberries leafing beautifully, and fennel thriving again after the goats got into it a month or two ago. The chicory has come back too, emerging lush and beautiful in all sorts of wondrous shades of green and purple. I can’t wait to use them in green smoothies and one of my favorite pasta dishes I first had in Bologna, Italy: penne with chicory and Italian sausage tossed with olive oil. Mmm. Good rainy day food for sure.

chicory leaves

It isn’t Spring yet but it is absolutely wonderful to have glimpses of it, to remember what it’s like to spend each day in a sundress and flip-flops.

β€œWhen spring came, even the false spring,
there were no problems except where to be happiest.”
Ernest Hemingway

I love that. πŸ™‚

I have had some wonderfully happy days this week – cozy, comfy days at home puttering away at all sorts of projects while the rain falls. Today I’ve spent in the kitchen making coffee liqueur and cherry brandy for an upcoming article and trying my hand at sauerkraut that tastes so good I can hardly bear to let it sit uneaten for another week or two while it ferments. Carrot Dill soup is on the stove and corned beef is simmering deliciously in the crock pot. It makes me smile to have so many good smells swirling together.

fennel and mint

This afternoon I’ll be sorting through seed packets, seeing what I have on hand to plant and working on my new seed list for Spring. I’ll be focusing mostly on all sorts of herbs so I can use them in the medicines and toiletries I make for home use and share in my medieval medicine talks. It feels so good to make things from scratch and learn all sorts of new skills and information.

Now I’m off to brew a cuppa to go with my daily nip of dark chocolate, and cozy in for some reading.

What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?