Maybe it started with the damn pear tree in the front yard. One morning the first week of February I looked out and there it was – 35 feet tall and covered with fragrant white blooms. Sure, it was gorgeous; but that full bloom is ridiculous. We always have a hard freeze in February or early March, and this stupid tree thinks it’s making a thousand pears for September picking.

The thunder rumbled all night and I could tell the flashes of lightening were disturbing my visiting in-laws. There was a lot of rumbling going on in the guest room also – along with a few shrieks whenever an unusually loud clap of thunder shook the house. Although the noise from the storm was loud and long, the hours and hours of rain were oh, so welcome in the garden.

Normally my house plants are happier outside than inside. I keep them outdoors in filtered light with normal rainfall as long as possible. It is a challenge for me to maintain tender tropical plants, because I prefer more independent hardy low maintenance plants.