30 Comments
User's avatar
Rona Maynard's avatar

Hoping for your friend.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Thanks, Rona. Today's report was encouraging.

darrell parsons's avatar

Yes! Waiting. I suppose there is an art to it. Your mentioning it is helpful in naming it, and in not staying stuck in it. Another life lesson for me to work on. :)

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Seems we have more opportunities to practice patience these days, and fewer role models. I suppose there is an art to all the virtues, and certainly plenty of room for me to improve my technique. Appreciate you, Darrell.

Teresa O’Connor's avatar

Sending prayers to your friend. And hope you get more rain!

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Grateful for both, Teresa. Some positive news today, so I'm hoping she continues in that direction. After our deluge, we had a day of clouds and showers that felt positively perfect and also gave the ground time to soak up more of what fell the day before. Praise be!

Barry P Osborne's avatar

Praying for your friend and looking forward to your creative writing hopefully about your friendship.. Your essay did not have to be long to shout Hallelujah for rain.. After weeks of desert-like existing, we have had rain over the last 2 days.. So we celebrate with you

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

I think much of the east coast benefitted from the same massive weather system. Feeling joyous for all of us! Grateful for the prayers, too, Barry. It sounds like she's improving, so I'm cautiously optimistic. 💗

MedicareMermaid's avatar

I continue to be surprised at the impact of the Chesapeake Bay on storms. It makes predictive radar seem like a tease.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

RIGHT!!?? I'm so glad you mentioned that. I want to trust the forecasts but end up feeling duped more than half the time. I guess the temperature and moisture differentials are potent, but boy can it be frustrating when we're all excited for rain (or snow). Thank you for making me feel slightly less crazy -- and for reading, of course. 🤪

Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne's avatar

Land turtles, ready...

wait, then come out, slow, steady.

No hurry/worry.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Be like turtles. 🐢

Spare and perfect, as always, Marisol. Thank you.

Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne's avatar

Imperfect, like all…

intended as real, true us. ...

Good-enough? Enough! 😊

Janice Anne Wheeler's avatar

Thoughts with your friend and much appreciation to you for making me feel incredibly special on Sunday. Great to catch up! ~J

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Thank you, Janice. The Sunday "circuit" was restorative in many ways. You ARE incredibly special.

Melody Schultz's avatar

Three and a half Inches ??? You are so fortunate ❤️ Since my rain gauge is broken, I have to rely on my neighbor, who told me we got one and a half inches - I’ll take it gladly !

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

It was a 🤯 moment when I checked the rain gauge the next morning, Melody. I knew it had come down in torrents, but it was so short-lived, relatively, that I would never have imagined, flooded roads notwithstanding. Not sure where the box turtles go when it's that intense.

Appreciate the comment, and you.

Naturally Me's avatar

May your friend recover speedily. 🙏

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Thank you so much. She's making progress, I think.

John Lovie's avatar

Best wishes for your friend.

Rain, yes, either too much or too little.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Thanks, John. I hear myself thinking about the too much or too little and can't decide if it's a product of too many birthdays or climate change. Maybe a bit of both.

John Lovie's avatar

The greater the number of birthdays, the greater the signs of climate change.

Susan Baker's avatar

After rain...washed clean, the smell of green! e.e. cummings called it " mudluscious "!

Hoping for a return to health for your friend. We lost a dear one from our shared town and I am reeling with the loss

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Susan, "mudluscious," what a perfect word. I hadn't seen that before. Thank you! And I'm so sorry for your loss. Holding you in my thoughts. Reports for my new friend are moving in the right direction, I think, but it's still uncertain.

Amy Cowen's avatar

This is gorgeous: "Two weeks ago, a shower, barely enough to wet the surface, the story of water more than water itself. It wasn’t enough. It was a messenger, summoning four box turtles from the dry leaf litter. I suppose they understood, alert to some frequency the rest of us have forgotten how to hear, armored, patient, primordial."

I hope the news came, the held breath released, the one in the hospital is okay, and the new friendship has time to grow.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

Thank you, Amy. I am never disappointed by your ability to find the heart of things. The news has been good, or at least better. 😊

Kathleen Kiddo's avatar

You are a constant reminder that there are people who give a flock and I’m so grateful.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

I remember thinking, on this one, that I need to be careful how I say that in the audio. Enunciation matters. 😊 Grateful for you, Kathleen.

Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Gorgeous turtle. Praise the rain and may there be more.

Elizabeth Beggins's avatar

We are running low on it overall but have had one glorious downpour since I wrote about this one. At least that helps. Thanks, Mary.