...at last.

The forest and the fields, and all the living creatures are unclenching after the long drought. Not a heavy rain—light to medium, but steady, and for maybe eight hours. Now, beautiful clouds across the bay. I do so love it when nature behaves naturally.

Of course today is Canada day, so not the best time for rain. The dampness did not, however, diminish attendance at the farmer's market in Gore Bay, where I bought the most amazing beets, each weighing nearly a quarter pound, while the beets in my garden have greens an inch high.

Not too many places on the Lane to run with Pax at the moment—close to full occupancy. But, since Murray and Elaine are not yet back we went there, and there Pax took off after a muskrat or beaver. He finally came back with mud up to his whiskers, and earned himself the third bath in three days.

And, finally, today the Lane got a coating of calcium chloride, proving that chloride is never applied until after a rain. Many will be thankful. The Lane has been dusty the past some weeks, and when I washed the truck today, just following up on what the rain had done, enough mud came off to grow a bumper crop of beets.