…followed by serious a duck-drownder. Extended downpour mixed with plenty of lightning and the heavy, rolling thunder that is only possible over wide expanses of water. For some reason, though flickering, the power stayed on (so far). Huge amount of unneeded moisture—ground saturated, water in the swales.

Following the Max Burt advice, tilling in the fall, so that come spring all that is needed is “a rake and a hoe.”
My leisurely pace with the shovel was accelerated by distant rumbles of thunder, and I finished up just as the first drops came down.