WHEN WILL THE RAIN END?

Summer has arrived in Washington! At least, according to the calendar it has. One couldn't tell based on the mollusk activity or schizophrenic weather we're experiencing. 

Our friendly neighborhood slugs haven't exchanged their umbrellas and rain jackets for sun hats quite yet. Oh, no! The trumpets of morning revelry have stirred the critters to action. They hurriedly slime through puddles and over copper barriers on their way to decimate gardens all around the state. Shell-shocked gardeners shudder.

The sun, however, continues to struggle with getting out of bed at the appointed hour. It doesn't make an appearance on some days until late in the afternoon, if at all. Yesterday I yelled out, "Olly olly um come free" for hours and the light didn't arrive until after the remnants of dinner had become compost. Tardiness never seems to be a problem for the liquid sunshine of our state.

But there is hope on the horizon. The vegetable seeds planted in the garden last month are beginning to show signs of life. I excitedly watch as the little tomato, bean, zucchini, pumpkin, and cucumber sprouts push upward through the soil, struggling to break the bonds of the darkness and emerge into the light. I stop by often to visit, and to capture the slimy creatures attempting to chomp on the new growth.

Wait ... what's that? There's a gigantic, yellowish orb directing luminescence from outside and into the living room. Is that the sun? Nah, it's only 10 AM.

But I can't take any chances. If it is the sun, I need to stop playing around inside on the laptop and head outside to mow the moss while I can. I'm outta here ...