Have you ever walked in an early-morning garden after the rain?
It’s dark, fresh, cool. And quiet. Even the birds are still taking cover.
Everything’s drenched.
You squint at something pink in the darkness….
… ah, columbines. And you think how wise this first clematis bloom is, so nicely sheltered against a wall.
You’re lost in admiring this flowering shrub.
Its branches are so rain-heavy, they’re almost touching the ground.
You’re wearing sensible shoes, so your feet don’t get wet. But next thing you know, you brush against a wet branch.
And another.
Turning away, you almost collide with a horse.
Your hair, face, nose and shirt get wet.
But the air is cool on your skin. Fresh and earthy to the breath.
And one intrepid bird starts to sing.
You softly walk around in the dark garden, thankful to be alive.
To hear, see, feel, smell, almost touch this morning.
And to take a few pictures, even though you once failed photography.
Twice.
Dedicated to all early risers, including my beloved husband who takes care of our garden and takes much better photos than these.
Cynthia Reyes 
Sounds like my morning today…no hose chores! Yay!
Yay!
They are so beautiful and fresh at this time.
Indeed. Come July and August, I’ll wonder where that freshness went!
Thanks for visiting my garden today, Levi.
I love gardens for sure. Thank you for sharing.
spectacular!!!! Love the horse weathervane too!!
Thank you!
Delightful walk through your garden and heart Cynthia. I love your writing style. Funny that I did the same thing this AM in my garden enjoying and snapping pics of my garden delights, thinking they might become a post!
to garden delights!
Why, thank you, Mr. Poet, Sir.
I look forward to your photos. I do!
LOL, Thanks Mrs. Published Author. XD
Lovely, I felt as though I was walking through the garden with you! And your photos conveyed that!
Thank you!
Glad I succeeded. That’s what I wanted, but one never knows….
This reminds me of a hymn “In The Garden”. Everything looks so fresh after the rain! 🙂
Thank you. I’ll have to look up that hymn.
Your words reminded me of this saying:”One is nearer God’s heart in a garden, than anywhere else one earth.”
Lovely quote, Cynthia.
Thanks Cynthia. Very expressive. Now I need to go have my morning coffee while I let my shirt dry… 🙂
You’re a funny guy, Jim! Either that, or the reach of my writing knows no bounds…. I’ll accept the compliment, for sure.
I love a garden like that, after a rain, althought I don’t have access to one nearly as splendid. I do like sitting outside admiring the few plants I do have, as well as watching grass seed start to sprout. 😀
It’s all a miracle to me.
Whether it’s one plant or many, it’s still a miracle, Rose.
There are so many bare or bereft spots in my lawn that I give a huge whoop of joy when the grass seeds start to sprout.
I walk early most mornings, whatever the weather, its such a peaceful time of day, early morning after the rain is great time to catch a few slugs and snails too. I enjoyed your garden tour and words I felt as if I was walking with you.
Thank you, Julie.
So pleased that this great experience is shared.
Now – I wasn’t looking for slugs and snails though! (smile)
Lovely pictures; I especially like the clematis!
Thanks, Susan. I will post (at sometime in the future) more clematis for you, and bloomin’ peonies for Aggie. (Aggie and Lou are farmers whose blog I follow as they are doing a good thing – turning their hands to farming sustainably, while welcoming visitors to their farm. And Aggie has requested bloomin’ peonies!)
That would be great. I love flowers and dream of a yard with only beautiful blooms on shrubs, trees, and flowers and no grass! 😉
What a delightful tour around the garden in the pre-dawn. Thank you. I could feel that coolness, and the moisture on every leaf, flower and branch. I can’t imagine you failing photography. Twice? I suspect all you need is a wee bit more patience – with yourself and your camera.
Take care! Jeanne
I suspect it’s like all my efforts to grow roses, arrange flowers, and bake, Jeanne. It skipped a generation.
I do believe certain talents and gifts can skip generations – my Nana on my mother’s side and my great uncle on my father’s side were all highly artistically talented, and I have similar gifts, but they skipped my Mom and to some degree, my Dad. I also think we are born gravitating to certain things that go beyond this lifetime and those of our families, and have more to do with why we’re here in the first place. 🙂
jeanne
Hmm… intriguing ideas, Jeanne.
thank you!
I feel better now.
Yay!
It was lovely to take a little garden walk with you Cynthia. Gardening activates all the senses, as did this evocative post.
I loved the big fat Peony buds, wet with raindrops.
Karen.
Hey Karen: I love that peony picture too. And only after I took the pix did I notice the drop of rain clinging to the horse’s mouth!
Gardening DOES activate the senses – so true!
Gardens look and feel so different in the very early morning and also late in the evening. These are times when most people are getting on with their ordinary lives indoors – they don’t know what they’re missing, do they? I try to go outside in all weathers too – rain, snow, frost, high winds – the garden, usually such a comfortable place, can seem alien and exciting.
I love the nighttime garden. It is so different from during the day. The hosta, for example, seem huge! And I can catch the night bloomers in all their glory!
You must have been a very early riser! I don’t know when I was last up that early. Perhaps on the way to an airport many many many years ago. It’s a magical time.
Well, the birds are up and singing, so I may as well. (But I don’t sing very well!)
I am sure they like to hear you though!
Cool is great, it’s hot & sticky already with mosquitoes kinda mornings that get to ya! Enjoy the cool weather while it lasts!!!
Will do!
The mosquitoes are huge this spring!
I don’t do early mornings but I do late night gastropod hunts to protect my poor plants. Nothing’s left of them if I don’t. So I get this, absolutely, even if I come at it from the other end of the day.
Cheers
MTM
What are gastropods, MT?
Slugs and snails 🙂
OK. The slimy stuff that eats our plants….. Yuck.
Now wouldn’t I like to be able to walk around there? Or even my own garden in Spain? Lovely photos, I love rainy plant pix.
Thank you. It was my first time taking rainy plants pix.
My favorite time of day. Excellent post.
Thank you!
Reblogged this on Cynthia Reyes.
Beautiful photo’s, Cynthi and beautiful writings! xo Johanna
Thank you, Johanna.
yes, I do that often and enjoy the freshness and all the details that are only revealed when you watch closely – bliss!
Well said. Annette. Thank you.
Stunning photographs, Cynthia.
Thank you, Sarah. I guess my garden is my artwork. I lack your artistic talents!
Well, I have no talent for gardening and yours is immense!
Well, you know just the right thing to say!
How lovely, early mornings are magical. I love your photos. I will have to make do with yours, I don’ think I can manage to get up as early as that. The evening light is beautiful too.
Thanks, Chloris.
Don’t the birds wake you up? Our house is surrounded by trees and shrubs and the birds start singing at around 3 a.m.!
Well, they do but I just turn over and go back to sleep. In theory I would love to go out into the garden on a summer morning as the birds start singing and the air is all unbreathed. But I just can’ t seem to manage it very often.
then you must be an evening person, and evening time in the garden is also lovely. The plants and leaves seem bigger at night too.
Early morning in the garden is the best, especially after a rain.
Early mornings, even in winter, are often the best. An early morning walk in your garden sounds like a wonderful way to start the day!
Love the smell of life after a spring rain. I could feel the cool leaves brushing up against you, Cynthia. And I think your photos are wonderful!
That’s it! The smell of life after a spring rain.
I enjoyed looking at this post again. Thank-you for re-blogging it Cynthia!
Thank you!
🙂
I started many a work day in gardens as wet as that, and I never minded.
I’m not surprised. That’s your ‘natural habitat’, right? (smile)
I laughed out loud at you failing photography, twice! What do those profs know, anyway?!
Cynthia, I do go into the garden after the rain but for practical reasons, I collect the slugs and snails who appear after rain and take them to the field behind, where I very much hope they stay. Slugs apart its a wonderful time to be in a garden.
Yikes. Way to ruin a pleasant time in the garden. (big smile) But yes, Julie, I know these yucky tasks also have to be done. Gardening’s like that, right?
Your gardens are so beautiful!! Kudos to the hubby!!
We are over run by mosquitoes right now so going into the wet garden areas does not work well unless you are wearing your winter snowmobile suit in 80 degree temperatures with 90% humidity!!
Yikes! I wonder what purpose mosquitoes serve? I can’t think of any. To feed bats? Bats can eat other insects!
Thank you for the lovely, in the dark, garden tour, Cynthia. Don’t underestimate the energy and passion an appreciative spouse grants to the gardening spouse. I live for my husband’s praise when it comes to my outdoor puttering.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Thank you so much, Wendy. Sending you a big hug.