We have had rain for over a week. Grass is growing like Topsy and weeds are germinating everywhere. Wet knees again. Best of luck for you guys (I would LOVE to garden somewhere warm like Madeira). I could be a Californian girl.

We did get some-I hope and pray with all my heart that it will rain constantly for the following weeks...

Good luck to us all....

DD reports buckets of rain in Milan this month, which doesn't do us a lot of good, though it's splendid in itself. A friend who lives higher up in the hills, in a cooler area, apparently has been getting more rain than we have, which is a good thing, for her and her neighbors, and for the area reservoir, which I'm amazed is still delivering water to households.

It IS raining! Started last night and is forecast to continue through the day. We've had over an inch so far, which by the starved standards over the last sixteen months or so is actually quite a bit. I wanted a sort of sub-deluge, which doesn't appear to be coming, but this ought at any rate to water the plants, including the several babies put in the ground this fall.

Bart, how about you?

Yes, it's raining here, too. I am so, so grateful...however I am afraid to chat about this blessing,out of "scaramanzia" (Google Translate calls this "superstition", but that isn't a very precise definition,but that will give the non-Italian speakers who read this at least an idea...) Fingers crossed!!!!!!

bart, I know what you mean, you don't want to scare the rain away. I'm wishing you and Melissa and all of Italy a wonderfully rainy winter season.

I just stuck a finger in the basin we set out to measure the rainfall: maybe 1 1/2". Not bad, considering how drastically dry we were. And the morning is dawning brilliantly clear, a welcome change after way too much fumy, hazy weather, offering neither rain nor sun. I have to see the doctor this morning, but look forward to wandering around the garden later today, inspecting the refreshed plants.

By the way, happy Thanksgiving, everybody!