Written by Heather Morren
This past school year I sang the song "Rain, Rain, Go Away" many times with my grade 1 and 2 students. It is a great song to teach about beat, memorizing lyrics, how to match and identify pitch, and more. But never, in a million years, did I think I'd still be singing it in July, sans students, with the sole purpose of trying to will the sky to clear and the rain to stop.
This Spring was certainly one to remember. In June alone, Edmonton and area got over 250mm of rain, which is 3.5 times more rain than the average amount in previous years. This shattered a 112 year record of 217mm in June 2014. Unbelievable!
The Rain Taketh
This is the first June I can remember where we didn’t have to convince students to keep their minds in the classroom. Usually they are staring out the window, longing to play in the sun. Not this year. This June, field trips and fun days were cancelled or postponed, and kids stood at the doors at recess, cowing under the meager overhang, trying to get us to let them in early.
When we think of Spring and Summer in Edmonton, we often think of all the fun things we will do in the sun. Camping, hiking, biking, running through the sprinkler, ice cream at the park, etc. While we had a few of those days early on, this June has definitely left many of us disappointed. And with no end to the rain in sight, it can be downright infuriating.
On the gardening side of things, one would have expected to have a flourishing vegetable garden by now. I planted my cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers indoors in April and then sowed beans, peas and carrots directly into the soil after the May Long Weekend. While my tomatoes, carrots and strawberries are coming along nicely, I can’t say the same about everything else. The excessive rain and lack of sunshine have significantly stunted their growth (and invited in some unwanted pests).
My thriving strawberries and carrots (top) juxtaposed against my struggling cucumbers and peas (bottom)
The Rain Giveth
While having to constantly adjust one's plans and expectations has been a real thorn in the side, there have been some benefits to all this rain too.
Let’s start with the obvious one: Some plants are THRIVING! Many of my non-vegetable plants are doing amazingly well given all the rain. My lupines have been blooming continuously. Our dwarf lilac bloomed more than it ever has in the 4 summers we have been in this house. My hostas are gigantic. Even non-flowering plants, such as my fiddle head ferns, are looking lush! And our grass… well it’s more covered in clover and dandelions than ever before but it has that Emerald Isle hue to it, for sure.
Lupines blooming in the rain
Business wise, my gardeners and I have had to learn to be REAL flexible. Jobs have been shuffled, plans have been rewritten, and weather apps have been checked far more often than I'd like to admit. While it hasn't always been convenient, it has been a good reminder that running a business often means adapting to circumstances beyond your control. Sometimes all you can do is make the best decision with the information you have, pivot when needed, and keep moving forward.
But there are other, less garden related, benefits too. My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed her new rain coat and boots. We have gone on plenty of family walks that included puddle jumping, sending sticks down a gutter “river” and worm rescue. Our days at home are more slow paced and family oriented. We've spent less time rushing from one activity to the next and more time simply being together. Plus, we enjoy the rare moments when it is sunny so much more than we would if it was piping hot everyday.
And, hopefully, this wet weather will have the added benefit of limiting the wildfires and the smoke that comes with them. Goodness knows that always puts a real damper on our summers here in Alberta.
Blessed Be The Rain
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
You may be thinking, “this blog article has taken quite a religious turn”. Now, I’m not religious but, after many years in Catholic School, I have learned a few lessons from some of these prayers and passages.
Sometimes we forget how to let go of the things we cannot control. While all of us adults are complaining about the never ending rain, the kids are adapting. They are showing off their new rain gear, dancing and twirling their umbrellas like Gene Kelly spinning around a lamp post, and jumping in the puddles. They are hunkering down in the house, cuddling under the blankets with a bowl of popcorn and a movie. So what if it’s raining? School’s out!
“Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as a pathway to peace.”
While I will likely continue to sing "Rain, Rain, Go Away" for a little while longer, summer is far from over and we have many more opportunities to enjoy the sunny days ahead (I hope!). If this rainy season has taught me anything, it's that sometimes the best memories aren't made when everything goes according to plan. They're made when we learn to dance around the puddles, adapt to the unexpected, and appreciate the sunshine whenever it decides to return.
My daughter and I enjoying a rainy stroll.
Photos in this article were taken by Heather Morren. Information was sourced from a wide variety of online resources. Please ask, should you wish to see a full list.