For the last few weeks, my yard and gardens have received just the right amount of rain to let me see how lovely life could be if, every night or day, three-tenths of an inch fell from the sky. Ireland’s lush greets me when I step outside. My daily watering ritual temporarily disappears. Some mornings, like today, I dump water from pots that overflow to prepare for today’s additional promises. This illusional bounty lets me fantasize about living in a lush landscape. I cast a wistful spell to keep cloud cover and raindrops overhead for as long as possible. For the moment, I believe with all my soul that our decades long drought ended without anyone taking note. I pretend we won’t suffer through a hundred days of a hundred degrees. I embrace this period of rightness without expectation it will last beyond the next few days.
New camera in hand, I scouted our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago in search of perfection. Unexpected rain left the ground soaked, but mud caking my favorite tennis shoes didn’t deter me from finding just the right prickly pear cactus for a photo-op. I love the surprises on what my lens captures hidden under petals.
Another day, another location found me dripping sweat in sauna heat as I snapped more shots of sun drenched cacti thriving and surviving, and providing nutrients to insects crawling along the flower’s edges and dipping into its depths.
Nature’s perfection captured with my camera.
Copyright 2026 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
IOUNIO's "Scared" dips into our wants, needs and fears.
Hail and high winds tormented the Texas Hill Country a few months back. We watched news reports of windows shattered, vehicles smashed, and businesses destroyed within minutes. For us, a push-me-pull-you battle began. Do we drive up there to check on the condition of our place, or do we bank on it surviving unscathed as it has for three decades? Obligations and obstacles around here forced us to wait until last weekend before making the trek.
After our last cabin trip, back in October, we left the place neat and tidy. Turning the corner from the steep inclined road, the sturdy building came into view. Collectively, we exhaled relieved breaths. No sign of damage anywhere. A quick dash around the exterior reassured us that the windows remained intact, window air conditioner sat snugly in place, and the ancient porch screening stretched undamaged. A rooftop examination revealed a vent covering had shifted during high winds, but nothing that let rain into the place itself. It’s on our “TO DO” list for our next trip as we’ll need to order the correct part to replace it.
The screened porch, swept back in October, remained dust free! Many times, I have to sweep it right away to prevent us from tracking dirt into the cabin. Inside looked as I’d left it seven months ago, ready for visitors to stay hours, days, or even weeks! We doubled checked the ceiling where that vent cover had moved and found it pristine and dry.
Every trip, I vow to stay longer than one weekend. This time, though, we planned on heading back home after a few hours. My anxiety over possible damage assuaged by simply “checking in” to see with my own eyes that all is well.
Copyright 2026 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
IOUNIO's "Do We All Slowly Lose Control?" fit my mood perfectly before seeing our place in person!
