05.25.15  It seems I’ve always lived in places where everyone waits until Memorial Day week-end to plant their annual flowers.  And, are not geraniums the quintessential summer time flower–especially here at the lake, where the cerulean blue of the lake is a beautiful contrast to the classic red showy blossoms and windsor green leaves.  I have eleven big pots near the water or on the terrace, but my planting is easy because the greenhouse starts growing them months before now.  I usually place an order early in March, when the snow is finally disappearing, and pick them up on  this week-end.  It took a good part of the day to wheel them, one at a time in the wheelbarrow, from the road to their respective pots.  Don trimmed and mowed the lawn and I set out the white Adirondack chairs and washed down the green and red striped cushions.  In an instant it became Summer! It was a great day to spend outdoors, listening to the bird songs, and feeling the cool air by the water.  Everyone has been anxious about the dry and warm Spring we’ve been having and the winds were unusual yesterday, coming downslope, through the woods, rather than off the water.  Little waves were actually moving in reverse, from the shoreline out into the lake.  Skiffs of wind made spontaneous whirlpools which quickly changed back into still water.  It was an East Wind–the legendary harbinger of misfortune/change/ill will.  It is the one direction of wind which would endanger us during a wildfire; the customary southwest or northwest winds must travel across seven miles of water to get to our woods. Just before dinner, to our astonishment, it began to rain.  We had not noticed the clouds forming up behind us in the east, and the downslope wind brought us a little rain shower.  We stood at the screen doors and listened to the beautiful sound of water pouring off the roof onto the geranium leaves.  The temperature dropped 10 degrees, and the evening air was fresh and restorative, and all felt right in the world.