Tropical evening

Today was a warm, humid, rainy day.  Now this is a good thing because things were just getting so dry again that TPP had to do some watering, and even then in a single week a holly shrub went from OK to suffering severely.  Rain is most welcome indeed.  Such weather is fairly rare in the midwest in the summer, but such days are quite common in the wet tropics and whenever they do occur they make TPP think of Costa Rica. Stepping outside one almost expects to hear oropendula, tree frogs, and the other sounds of the tropics.  As it is quite a few birds can be heard including screech owls this evening in counterpoint to the cicadas.  The wet tropics in high humidity always smells of decaying vegetation, and with so many dead plants and dropped leaves, the fungi are active, and so it smells like wet rainforest today. One of the funny things about the wet tropics is the necessity of having a nice light woolen blanket because with just a small drop in temperature, the dampness makes you cold at night, and only wool retains its insulating properties when damp.  Funny thing about this, but presently the longing for the tropics created by today's weather is quite strong.  It has been a bit over a year since last being in the tropics, and then it was quite a short visit in the rain forest, however it was intended a vacation, so vacation we did.  Like the tropics tomorrow promises to be a fairly warm and humid day.  Today may help get some patches of lawn repaired, and perhaps assist with some late summer and fall crops.