The garden breathes again

Over the past few days, the garden at Maison Julien – Miyazu has been rejoicing.
Not long ago, it seemed to be giving up.
The long dry spell had slowly turned it into something close to a desert.

Each morning, on my rounds, I noticed some plants had already surrendered, while others — still fighting — were fading fast.

No matter how much I watered, it was never enough.
Watering only soothes the surface; it cannot reach deep enough to revive the roots.
Only real rain — the kind that falls from the sky as a blessing — can reach the depths of the earth and restore life there.

And these past few days, it finally came.
Gentle. Patient. Persistent.
And the garden, almost imperceptibly, began to smile again.