Annual Weather Woes or Why I Garden in Raised Beds

It's been raining. 
A lot.

So, as usual, the far back is soggy with standing water.  As bad as it looks,

it will probably get worse.

Clay soil does not drain well.  I keep hearing and reading about how clay soil is fertile... blah... blah... and so forth. 
So?  If it holds water what do I care if it's fertile or not!  I can't plant in it!  Then comes the advice to amend it with this or that, or not this and not that.  Nope.

I'll just move up!

 Hopefully by next winter I'll have this all done in river rock and/or pea gravel.  You can see where the gravel ended. It won't help the standing water, but at least there won't be floating wood chips. 

 You don't have to go high, even these scalloped edgers raise the Butterfly Garden just enough.

The dampness brings out the prettiest mushrooms!

I liked this photo so much I used it for the blog main photo!  I give credit to my iPhone camera.

 Bird's Nest fungi - the rain splatters the spore containing "eggs" out of the "nests!" Aren't they amazing?  Last year was the first time I've had them, or even seen them, or heard of them.  Now they are my favorite fungi!  They love compost, and rotting wood (this is a rotting sawhorse) and are small enough to miss, so take careful look as you are in your garden.  They are harmless, just going about their business of living, reproducing, and decomposing.