As I write this post, it is raining very hard outside with flash flood and thunderstorm warnings in our area plus the threat of hail later on. I knew that this weather was predicted, so yesterday I made a point of photographing the azaleas that are along my driveway.

Aren’t they gorgeous? But the rain will beat most of the blooms off and, alas, they will be gone for another year.

The azaleas in the back yard aren’t all bloomed out yet, so I am not sure what this storm will do to them. Hopefully, I will still have some pretty blooms on them later. These are the azaleas that are in my header, by the way.

Spring time in Mississippi brings some absolutely beautiful flowers. But, unfortunately, you have to take the good with the bad. The tracks of the mailman through the pollen on my front porch give you only a little taste of what we get each year at this time.

Luckily, David and I don’t get bothered too much by the pollen. A friend of mine told me a few days ago that she ended up sick and having to go the doc for prescriptions because the pollen bothered her so much. She definitely lives in the wrong state!

By the way, taking photographs of pollen is not easy. You might get a slight idea of what type of pollen we have by looking at the above pic of the yellow stuff washed down at the end of the driveway this morning after the rain. That is only a fraction of what has been floating in the air.

I also managed to get an after picture of one of the poor azaleas in the rain. So sad.

I noticed that the goldfish were loving the rain. Normally, you can’t really see them too well since they are deep and the pond is dark. But this morning several of them were playing near the top of the water at the shallow part (my pond is sloped). If you think taking pictures of pollen isn’t easy, try taking pictures of goldfish in the pouring rain. Sorry, you can kind of see one of them right above the azalea bloom at the bottom of the pic, but I just was not able to show you how cute they looked. Plus, the pond is full of the azalea and pine blooms, so it’s kind of hard to see anyway.

As I worked on my tablescape this morning, I had Swamp People reruns playing in the background.  As the rain worsened, the satellite kept going in and out, and it seemed rather fitting that some of the episodes showing were from Tropical Storm Lee in 2011. By the way, we were camping at a state park during that storm; the truck went dead; the boat flooded; it was a comedy of errors. But that’s a story for another day.

Last week when David and I went to some yard sales, I found this table runner for fifty cents. My dining room is dark due to the lack of natural light, the dark wood of my furniture, and the low wattage of my light fixture. Every single time that I post one of my dining room tables, I am unhappy with how dark the pictures are. When I first spread out the dark green runner on my walnut table, I could barely see it and knew that it would not show up in photos. So I put down the white cloth first so that the details would be more apparent. OK, I know I have a runner and placemats on top of a tablecloth, but it’s my table, and I can do what I want! Just don’t send the tablecloth police to my house!

Then I decided to use these Dollar General placemats. I thought that these earthy colors would blend well with the dark green of the runner.

Since I haven’t used The Friendly Village lately, I decided on the dinner plates. I did not layer any of the other pieces since I was trying to keep it casual. I found some taupe napkins and folded them casually instead of using a napkin ring.

For flatware, I chose the same playful mix-n-match set from last week. The neutral shades are good with these placemats and napkins.

I absolutely could not make up my mind about goblets. Should I use the green Dollar General ones?

Or would the green Dollar Tree ones be better? I really like both, and since I couldn’t decide, I used them both!

For my centerpiece, I used my staggered pillar candles. Deciding that I need a little something else, I grabbed two of my Friendly Village salad plates.

I threw in the decorative rattan balls that I use a lot and covered them with a faux “cloche” cover.

For the other side, I spilled out “river rock” onto the other plate.

I was pleased with the final look and hope you like it also.

I hope that everyone stays allergy-free and dry during this wonderful spring weather. Leave me a comment and tell me which goblet you like better!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)