April (through June) Showers

The past week or so has seemed like an echo of last summer, where rain and dampness were constant companions. It's been raining on and off for more than a week - a day here and there of sunshine, but mostly cool wet days have finished off our spring.
The garden hasn't suffered too badly, yet - the sunny days were warm enough to dry things out before another wet patch, so apart from one rotted bean seedling and one tomato vine with a small patch of powdery mildew, we've been faring OK.
The rain barrels are full to overflowing (600 gal each... if that gives you an idea of how much rain has fallen) which I hadn't expected so I didn't plan for an overflow system. Thankfully they are away from the house, though, so if they overflow it will just mean soggy walking around the raised beds.
The compost pile has soaked up enough rain that it has dropped down by 6" or so. I haven't seen any worms migrating out of the pile, so hopefully the middle isn't waterlogged. I've been trying to add some bulky things (unshredded toilet paper rolls, for example) to give the worms a bit of a safe haven when the rains are particularly heavy.
Another rain blessing is the success of my 'donated' perennials. Most everything that I transplanted has survived, and in some cases thrived - the hostas are glorious and many of the irises bloomed. Even the wild rose that I thought wouldn't make it has shown new growth (I cut the stems down to the ground almost, when I thought it was on its last legs). The raspberry canes (another gift) are trying to decide whether to live or not... but the ongoing rain has helped keep them on the fence at least.
While our soggy weather has had its good and bad points, I have to feel sorry for the farmers out west that are suffering through a drought. The survival of those families depends on the rain and it seems that the past few years have provided too much or too little. Some people will talk about the give and take of Mother Nature, but it certainly appears that the the cycles are shortening - it's only been 7 years since the last drought out west. It must be hard for them to see their neighbours to the east embarking on another year of (too much?) rain.
Here in what's turning out to be 'the rain belt', I've been thinking that the sump pump is one of the greatest inventions of our time.