I’ve never thought of myself as eccentric, but I dare say others might — had they seen me outside today. In the rain. Using an extension pole cleaning wand to wash down the clerestory windows above my balcony sliders.

In my defense, it was a light rainfall. And no thunder or lightning was involved.

The good news is that after three days of relentless banging, followed by the whirring and grinding sound of a metal blade meeting brick and mortar, I think the work above my balcony is finished. The metal scaffolding was mechanically hoisted back up onto the roof and moved west, doubtless to treat my neighbor to a similar acoustic torture over the next few days.

More good news: despite the sun deprivation my plants have endured during their indoor sojourn, they looked hale and hearty this afternoon.

The bad news, though, is that my balcony was much the worse for wear. It was covered in dust, some mortar-taupe in color, some brick-orange. And there were several gobs of fresh mortar that had dripped down and hardened.

Of course, I’ve always maintained that rain can wash away a multitude of sins. And in this case it provided the perfect opportunity to go out and do some serious scrubbing, all the while conserving water by using Mother Nature’s generous supply instead of tapping the tap.

Hopefully, everything will look better in the morning. I’ll check with the crew then to make absolutely certain that they won’t have to hover above my balcony anymore.

If they give me the thumbs up, I can move my numerous plants (like the begonia above) back outside to soak up some of the rainfall in tomorrow’s forecast.

After all the backbreaking labor that task will entail, giving me a reprieve from watering is the least Mother Nature can do.