Monday, July 7, 2008

Soaking up the rain


It's been raining for a week. What a treat to hear pattering on the roof that isn't a possum or a cat. After a month of stifling temperatures, it's glorious to have these gentle showers. Today is a refreshing 75 degrees....ahhh.

It's kind of dark and gloomy. I love gloomy days. I feel like baking and knitting a sweater for the dog.

The rain is warm and inviting. I love to walk in the rain. Only lunatics do that, I've been told on several occasions. Yet, no one wants to join me. Maybe if I had company it would look like a planned activity and not just someone who escaped from her caretaker.


If my husband would walk with me, people would look out their windows and smile, "Oh, look, there's Nora and her husband walking in the rain together like lovers." Or if my son would join us, we'd get big nods of approval, "Oh, look, there's Nora and her little family spending quality time together walking in the rain." The reality is more like "There's that lunatic from down the street with her dog. She doesn't have enough sense to get out of the rain. The dog's sweater is cute, though."

Even if I can't fully enjoy the rain, the crops are benefiting from the free irrigation. The rain is helping the cotton crop, but the soggy fields are keeping the sorghum from getting harvested.

Growing up, I always wondered why adults were so preoccupied with the weather. In a community tied to agriculture, the success of a crop can be measured in rainfall. Too little or too much can be disastrous.

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