Rainy Days

I love a good rain! Not a soft, gentle misting, although I do enjoy those, too, but a strong, steady downpour. I love everything about rain; the sights, the sounds, and even the smell of a drenched earth. There is something very soothing about a rainy day---it has a way of calming me, of bringing me back to a place where everything is right with the world. I guess, in a sense, it cleanses my soul.

When I lived in the South with my family, one of my favorite things to do on a rainy summer evening was to sit on the porch and watch the rain falling down. Sometimes, every now and again, I would be treated to a fantastic electrical storm, complete with loud thunderclaps and streaks of lightning. Such a wondrous, exciting display! At night I would lay in bed listening, entranced, as the rain pattered on our metal roof. It was peaceful and somehow reassuring to fall asleep to the rhythm of the rain.

In Humboldt County, California, where I live with my family now, we experience an average rainfall of more than 100 inches per year, with most of that falling between October and April. Relative humidity is high and as a result of our close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, we enjoy one of the coolest, most stable temperature regimes on the planet. It's a rain lover's paradise!

As I write this afternoon, the wind is blowing and a light rain falls. It's that time of year. We are expecting several consecutive days of rain and occassional thunderstorms. After a while there will be puddles where there were none and if it rains hard enough, and long enough, the creeks in some areas may swell until they overflow their banks. But with the rain will come a renewed sense of purpose, of peace, and once again, all will be right with my world.

April Rain Song
by

Langston Hughes

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night

And I love the rain.