Soothed by the Rain

Ah... The soothing qualities of rain. There is a magical, ethereal quality about a raindrop that hits the dry, parched earth. The soil clenches up as if shocked by the touch of water drop. Then, it gives way as the rain drops accumulate. The dust is no longer blown away in the breeze, but stays together with the soil it yearns to remain.--Me

Thursday morning, while I was enjoying a lovely dream, I was suddenly awakened by our bedside weather radio alarm. I thought, this had better be good, since it woke me up 4 minutes before I needed to wake up at 4:30 a.m. No, it was a Severe Thunderstorm Watch--not a warning! And, no, it wasn't for our immediate area. It wasn't even for our regional area! It was for Faribault County in Minnesota!! I couldn't believe it! I know that I programmed that weather radio to only alarm for warnings and only for my county and surrounding counties. It must have been an act of God. Or something...

Yesterday afternoon we experienced T-storm watches and warnings, but somehow we just were not fortunate to enjoy more than a few drops of rain. Very disappointing since our lawn looks more like a hayrack spilled its contents all over our yard. However, at 2:30 a.m. this morning, I was awakened by the sound of strong winds and thunder. Thor must have listened to my heartened pleas, because he was out in full force this morning, banging away with flashes of light in an otherwise dark night.

Then, the downpours came. The first one was so soothing and refreshing, however, that was not good enough for Thor. The second storm system converged shortly after the first, and it began with a thunderous boom and then--poof! All the lights were out in our end of town. The lightning darting from the sky seemed to almost leap at us in the dark-black night landscape. As the zags of lightning flashed in the night, I could see the trees bending down, as if they were trying to touch their roots. The sheets of water pouring down from the sky made the scene a hazy blur.

Soon after, the angry Thor god ushered himself onward to the next unsuspecting, sleeping community. The soft, gentle rain continued, massaging the stressed ground, as I dashed from my car to get to the door and into my dry work cave. I am always refreshed by the effects of a good thunder boomer, but this morning I was soothed by the rain.