I love the rain!

         It’s raining! It’s pouring! The old man is snoring!

         Sorry, couldn’t help singing that to myself. Yes, it’s raining outside. And thundering too. Not very loud yet, but enough that my dogs (my big, ferocious dogs!) are hiding in the bathroom (neither one of them is fond of loud noises and I swear, they can tell when a storm is coming long before it arrives).

          It’s been a strange weekend here in Phoenix. Dark, ominous clouds have been playing hide and seek with the sun for the past couple days. Thunder has rumbled and lightning has streaked across the sky on and off since Friday. Rain—sweet, wonderful smelling rain—has been falling. In some parts of the valley, the rain was vicious, pouring down in buckets like the sky just opened up (I heard there was hail toward the west and wind gusts strong enough to knock down trees and power lines). Here in my little corner of the world, the rain has been gentle (and at one point, it rained in one part of my yard, but the sun was shining in the other…I know! So strange!). I've seen quite a few rainbows these past few days. They were so vivid!

          I love the rain and yes, even the thunder (not so fond of the wind though) but it wasn’t always that way. When I was a kid, thunderstorms terrified me. Of course, I slept upstairs in our little house, so much closer to the noise! My mother tried very hard to put my fears to rest and explained that thunder was just the angels bowling in heaven (no, I didn’t believe her). That all changed for me when I turned eight. For my birthday that year, my mother redecorated my room. We painted the walls a beautiful lilac AND I got a new quilt for my bed. I loved that quilt! It was magic. White with purple speckles and little ballerinas dressed in purple tutus, I knew that as long as it was on my bed, the thunder couldn’t hurt me and I started to like the sound as it rumbled across the sky.

          I’m much older now and I no longer have that magic quilt but I still love the rain and the sound of thunder. It’s perfect for curling up in my DH’s rocker/recliner and reading a good book.

 As always, happy reading!

Marie