“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”
~ Benjamin Franklin
Gilbert, AZ, October 2010
It rained yesterday, and I hope it continues. In some places April showers may bring May flowers, but here it replaces brown skies with blue. What a joy to journey into the valley’s past. I found some old journal entries so intermittently entered by a desert dweller. A sampling:
Gilbert, AZ, September 2010
I awakened this morning to the harmony of rain ricocheting from the roof and slipping over the edge to dive to the patio below.
* * * * * * *
Gilbert, AZ, 2008
Rain, even a shower, alters our days as snow does in the northern reaches. Children wade in the gutters like their counterparts go sledding. Students are sequestered inside as schools go on “rainy day schedules.” The hunt for umbrellas rivals a search for the rainbow’s pot of gold. Wrinkled rain coats emerge from closets to be ironed by the elements. Blinds open and bleary windows are aided by daytime lights in our homes.
Commuters discover that their windshield wipers squeak from dryness and disuse. Flooded roads akin to mid-western snow drifts strand motorists. Insurance agents go on alert; and auto body shops prepare for the bonanza of repairs resulting from fender-bending on oil-slicked roads.
* * * * * * *
Puyallup, WA, 2006
Gentle Rain
Bedded down from yesterday afternoon
Mist loiters yet another day.
Returning to earth,
Softness muffles even the passing cars.
Escorted by somber clouds it releases
Beauty inured to the added color from sunshine.
Teardrops on bare branches,
Rivulets at the edges of the street,
And lawns with a glistening mantle
Echo the rain’s elegance.
Fallen leaves sparkle against rooftops,
Moss gains notice, and everything seems cleaner.
Coming from the desert, I enjoy the welcome change of rain. Like sunshine to me, rain is commonplace in the Northwest, but not to be taken for granted. We hole up indoors with the kids and enjoy a respite from the previous day’s activity. The rain gives us an excuse to slow our pace and provides a seasonal reminder that there is a time for everything, even to relax.
* * * * * * *
East Stroudsburg, PA, 2006
Months later I am on the other side of the country. Yesterday’s gathering of the clan withered from heat imprisoned in the humidity and still air. Then the rain came, softly at first, later accompanied by its cousins, thunder and lightning; it arrived on winds of cool relief. We were all refreshed.
* * * * * * *
I am reminded of how much I miss the rain.
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