Thursday, August 25, 2011

RAIN FOR ALL

After several recent false predictions and a near miss or two, it finally rained last night just after 3:00 a.m.—a storm which arrived with a shattering thunderclap, awakening me from a fretful sleep and setting a heron dozing along the river into a bout of rattly squawks. I lay awake for a while afterwards, listening to the roar of droplets pelting through sycamore leaves, thrumming on the roof, and the steady gush of water from the eaves—enjoying the breath of sweet-scented air coming in from nearby the window. The temperature dropped a dozen degrees in as many minutes. 

We needed rain—lawn and flowers, but especially the river which flows past the cottage, and was starting to look a bit gaunt between its banks. Last night's rain will provide a fresh drink for the fish—bass, bluegills, crappie, catfish, and many more, large and small—as well as the mayflies and caddis which live in the stream's muck and gravel, the crayfish which ply the pool's rocky bottom, the gentle queen snakes that sometimes shinny up the grapevine draping over the deck to sun themselves on the rail, and the turtles that now sun daily on the logs and rocks. These and countless others will welcome the rain; rain is the lifeblood of rivers.

I appreciate the rain, too, for it will save me some work watering plants…but mostly for the way it presented me with a fresh-scrubbed morning—a morning damp and cool, with bright sunshine and a sky so blue it was like looking overboard when trolling for marlin out of Key West, and seeing the waters of the Gulf Stream swirling in indigo mystery under the boat's hull.
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14 comments:

Arija said...

'On such a night' are the wonder of the universe opened to the soul.

Scott said...

Great post, Grizz. I'll bet you're enjoying the cooler weather, too. Here on the Piedmont in Pennsylvania, we've already had the wettest August on record, we're having storms today ("your" front that moved further East), and Hurricane Irene may bring us additional inches on Sunday. If we get the rain as predicted, this will be our wettest month on record--ever!

Grizz………… said...

Arija…

Indeed they are…and divine in their multiplicity to behold.

Grizz………… said...

Scott…

May and June were our record months for wet; July was one of the hottest ever…and August has been hot, but except for three or four rains (sprinkles, really) which didn't amount to much, really dry. Even last night's rain has failed to have any effect on the river, either clarity or level—but it was a much-needed refreshing, nevertheless.

Funny, you'd think our respective weather would be more similar, see as how we're not all that far apart, and mostly only laterally.

Gail said...

HI GRIZZ - I truly don't know anyone who knows about and appreciates every aspect of natures force and passion and beauty, wonder, ebb, flow and awe then you do.
Love and highest regard
Gail
peace.....

ellen abbott said...

I'm happy you got rain. I wish we could get some too.

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

I wish I were even half as good and savvy as you give me credit…but I know me. However, my entire life has been lived as much outdoors as possible; it's where I'm most comfortable—my joy and passion, my place of solace. I hope that lifelong love always comes through in my writing.

You take care during this storm.

Grizz………… said...

Ellen…

We didn't get all that much—but like a little drink when you're thirsty, a little rain when the land is dry is truly welcome. I hope you get some rain soon; I know you really need it.

Julie Baumlisberger said...

Thinking of you and your Lady Love as the storm moves it's way northward over the weekend...

Kelly said...

....what a storm it was!! The lighting at our house was endless. I've never seen so many bolts at once. Our rooms were lit like daylight for up to 10 seconds at a time! ...but I really wanted to comment on your turtle photos. Looks like an adult Painted and a young Northern Map...fantastic!

Grizz………… said...

Julie…

I'm so sorry. I replied reply to your comment last night—and just noticed it had somehow disappeared somewhere. Maybe I simply wrote it and forgot to hit the "publish" button…I dunno. But again, I'm very sorry.

At any rate, thank you for being concerned. I don't expect we'll be affected by Irene's passing. We don't even have clouds or rain in the forecast for the next week, though I wouldn't mind a bit more rain.

Grizz………… said...

Kelly…

You know, after being awakened by that first thunderclap, I heard a few more booms, saw some lightning (nothing like down your way, though) then fell back to sleep and never stirred until just before dawn.

Yup, you're right on the turtles, I think. I also have snappers and softshells in the pool just in front of the cottage—and a really big snapper that hangs upstream. On these hot mid-mornings, it seems like half the rocks along the river has a turtle or two on top sunning, sometimes a stack of four or five.

Robin said...

"but especially the river which flows past the cottage, as was starting to look a bit gaunt between its banks."

Love it.

Grizz………… said...

Robin…

You ought to love it even more now that I've corrected the typo—"as" to "and." Sheesh! You'd think all the times I proofread the thing I'd have caught that. :-/