And then the rain came yesterday. A hard, glorious, bounteous rain. The trees, the flowers, the grasses exulted. The little furry critters looked skyward, happy & thankful. The rain came down in buckets, it was constant for a few hours, and it soaked everything. Suddenly, the toxic, smoky air was a distant memory. The humid air was transformed.
We ventured out, we needed some supplies from the local grocery store. We were out-fitted with rain-gear and umbrellas. Mine was bright red, my friend's was a a leopard print. We made quite the joyously, odd-looking couple. Cartoon characters splashing, dancing, singing in the rain. There were massive puddles, raging streams of water flowing on and thru the streets and sidewalks. We jumped right in, splashed and flashed on the joy of rain.
Never before did a heavy mid-day rain seem so wonderful. We got home pretty much soaked & soggy, our umbrellas were feeble instruments of shelter, but we were happy and satisfied. My friend actually went back out to visit her garden. She stood next to a little patch of thriving wildflowers which she planted from seeds months ago and let the raindrops fall on her head. The rest of the day was cloudy & rainy. We stayed in and occupied ourselves with food & music. It was just the sweetest little hiatus imaginable. The right rain shower at the right time and it all seemed perfect.