Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Rain

I was just over at Baileyandme2's blog where she showed pictures of her redone kitchen in an old house similar to mine. Our styles are very different, as she is all about leaf green, pink, mismatched plates and silverware, and all kinds of cool little antiquey touches I like to see but would never think to do myself.

So while our giftings and styles are very different, she inspires me to make things beautiful in my setting.

But that's not what I'm writing about. Among other things, she wrote:

It was rainy when I took most of these pics.

When it rains- I feel happy like people do on a high.

I`m serious. I love rain.

I read that and thought Wait. She loves rain? It makes her happy? There really are people like that?

Apparently so.

I think she should come to Oregon and be deliriously happy all winter.

We've had 18.47 inches of rain since January 1st, which is about 5 inches below normal, not that I've noticed any drought going on. In this "rain-year," since October 1st, we've had 31.88 inches, 12 inches below normal.

Most of this rain has fallen in intermittent showers or a steady drizzle rather than snow or thunderstorms followed by three days of sunshine like they have in the Midwest.

Here, we say things like, "When the sun came out accidentally today I noticed the cobwebs in the window." And we don't use umbrellas. And, like I read on a you-know-you're-from-Oregon-if site the other day, we think it's normal for our grandparents to drive 65 mph in rain without giving it a second thought.

I remember flying out of Eugene one time and when we popped through the clouds the sun was shining brightly of course and I realized I had forgotten that the sun keeps shining on the other side of the clouds.

When the weather happens to be sunny and warm for a couple of days, as it was last week I think, we all head outside like wasps out of a nest and weed flower beds like crazy and go on walks and tilt our heads back and look at how blue the sky is.

And we get very tired of the rain, and many of us fight a dreadful winter depression with strange glowing lamps and mad-scientist vitamin concoctions.

Well, me and a lot of others, but not quite everyone. Come to think of it, my very own daughters love rain, and lying in bed at night listening to it spatter on the windows. One of the sad things about Emily's illness has been that what she loved made her sick. And Amy, when she was living in the dry-bones desert in the United Arab Emirates and it finally finally rained, went out and danced in it and let it pour down on her face.

Oh wait, I think I've told you all this before, like once or twice a year for the last 5 years. Well, it's April, and it's raining, and it doesn't make me happy, and I'm absolutely longing for some good, genuine, warm, bright, steady sunshine.

Quote of the Day:

"Just admit that you don't know much about it."
--Jenny, when I was asked to talk about raising adolescents

11 comments:

  1. I love the rain, too. But we have been in a drought for about 10 yrs, so it is very welcome here. I don't know if I would like it all the time.

    We have hit the Spring thunderstorm season. Which is also tornado season. My favorite time is right before an approaching thunderstorm when the wind is blowing gustily and the sky is darkening and the air feels electric. It makes me feel alive.

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  2. Send some of your rain our way. We need rain here. I'm a rain lover too. Rain gives me a delicious sense of well-being. I want a crackling fire in the stove, a good book to read, and bread baking.

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  3. I love summertime rains. When I was growing up we picked vegetables in the rain for our market stand.Customers didn't like if we were out of sweet corn so that meant picking in the rain. Rivers of water running off the end of your nose....letting yourself go to get totally drenched.We all should take time to dance in the rain.(=

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  4. Oh, Dorcas you are definitely saying what I am feeling today--and yesterday--and the day before. We know by August we'll be wishing for rain, but right now................
    Recently a local TV weather person described a rain event here as a "gully-washer"!!! They have NO idea!
    Thanks for helping me see the sunshine through the rain!

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  5. We lived in drought conditions for years, and then some blessed rain came...boy did we dance! We squealed and twirled in it and jumped for joy!

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  6. I know your post was about rain, but you also talked about kitchens and I'm still waiting for pics of yours!! A year ago we moved into an old stone farm house, that we totally refinished before we moved in. And of course, that included a brand new kitchen. It was so fun planning a new kitchen. We picked an antique white glazed kitchen with beadboard in the doors. The dark glaze sets in the cracks and gives it an old look. Still waiting for pics!

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  7. I grew up on the mission field in a rain forest. The tropical storms (they are called tropical depressions) would bring in rain and more rain. One time we had rain for 28 days straight. My mom said she felt like she was going wash right off the island!

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  8. They say Oregon is like Ireland. If it's true, I can identify with you completely. The grey days and mist and driving rain make me want to hibernate from Oct. to March. Eat a lot, curl into a ball, and sleep, like a bear. Must be we're both solar powered. The Irish say they're sun worshipers. I understand why.
    --Anita

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  9. As a fellow Pacific Northwester,I can identify with your feelings on that 'favorite' topic of all of us-rain (in all it's various forms). However, in the past several years, I've learned to be on friendlier terms with it-first, because of another blogger's comments on rain & secondly, because I love seeing plants & trees after a shower.
    But, that all being said, day after day, week after week and month after month of the wet stuff still drives me a little crazy :)
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  10. OK, I'm over here on the coast. It rained 12 inches in April at my house!! And I love it. I love listening to it especially when it comes down hard enough to be heard even if I'm not anywhere near a window. However, I am wanting to be out in the garden.

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