Personally, I don't mind the rain. The grey sky is easier on my eyes, the humidity is easier on my sinuses, and it even seems that outdoor noise is more muted and kinder to my sensitive ears.
Maybe that has something to do with the fact no one mows in the rain. Or hammers shingles for a new roof. Or does other construction or destruction or road work or even plays outside. There's just the raindrops on the roof and the deck and the warm asphalt and the grass, and the splashing of vehicles in the roadway.
I'm sure if it rained a higher percentage of the time, the grey and the wet would become oppressive. And I know that the damp days are hard on those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and shattered bones that are healed but not properly so, and as we have family members with all those things, it's hard not to feel a little guilty at enjoying the rain.
But for me the rain is a relief, and I do not begrudge the people who enjoy sunshine their sunny days.
The rain can also make for some lovely photographs.
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| A petunia blossom in the rain. I've found a way to get very-close-up photos with my point and shoot camera. After taking a photo with the zoom feature, I bring up that photo on the camera screen. Then I use the zoom feature again, while the photo is in the screen, to enlarge it even more; then frame and clip it digitally to produce a second, closer-up shot. If you have a simple digital camera you may also have this feature; it is an easy way to get clear close ups. |
Our rain this summer has come in violent storms and downpours. I remember the kind of rain you write of. Not this summer.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's good rain and then too much of a good thing ... I hope yours moderates.
DeleteLove the petunia shot! I also like a rainy day, which I guess is a good thing, living where I do. :)
ReplyDeleteThe other day my neighbor was noisily trimming hedges (with power clippers!) in the rain, though, so I'm not sure precipitation always leads to quietude.
You have an *adventurous* neighbour :) I've never seen anyone do that.
DeleteNice picture. I was born and raised in Eureka, CA., which is on Humboldt Bay, and the fog and rain there are just depressing. All summer long, you can drive five miles in any direction (except West, obviously) and be in nice, let's-go-swim-in-the-river sunshine, and on your way home you round that last corner and there it is: the cloud sitting over Eureka. So I was glad for the sunnier weather when I moved to Oakland.
ReplyDeleteRight now, though, I would take any rain I could get, especially in the parts of my state that are on fire. We got some sprinkles two nights ago, but other than that it's still pretty much parched, and remember, we're right by the water here. Ten miles East it's even drier.
There does seem to be a special sort of mood when you're sheltering from a good rain, and I do miss that quite a bit lately. Let's hope we get some real rain this fall and winter.
-Doug in Oakland
I hope that for you too. It seems there is often a real imbalance between what we need and what we get. I wouldn't want to be a farmer, dependent on nature for my living. And yet, we are all dependent on farmers, so we are all dependent on nature ...
DeleteLove that petunia drinking deep. And rain. And the scent of rain-washed air...
ReplyDeleteYes, the rain-washed air - there's nothing like it.
DeleteThere's at least a word for it: Petrichor. It's when you go out after rain and the world smells like a spice cupboard.
DeleteFascinating. I just went to Wikipedia and read the article on it -- I didn't know anyone had even studied this, let alone named it!
DeleteHappy weekend to you too. I'm enjoying the sunshine right now but we could definitely use some rain as Idaho has a few fires burning right now. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a lot of that (forest fires) going around right now. Rain is always welcome when that's the case.
DeleteI remember rain. Younger people don't. California burns down every summer as a matter of tradition now. I keep hoping the sea winds blow something useful inland but, so far, nothing. I shall welcome winter with a dance and open arms. Few days ago, I read 82,000 San Bernardino residents were evacuated from wildfire. We have had lesser problems up north, but still we worry and wait for rain.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia has had a bad stretch over the last number of years, hasn't it? I read about the San Bernardino fire as well. I wish you an early winter or at least not a tardy one, with the rain you need.
DeleteLiving in the UK I know all about rain, and it does get a bit depressing when it's almost every day! We've had a couple of weeks without it, but it's back again now and I can't help but feel that summer is over for another year.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo.
Thanks, Joe. I know that feeling of the summer being over. Even though I'm not a fan of the heat, that feeling is a melancholy one.
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