Summer Rain

There is nothing quite like a good summer shower, especially after weeks of no rain. Yesterday driving back from North Carolina I had to drive through several rather scary downpours where the use of emergency blinkers were necessary to insure that the cars on the road knew where each other was. Speed had to be reduced a lot, too, especially when the rain was accompanied by heavy winds that made it feel like the car could be picked up and tossed around. I had already noticed that the North Carolina side of the mountains was much greener than the Tennessee side. So crawling along the road I was thinking how much I wished we would get some decent rain at home because we hadn't in over two weeks. With temperatures that had been hovering in the low to mid 90's, things were beginning to look brown and crispy. I have yard irrigation, but I really hate to pay for water that I would prefer to come from Mother Nature. Once back on the Tennessee side of the mountains, as I was sure would happen, the skies cleared and I drove the rest of the way home in sunshine. But summer rains can pop up quickly. And before I could eat dinner, the skies opened and dropped liquid manna from the heavens. Off and on showers, some quite heavy, lasted for several hours. Just what everything outside needed. Today I was thinking about the fact that rain showers in summer seem to be more special than other times of the year. If you do a Google search about rain showers per season of the year you will find that seasonally they are different, both in fact and perception. Recordings of the sound of summer rain showers, including those with thunder, are considered to be soothing and are often used for white noise or spa applications. Winter rain showers, often mixed with snow and ice, are considered dangerous. The rains of autumn are viewed as both calming and colorful, colorful because rainy days in the fall are often brightened by the bright colors of the trees so they seem less gloomy. At least in our hemisphere, spring showers can go on for days on end. One amusing article I read written by a college student referred to daily spring showers as a "drag." Many days of rain and gloom can have a depressing effect on us personally, too. I remember going shopping for window treatments one year when there had been endless days of spring rains. The shopper ahead of me at check-out was very unpleasant and didn't seem to like anything about the store or the lady waiting on her. When it was my turn, I commented about that to the clerk, who responded that she had found that to be pretty normal with shoppers when it rained a lot. Ah, but summer rains, in general, are almost always welcomed. They seem to clean the air, and for a time at least, lower the temperature along with giving the wilted plants a much needed watering. Of course, the next day when the temperatures again rise, so does the humidity. But that means maybe there will be more afternoon showers. Yep! I just looked at my weather app. There is a chance of rain every day in the afternoon for the next week. I will look forward to them.