I love the sound of rain.  Not the thunder or wind or the squishy aftermath, just the sound, maybe the fragrance.  I enjoy sitting out in a covered space where I can smell the freshness and hear the raindrops hitting all around me.  Rain is different than snow, the sound I mean.  Snow absorbs the sounds around you and makes it painfully quiet.  The rain deadens the sound and envelopes you in a cacophony of joyous , playful rhythms.

A long time ago I worked for a landscaping contractor who insisted that we work in the rain.  This was Miami rain:  wet, cold and warm comforting all at the same time.  The rain here in Kentucky is cold, and drenching, yet still comforting.  The sound of rain on a tin roof is hypnotizing.  The sound of rain on a canvas topped gazebo is startling and soothing and restful.  It’s like Nature is granting the world time to rest and soak up nourishment and calm down without all us humans wreaking our havoc.

I enjoyed the respites the rain gave us when I was a teenager.  You couldn’t work in the garden when it rained.  If you did, it turned to bricks when it dried, but if you left the dirt alone until it was dry, it was okay.  It’s kinda like people; you leave them alone when they are being fed, they are okay afterwards.  If you mess with someone while they are eating, they get all grouchy and crusty afterward.

Spring rains bring color and freshness to the world.  Fall rains make everything muddy and brown.  Winter rains make the snow go away.  Summer rains bring a respite to the heat, then steam baths to heat you back up.  There is a lesson there somewhere, I guess I’m just not wise enough to see it yet.  Crash Davis told Nuke in Bull Durham:  “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.”  Rain is better than losing.

I’m gonna go now and let the rain soothe and nourish me some.