Yesterday dawned gloomy and grey. I awoke to the sound of heavy rainfall and, for a moment, gave thanks for the new roof and gutters finally completed this summer.
A mist rose over the muted green and brown trees on a hillside that should be more colorful this first week of October.
Where are all the pretty colors? We ask the question without expecting a response. They likely won’t come this year thanks to a long, dry summer.
The day was cooler and quiet save for the rain or perhaps because of it.
Fall began on the calendar last month. In my corner of the world, it began yesterday when I awoke to cooler air and a distant mist that was both spooky and reassuring.
Fall has arrived, the day said. Relax and understand that summer’s incessant heat isn’t your burden to carry.
The first day of fall 2025 opened with fog and closed with a thunderstorm so severe it shook my ridgetop home.
We suffered through relentless rain for the first half of the year before everything dried up and drought took hold again. Last night, though, was wonderful. Relentless rain, thunder and bright streaks of lightning kept me looking out the window. It was a nice night to read a mystery and to drift off to sleep with the rhythm of the rain on the window.
There’s just something about fog and rain that make the world seem a little more mysterious and more enjoyable. I don’t know what it is but I’ll enjoy it all while it lasts!
I once read the line “some folks feel the rain and others just get wet.” Whatever you do, please try to enjoy it!
Monsoon season continues here in southern Ohio. To be fair, it doesn’t rain all the time. Sometimes it’s dry and blistering hot. Regardless, you can be sure the humidity will be over 90 percent so there’s absolutely no reason to put a lot of work into your hair.
So far this year, I’m growing a terrific crop of weeds with a few flowers in the middle and I can’t begin to keep up with the work.
Yesterday, I stood at the window watching an absolute deluge run off my already saturated yard as cars puttered by with their windshield wipers on high. The rain was hard enough to practically knock down a small child but it wasn’t enough to break the flowers outside my window.
How is it that a steady drip of water can reshape rock but a storm like that can’t damage the petals of these flowers?
I don’t know the answer to that question but it got me to thinking about resilience.
Humans experience all manner of storms in life. I couldn’t begin to list the ways that illness, money, job loss, death, depression, and the corrupt world around us can bring relentless downpours of problems into our lives.
Some people lose their footing and never find their way back while others get knocked down but manage to pop up again. A few never fall at all.
Those who nurture their minds and spirits to be resilient always find a way to not let the storm ruin them. They don’t let the deluge of troubles damage their petals.
What do these people have that makes them better able to resist the challenges life throws at them? How do they keep standing against life’s storms?
Maybe it’s stubbornness. Perhaps it’s a sheer will to keep going, to never let life steal their joy and calm. Maybe it’s an inner toughness.
Whatever that quality is, I wish for you that you find it in yourself. I suspect it’s there in all of us if we dig deep enough.
There’s no rain in the forecast today but you can be sure I’ll be ready with a cute umbrella if it does come back. You can’t stop the rain but you can be prepared.
It has rained more days than the sun has shined lately. Last night I found myself waiting out a torrential downpour, impatiently tapping my toe as the rain beat down on the roof of the big box store where I was trapped.
I cut cross country to come home, traveling on some curvy, hilly county roads that were mostly fine to travel. Yet standing water made driving treacherous in places and the gloom caused dark to fall early so I was alert for deer as well.
Imagine my surprise when I came around a curve to find ducks in a yard close to the road. They were the big, fluffy white ducks with bright orange bills and feet that I think are called Pekin ducks.
They were mostly waddling through the yard but a few had spotted a water puddle in the road and had taken advantage of the situation. They were splashing, happily waggling their tails and flapping their wings.
It was a joyous sight to behold.
It was also a fabulous reminder that rainy days hold great value – especially if you’re a duck! So the next time it rains, go looking for those puddles and have a good splash! Wet feet and laughter are sometimes good for the soul!
The winds howled last night while the March Peepers sang their little hearts out. Daffodils have broken through the ground, yellow tips ready to break out into bud soon. Birds gather round the feeder, badly in need of some good meals to help them through the winter. It has been warm but there’s snow in the forecast and a chill in the air again.
That’s March in Ohio for you. Change is always on the horizon so don’t get too comfortable in whatever combination of heavy coat/shorts, boots/ flip flops/hoodie you chose for today.
It will change.
Now that Spring is near, we can revisit the old saying: March winds and April showers bring May flowers.
And for today, we won’t discuss the grass and weeds that will soon follow all those pretty spring blooms!
Waking up to the sound of rain is one of my life’s great joys.
Would I like to be out hiking right now? You bet I would. I badly need the exercise and fresh air. My spirit, mind and body crave the feel of earth beneath my feet and tree bark on my fingertips.
But going to sleep without setting an alarm is a luxury. Combine that with awakening to the soft tapping of rain against the window and that, friend, is a sweet trade.
Factor in a soft bed, warm blankets and a little black cat snoozing at your feet and this becomes the definition of happiness. And then the cat begins to gently snore and you know he understands this is a happy moment as well.
Wherever you are today, stay warm and dry. If you’re out exploring, I expect a full report. As for me, I’ll adventure another day.
