Rainy Days

Sometimes I like rainy days. Summer rain is the best, especially when there is no wind, maybe just a breeze, and I can have the windows open.

Storms are the best. I can always tell when it is going to storm, even hours before it happens. There is an electricity to the air, it makes me feel tingly. The air becomes thick with anticipation, and it always makes the fans in my house whir a little...differently. Normally this happens the day before night storms. Night storms are beautiful, they light up the sky and rumble the ground.

When I was little, I feared storms. I had good reason to, though. We lived in the flat lands and tornadoes were always a threat. Now it is a little different. There is a fear of tornadoes, but I have become so educated in the anatomy of storms that I understand them better. Plus, living in the hills of Missouri gives me a bit more comfort.

Today is a dreary rain. A late winter rain that is teasing us with a slight coolness, almost as if nature is saying, "Spring is almost here! Can you not feel it?"

Oh, I can feel it.

The only thing I love more than spring is autumn. Oh, autumn is beautiful and there is a crispness to the air that is found no other time of year. I despise the depth of summer and more than despise winter, but those in between times of spring and autumn are gorgeous. When nature can't decide if it wants to be hot or cold, and all so often settles in the middle. I want to live where it is like that year round.

People tell me all the time, "But you would miss the seasons! What would you do without snow? You can't go swimming unless it is really hot out." My answer? No, I would certainly not miss the seasons. I abhor snow and could live happily ever after without ever seeing it again. And summer? Bleh, hot summer days are long and cause very high electric bills.

No, I could be very happy without the two extremes. Give me an open house with panoramic ocean views and that would make me happy. Oh, to dream.