Appreciating a rainy day

Amid the busy days of summer, a rainy afternoon is such an unexpected pleasure.

As the skies darken and raindrops begin to tumble from the clouds, everything seems quieter. The rain decreases dust and traffic on the gravel roads, and waters all the thirsty gardens and flowers. The sounds of nature are accentuated — the bird calls, the chirping of the squirrels, the buzzing of insects. The slow drip of water off the eaves is melodic.

Sitting on a covered porch during a rain is the best. The feeling of the air cooling as the moisture falls is refreshing and cleansing. The roof shelters you from the drops but you almost feel as if you are standing unprotected, feeling every sensation of the water falling all around.

In the cabins, with their metal roofs, the gentle, steady patter of the raindrops will soothe you to sleep. You can always tell how hard the rain is falling by the level of sound on the roof, and for hours afterward you can hear the drips from the leaves high above as they shed the heavy load of water.

A rainy afternoon seems to unburden us from the constant immediacy of life, the feeling that we should always be doing something or going somewhere. Just as we refresh our screens or web browsers, the rain refreshes us.

Rain gives, restores, renews, replenishes. Soak it in.