I'm Singing and Dancing In The Rain!

Today, August 12, 2011, it RAINED!!! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKGOayUtLHw

Friday afternoon I was standing in the cafeteria of the high school with about a hundred adults and incoming Freshmen.  We were there for "Fish Camp."  Suddenly we heard a long, deep, roll of thunder. The entire cafeteria instantly hushed which is quite remarkable if you know anything about fourteen year olds.  I think everyone of us was trying to decide if we could trust our ears.  Was that really thunder?  In August?  Then ten seconds later, the sky opened up and rain poured down.  The room erupted into applause and cheers.  RAIN!  It's raining!  Everyone rushed to the windows, and about half the kids ran outside.  I heard more than one person singing or whistling "I'm Singing In the Rain."  It was glorious.  It rained hard for ten minutes or so, and then it stopped.  We didn't mind, any rain in August is a godsend.

It's hard to express how good it feels to see and smell and touch the rain during a drought.  It's relief and gratitude and joy all rolled up  and tied together with a smile. 

When I was a kid I could never understand the words to the rhyme, "Rain, rain go away; come again some other day."  I wondered why anyone would want to send away any rain.  When you grow up in a dry land, you appreciate rain, deeply.  So, I made up my own words.  "Rain, rain, don't go away.  Come and stay another day." 

Then, this morning, I opened the blinds to discover more rain!  Will wonders never cease?  As the British say, I was  "gobsmacked."  The first thing I did was move the houseplants outside into the rain. Then  I lingered for a while, just enjoying the novelty of the moment.

The best part?  It's after lunch and the still raining!