rain

Yes, I live in the Pacific Northwest, but the odd thing is that we are within the rain shadow of the Olympics. Our little town gets only about 20 inches of rain a year, which is half of the precipitation that New York City gets. And though our weather is often cloudy and drizzly, it's not a lot of water coming down. And from July to mid-September, there probably won't be any rain at all. There will be elevated fire danger all summer.

But right now I'm enjoying a beautiful steady rain. Fifteen minutes of downpour and now this. Maybe there will be enough rain to perk up that native rhodie under the Douglas-firs. The earth there is pretty parched right now, in spite of several recent rainstorms.

hobbitt mowed the lawn earlier today. His timing is impeccable. We're going to nurse this lawn through the summer to get it established. Not having to water today is another blessing.

I only have two minor regrets about today's rain. Well, maybe three. The first is the inevitable increase in the mosquito population. I'm prime blood-meal material. Second, we're going out tonight to dine with friends at their house. The road up there is 1.5 miles of muddy silt, which will festoon the sides and rear of my Bjornbuggy until I wash it off. Again. And third? The pups won't get a beach walk today. Poor them.

But all those things are minor. The rain sounds like heaven. It smells like heaven. There's no doubt in my mind, as I look around this lush landscape, that this is indeed heaven.