Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Rain


Rain!

Finally, rain comes to Dallas!

Sunday afternoon, when it began, I had to go outside and just watch, standing like a fool, gazing upward into the clouds, lightning popping, thunder roaring.

It has been so long since we enjoyed rain, it seemed a foreign, only vaguely remembered experience from the distant past!

The last real rain we received around here resulted in the spring floods of much earlier this year. That was the Sunday afternoon that it took us over 4 hours to get home due to high water. Our house almost flooded when the drainage system in East Dallas nearly failed.

What is it about the weather these days?

Yesterday, the wind blew so hard at my parents' home in Richardson that it plucked up a skylight from their kitchen ceiling.

The rain poured in!

We had towels, a backyard plastic swimming pool (handy for the great-grand children!) and mops working full-time to keep up with the water pouring out of the sky into their house. Finally, a neighbor and I climbed onto the roof-- with one eye on the lightning and the other on the repair job--to reattach the misplaced fixture and stop the downpour!

Exciting times when it finally rains in Texas! Such extremes here!

Rain in the city is like a refreshing shower after a hard day's work outside in the blazing sun.

Something about rain makes it the very best street sweeper around. Washing away the dirt, the disappointment and the hopelessness of Texas summer heat. The washing just seems to make everyone happier, a little lighter of step, a bit more optimistic.

I'm thankful for rain today. It came at just the right time.

4 comments:

Rhonda said...

A friend of mine and fellow contractor says there are two kinds of skylights -- those that leak, and those that are going to leak! Glad you were able to manage the situation and were blessed with the rain.

I love thunderstorms. The awesome display of God's power... hard to put into words!

Anonymous said...

Let's also remember the rains that fell a year ago... did they wipe away merely dirt, or the mask our nation wears?

Anonymous said...

Call Lon Smith Roofing
817-926-8400

They worked on my place, they are good people.

Larry James said...

Anonymous, 8:18, thanks for the post.

Ironic, isn't it?

You know, of all the posts I've put up here, the ones immediately following Katrina's assault created more discussion and anger than any other. I think I'll dig into the archives and see what is back there a year ago this week.