The Superior Express -

A perfect Sunday afternoon was enjoyed. There was no boating on the lake, or a big family picnic going on. It was a simple Sunday following Sunday School and the church worship service in the morning, a nice lunch at a local cafe with a cousin, and then it was back home.

It was a warm August afternoon, with promising weather reports of rain arriving later in the afternoon. The rain would certainly be welcomed as on a farm a rain arriving in August is always needed and welcomed. Spotty rains have come and gone recently, and for some the rain was measurable and for some it was more like a shower, yet somehow many fall crops have hung on.

Late afternoon the rumbles of thunder could be heard so clouds began to move in. It was noted the wind direction had changed and quickly I was drawn out to sit on the back covered porch. Darker clouds rolled in, and though there was no lightning, there was still the sound of a not so loud thunder rumbling. The leaves on the soybean field across the county road blew southward as the wind increased. The leaves on the trees also blew in force. Anxiously, I hoped for rain to soon fall. Then a drop came here and there. The large leaves on my Hosta plants welcomed more drops of rain. It quickly cooled as the drops of rain increased and an instant chill was felt. Soon the sidewalk was wet and the rain was falling down out of the gutter’s down spouts.

The fragrance of the rain was noticed. There is no other fresh smell like it. The birds were even appreciating the rain and flew up on the electrical line, rustling their feathers and singing. Then the rain was coming to an end as the rain drops became fewer and fewer. The clouds broke, revealing spots of blue sky, and the winds calmed down. Was the rain ending? More rain would have been welcomed but it was not the time.

The grass still showed it was wet, and the bees were anxiously back to flying here and there into the Hosta blooms. Off in the distance, the thunder could still be heard as someone else southward was probably happily receiving rain.

The afternoon rain was appreciated, as it always is in August. Maybe the small amount of rain received, along with the cooler temperatures, will keep things alive and growing.