Stormy Weather

Okay, it’s probably not exactly the storm of the century, but right now I’m listening to some pretty impressive “thundah-boomahs” (as we call them here in New England). There’s a big Rubbermaid trashcan right outside my window that’s doing a fantastic drumroll impression as the rain pounds down. I’m not sure that wind can technically blow directly downwards, but that rain certainly looks like it’s falling faster than mere gravity alone could account for.


We’ve had several storms like this over the past few days. On Saturday night, we were setting up the function room for the Hazel Boone Studio Centennial Gala when a storm came through and it was raining so hard that it not only puddled up and overflowed through one of the window frames but it came right down the chimney and poured across the dance floor before we managed to staunch the flow! And last night I woke up with a start in the wee hours of the morning because the lightning was flashing so brightly and the thunder was literally shaking the house.

Fortunately, I love storms, so I was quite content to lie in bed with my eyes closed and enjoy the sound of the rain and the long rolling peals of thunder. And even more fortunately, Ryan is a heavy sleeper and never even woke up. (Herb has the best of both worlds, so if he did wake up – which I doubt – he’d have lain there enjoying it as well.) Although as I’m watching Ryan nap on the monitor right now, he’s getting a bit wakeful and the last loud thunderclap didn’t even make him flinch, so it’s possible that he did wake up last night but just laid quietly, enjoying the sound of the storm like I was.

There’s just something so magnificent about the power of an electrical storm. Lightning can knock down trees, short out power lines, and even kill people or animals with its strikes. Thunder can rattle windows and shake walls. Pounding rain can overflow riverbanks, wash out roads, and flood basements. There’s no denying the power of a storm. And yet, it’s not something I feel the need to be afraid of. I’m safe and warm and dry in my cozy house (or car, or even tent). In fact, hearing a storm outside makes me even more aware of how safe and warm and cozy I am, and maybe that’s why I enjoy storms so much. I’m even a little disappointed to hear this one fading away into the distance.

Lucky for me, it’s summer in New England, so there are bound to be plenty more thunderstorms ahead. And I can hardly wait!