Some Knowledge

There is a gentle rain falling.  In the distance, I can hear the rumble of thunder.  The month of April was relatively dry.  Now that it’s May, some rain is falling.  I’m glad it’s not a storm.  I have been seeing reports on the news of tornadoes and heavy winds that have torn apart homes and other buildings.  Storms can be very destructive.  Heavy rains can cause floods.

The sun is well-shielded behind a thick layer of clouds.  I was outside earlier this morning looking at flowers in the front yard.  The air was warm and humid, and the first little drops of rain were beginning to fall.  The air smelled like rain.  Now, it is darker and the sky hangs heavy over the horizon.  I like the gentle rain.  Plants need water to grow.  I’m listening to a shower now, coursing over the roof.  It’s very comforting to be inside on a rainy day.

I’ve spent some time this morning reading about different tropical islands.  It rains a lot in the tropics, unless of course you live in the desert.  Nothing much grows in the desert.  Cactus and other succulent plants that can store water for a long time might survive with months with no rain.  What the deserts have is sunlight.  The desert is a perfect place to build a solar power station.  You would not be able to use the land for farming.  You would not want to live in a harsh, hot, dry environment.  You could put up a trillion dollars worth of solar cells and make electricity like it’s nobody’s business.  It might take a hundred years to pay back the investment, but after that the power is basically free and endless.  Of course, there would be some maintenance.

Right now, I do not live in the desert.  I live in Michigan and it’s raining.  Soon, I will have to plow and disc the garden and plant things.  Right now there is still a danger of frost, so it is not growing season yet.  The rain is for the flowers and the lawn, which is beginning to grow.  A rainy day is the perfect day to sit inside and read and write.  I have some coffee and my computer, and need nothing else to fill my day.  The rain outside is nothing but gentle music in the background.  When the wind blows, the windchimes play their random music.  Maybe someday I will make some more chimes and sell them.  Maybe someday I will make some money.  For today, sitting here writing and listening to the rain is enough.

It’s early April and the first rains of Spring are on the way.  It was a bit cool out all day, the temperature never got much above 45.  Outside a slight drizzle is falling as the wind blows through my windchimes.  I am sitting in my room listening to cars slide by on the road out front.

The rain in the early season can go on for days on end.  Sheets of clouds cover the sky and blot out the sun for weeks.  The ground swells and grows muddy with the cold water that falls.  In the evening, lying in bed, the sound of raindrops sings you to sleep.

The rain is not so bad.  It brings fresh water to the land and lets all the plants grow and thrive once the weather turns warm.  I do not have to sweep fresh rain off the trucks or shovel it out of the driveway.  Spring rain does not build up on wires and cause power outages.  The rain makes it difficult to get outside and do things in the yard, but then, we all need days of rest and indoor activity.

I watched the clouds come in this afternoon.  I was outside getting the mail when a fresh shower peppered the front windows with large droplets of water.  It was chilly and windy and seemed like Winter was on the way back, but for now at least all we have is light rain and fresh breezes.

I remember days like this when I was a child.  Making wooden boats and sailing them in the lake in the yard that used to be the skating rink.  Watching as the leaves on the cherry tree burst out from black branches and blossoms filled the air with their fruity fragrance.  Spring is the season of new life and new beginnings.  The rain that comes only prepares for the life that will flourish in the Summer.

It’s the end of March.  The cherry trees in Washington DC are blooming.  Yet, last night, four inches of snow fell.  This is ridiculous.  Every time we get a little warm weather it turns around and snows.  In case you can’t tell, this is my complaint about the weather.

I can recall some years where it was seventy degrees in January here in Michigan.  Sure, it got cold again.  As I remember, we even had some years where it was twenty below for weeks at a time.  The weather is variable.  Still, it should eventually warm up, right?

This last snowstorm was no big deal.  It’s almost all melted now.  Still, it’s supposed to be Spring.  There is more rain and snow on the way.  I feel sorry for all the people who are being flooded out this year.  Nobody should have to put up with twelve inches of rain.  No, it is not global warming causing the weather to be screwy.  The weather is just messed up because it is the weather.

We live on a water-cooled planet.  The water in the oceans provides a means by which the temperature of the planet is regulated.  If it gets too hot, more water evaporates from the sea.  More evaporation means more clouds.  More clouds cause more sunlight to be reflected back into space.  Less sunlight being absorbed means cooler temperatures.  Thus the temperature of the planet is stabilized.  All this evaporation and condensation makes a mess out of the surface of the planet.  Without the water cycle, however, plants could not grow.  No plants, no food.  No food, no life.  We have to put up with the lousy weather because it is the weather that keeps us alive.

I really shouldn’t be complaining about the weather.  I have a house to live in.  I have dry clothes and a roof over my head and four walls and a floor to keep the weather out.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to go outside and soak up some of the heat from the sun that is causing all the evaporation and precipitation.  I’m just sick of winter and clouds and snow snow snow.