June 10, 2006

magic rain


Saturday, June 10th, 6:57 AM

The first thing I did this morning (even before making coffee!) was go check the raingauge. Three-tenths of an inch. It doesn't sound like much, but rain is far more valuable than any amount of watering by sprinkler. I got here on Sunday evening (the 4th). There hadn't been rain since I was last here - at Eastertime. That's almost two months! And these sandy hills just don't hold water, so things were really starting to look worse for the wear. As we were slowly creeping over the trailroad with my trailer-studio in tow, I reassured my parents that I would conjure the rain. I had been concentrating on it for a couple of days already and felt sure that rain was on its way. I had imaginings of creating big fires to have a rain-dance around (well, and also to send up condensation nuclei for raindrops to form around). But instead I just unpacked my things and went to bed in my new home. Before I had fallen asleep, the thunder started rolling. The wind came up and lightning lit up my room, light as day. It felt so f-ing good. So good. The best thunderstorms happen HERE. And I've missed them about as much as anything, these past eight years on the west coast. The wind was blowing raindrops through my window screen, but I couldn't bear to close it, so I just let blow through and dampen my pillow. And it felt like a crash-boom-flash welcome home serenade. My first night on the ranch, alone, miles from another human being, I fell asleep so so happy, to the vibrations of thunder and the fine spray of rain on my face.

It has rained here every night since. Sometimes just a quiet sprinkle. Last night with even more dramatic pomp and flash than my first night here. My dad said it was a little spooky - there hasn't been any rain forecasted - but I kept saying it was going to rain, and I haven't been wrong yet. A couple of nights, it seemed as though this was the ONLY place that got any rain. It still hasn't rained much in town, 12 miles to the southeast. And even some of the closest neighbors haven't had rain every night. It is magic rain - that is for sure. And it is doing such good work.

Though I'm not religious, a few morsels of spirituality remain tucked away, from all those years of Catholic Mass. Anyway, I sometimes feel like this magic rain is being sent by my Grandmother. She is pleased that I am here and proud of how I'm sprucing up the place and giving me the most precious gift of rain to help. I'm sure that Grandpa and Doug are also glad that I'm here - and that Adam will be soon. But my mother noted that, though they're just as dead as Grandma, it's the women who have the power. And I agreed with her - if this magic rain is being sent to us, it is being sent by Grandma. She was a strong, artist, nature-woman. And rain was the most precious precious thing to her. Yesterday, dad and I were sitting on the porch having a beer and the flies were biting me. Grandma and I used to sit out there together a lot. And when I'd say "The flies are biting.", without fail, though I'd heard it a thousand times before, Grandma would counter "That's a sign of rain." Sure as hell is.

Mom and I pulled an old table out of the bunkhouse yesterday, to use as the new computer desk. When my parents headed back to town last night I asked them to put it inside, because it was going to get rained on. "It's going to rain" is the new joke around here. Because, as improbable as it is, I just keep being right. And dad said, "I hope so. Let it rain and rain and ruin the damn thing for all I care. More rain!". I expected to see it still on the lawn this morning, but I guess they believed me and put it in.

My dad just called. "How much rain did you get?", he asked with muffled excitement. I guess they got some rain in town too, finally. A big storm swept the whole region. It was Glorious. And silly and self-righteous as it seems, I have a faint sense of pride. As though my unwavering faith in more rain was somehow the condensation nuclei for the raindrops to form on.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am glad Alex linked to your blog! I am excited to read it. I walked in the craziest thunder/lightning/hailstorm this afternoon on my farm, where only an hour before I had been biking in the sunlight.

Is it true I can just send you Yamsi to your first name + Cody, NB?

email me at megancm @ telus.net to confirm mailing!