August Thunderstorm
I first heard of the impending rain from Art Gish, a farmer who sells at the market. Later, my housemate told me that it was a storm blowing in.
Just as the storm began to break yesterday afternoon, I was on the porch working on a bicycle. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was falling in curtains. "That's worth a closer look," is what I told my friend who was with me on the porch, and I meant to walk out into the storm. I left my shirt on the porch.
I walked down the river as casual as was possible. The large puddles that had formed along the sidewalks were as warm as bath water courtesy of sun-baked pavement. The lightening was ripping across the sky and striking the earth, and the deafening thunder that followed told that the storm was right above my head. The rain began to pelt me and sting my skin, so ran over the hill that buffers the river and threw myself onto the slope of the far side. I was now on the east side of the hill with my back to the river. The wind and rain blew furiously from the south and west.
When the rain began to pelt me again, I ran to a divet in the hillside where a drainage ditch emptied itself. It had concrete walls on my north, west and south. I was very protected from the storm now, but the storm soon subsided. The rain slackened and the wind stopped blowing. I decided to move in the storm's lul. I snuck out of the ditch and over the hill, all the while making for a small grove of oak trees where I know bluebirds to live. Along this grove was another drainage channel, surging with water that rushed out of the divet along the river. I jumped in the channel and slowly pulled myself upstream trying to blend into the flow of water.
It was sure wonderful to take a little swim! When I reached the end of the channel, I hopped out and walked a bit further down the road until I reached a parking lot adjoining a factory. All around the lot were scattered clumps of growing things (pine trees, bushes and shrubs) that afforded cover for various living things. Generally, rabbits, squirrels and birds use them, but yesterday I also hid in them for a little bit.
I eventually snuck near the factory and sat down to watch the world peep out into a fine summer evening. Cars began to drive by again and the sun was preparing to set in the west. I began to hear the screeching call of bluejays, some behind me in the oaks, some far away across the street and one in the very trees above my head. I stopped to listen for a while.
Just as the storm began to break yesterday afternoon, I was on the porch working on a bicycle. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was falling in curtains. "That's worth a closer look," is what I told my friend who was with me on the porch, and I meant to walk out into the storm. I left my shirt on the porch.
I walked down the river as casual as was possible. The large puddles that had formed along the sidewalks were as warm as bath water courtesy of sun-baked pavement. The lightening was ripping across the sky and striking the earth, and the deafening thunder that followed told that the storm was right above my head. The rain began to pelt me and sting my skin, so ran over the hill that buffers the river and threw myself onto the slope of the far side. I was now on the east side of the hill with my back to the river. The wind and rain blew furiously from the south and west.
When the rain began to pelt me again, I ran to a divet in the hillside where a drainage ditch emptied itself. It had concrete walls on my north, west and south. I was very protected from the storm now, but the storm soon subsided. The rain slackened and the wind stopped blowing. I decided to move in the storm's lul. I snuck out of the ditch and over the hill, all the while making for a small grove of oak trees where I know bluebirds to live. Along this grove was another drainage channel, surging with water that rushed out of the divet along the river. I jumped in the channel and slowly pulled myself upstream trying to blend into the flow of water.
It was sure wonderful to take a little swim! When I reached the end of the channel, I hopped out and walked a bit further down the road until I reached a parking lot adjoining a factory. All around the lot were scattered clumps of growing things (pine trees, bushes and shrubs) that afforded cover for various living things. Generally, rabbits, squirrels and birds use them, but yesterday I also hid in them for a little bit.
I eventually snuck near the factory and sat down to watch the world peep out into a fine summer evening. Cars began to drive by again and the sun was preparing to set in the west. I began to hear the screeching call of bluejays, some behind me in the oaks, some far away across the street and one in the very trees above my head. I stopped to listen for a while.
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