Fifth Thing: Rain makes me happy. Not in the winter when it’s cold, dreary and amplifies every ache and pain. Not when I was working and it rained on my days off. But Spring rain is like magic. It causes trees to bud, bulbs to emerge from the ground, grass to green-up and flowers to bloom. Fall rain creates a heady aroma of wet leaves and cooler temperatures, signaling another change of seasons.
As I’d mentioned in an earlier post, there is something magical about the rain we experience each year at the cabin we rent in the mountains of Tennessee. Bordering Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we are totally surrounded by the woodlands. Every year at some point, we hear the rumble of thunder in the distance and share a smile. “Here it comes” we say to each other. We’re usually out on our covered balcony, anticipating the storm as the breeze becomes a wind. The sound as the leaves start receiving those first rain drops is like a little melody, soft at first and then it picks up tempo. I’m not sure if you can hear it, but I wanted you to see it.
Sixth thing: Before I retired, I don’t recall the last time I saw fireworks. It had been years. Not because I don’t love fireworks, I do. But we somehow never sought out the crowded Fourth of July celebrations and the traffic jams that followed. I could hear them to be sure, just not see them.
After retiring last year, I noticed that at the most unexpected times, fireworks would find me. Once, in August when my former roommate BFF and I were in Kentucky, following a festival held on the Ohio River. We’d attended the festival, eaten lots of fair food and then walked up to a movie theater to watch a movie before heading back to our hotel in Cincinnati. As we walked out on this balmy summer evening, suddenly fireworks! We had arrived at the onset of a show that was spectacular The Cincinnati skyline was a beautiful array of colors and reflected in the river below. There was a band playing below that just added to the moment. We stayed until the end, amazed by our timing. A brilliant end to a fun day!
In November, Spence and I traveled to Buffalo to see Jethro Tull in concert. The night before we stayed on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and supported the casino. Having given ample support, we were making our way back to the hotel room when we saw the sign for a rooftop bar and decided on a nightcap. We no more than got our drinks and SURPRISE – fireworks – in November, over the falls. See what I mean – it keeps happening.
