The rains came down and the floods came up – Matthew 7:24-39
Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. Little Peter wants to play – English folk rhyme, appeared in 1659
There are many good things about rain. The cleansing of the earth takes place, flowers and plants are watered, during dry times crops are critically in need of water. Water replenishes our water sources; it cleans the air, cools the temperature. Because it is raining many of us choose to stay home and relax. It’s much too wet during hard rain to get outside or on the roads. Rain can have a comforting sound bouncing off the metal roof. It also has a smell. The smell is called “petrichor.” The sound and the smell are calming and stress reducing. “Some studies suggest that negative ions released by the rain can improve oxygen flow to the brain, potentially boosting alertness and focus.” This note on negative ions was posted by AI. She’s so smart.
I did step outside onto the porch to move plants to benefit watering from rainwater. The rain came with thunder, so I haven’t seen Wilhelmina since early morning. She greeted me then disappeared. Rain and thunder can turn into storms, she’s pretty smart about that. Right now, the rain is easing only to start up again.
While sitting in the sunroom where there is no sun at the time, off to my right, I see a stream of water winding through the forest down to the lake. As the lake water rises the overflow will go under a small wooden bridge, through a culvert and into Catalpa Creek in the Prairie. From there into Tibbee Creek, then to the Tombigbee, to Black Warrior River, Mobile Bay, and into the Gulf approximately 180 miles. Imagine Prairie rain water running just outside my window into creeks, rivers, and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Most of the birds took flight when the rain came. However, Woody did not. I’ve come to love Woody and made him my favorite, the red-bellied woodpecker who comes daily rain or shine. While his head is quite red, his belly has a slight pinkish color rather hard to see from a distance, his back has a black and white pattern. Woody has more interest in the suet rather than wild birdseed put out in three different feeders. Woody is not the only one that enjoys feeding off the suet. Racoons, possibly other night creatures, slip in, often vandalizing suet cages or taking cages with them. We baited “Havahart” traps to outsmart the critters. The night creatures took the bait and left the traps. I imagine somewhere in the forest there’s a stash of suet cages. Red-bellied woodpeckers are diurnal birds; they eat during the day. Nowadays we cover the suet with tinfoil or take it in at night. So far so good. Hoping we’re smarter than a critter.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
