I know to you it might sound strange, but I wish it would rain. Oh, how I wish that it would rain, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah – by the Temptations, 1968
A pluviophile finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days – The Weather Channel
It seemed like weeks turning into months of dry, hot, humid days that would never end. Maybe when fall arrives, it will bring rain. Another Google source says “Yes, fall in the Southern US often brings increased rainfall, especially in the early part of the season. This is due to a combination of factors, including the tail end of hurricane season and the collision of warm, humid air with cooler, drier air masses. We’ve already seen Atlantic hurricanes at their peak which brought significant rainfall to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. It was only last week that we had a dump of rain here on the Prairie. We embraced it as rain again lessened the scum on the little pond, flowers and trees were watered so that we didn’t have to tote water buckets and hoses to keep our vegetation, flowers, shrubs, greenhouse tomatoes going. During drought seasons the earth cracks open the width of a silver quarter. When the rain comes around the ground closes up. The lowering of the humidity actually makes it pleasant to sit on the porches again. I miss it when the humidity is so high it’s uncomfortable to sit outside and my hair frizzes. Wilhelmina doesn’t move much either when it’s terribly hot. She’s smart enough to find inside or outside shade cool enough.
Google also says rain has some interesting facts that we may not notice while scurrying about in our raincoats and carrying our umbrellas. Rainwater contains nitrogen, an essential nutrient for plant growth, primarily in the form of nitrates. Quite often I put out buckets collecting rain for watering plants after the rain. Rainwater is much better than tap water.
Another fact is the smell of the rain. It has the name “Petrichor.” Petrichor has an earthy scent when the rain falls on dry soil, particularly after a long drought. Several items are mixed together between the air, soil, and raindrops. Soil has bacteria and plants have oils. These compounds together produce a distinctive and pleasant smell that rises from the earth. During a thunderstorm the smell may be a bit stronger. A sensitive nose may smell rain before it arrives.
Long before scientists studied the smell of the earth and rain and named it Petrichor, ancient Greece believed it to be the perfume of the gods, and a purity cleansing the atmosphere. Early settlers often followed the smell to find water sources. I can’t say that I’ve ever fully smelled the Petrichor but after a long drought it’s lovely to sit on the porch again and feel the freshness of the air and the rain. Maybe that is the Petrichor. It’s certainly soothing as the rain replenishes the lakes, the earth, the gardens, the fields, and my spirit. It is my passion, a feeling of enjoyment and ease. Just let it rain.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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