Good Day, Sunshine!!

I moved from the comforts of home in Louisiana to make a new home in Texas in 2000, and I have always loved it here for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is that you can always count on warm, dry summers -- well, let's be honest: it's usually warm and dry here all the time, with the possible exception of February.

This time last year, we were in the middle of one of the worst droughts in the history of the state. It was SO hot and SO dry that our year-end rainfall in this area was about 15 INCHES shy of where it typically falls. OUCH! And aside from constantly watering my lawn, and my electric bill skyrocketing from the intense heat of the blazing sun on the roof of my house, I loved it!

Fast-forward 12 months...well, 10 months. In the past 60 days, we have had measurable rainfall on 45 of those days. We've had rain for 15 of the last 16 days!! Even on the days that it WASN'T raining, we didn't actually see the sun because of the cloud cover. It's absolutely mind-numbing to live in an environment so bleak, and so damp, and so dark. It's completely depressing.

The past few days have been the worst. It rained ALL DAY on July 4th. For the first time in my memory, I spent the 4th of July in my house, watching the water fill my flower beds and float ALL of my mulch all over my yard and sidewalk! We had about 45 minutes without rain in the afternoon - just enough time to start the grill and throw some meat on before the deluge returned. This morning, there were at least 100 roads in the county that were under water, and at least a dozen more roads and bridges that are completely washed out. There were actually water rescues...here...in sleepy, dry East Texas! People were pulled from their sinking vehicle after the road just washed out from under them! Another vehicle was swept about 300 yards down the "creek" and lodged nose-first against a tree.

This morning, I awoke to the same sound of pattering rain on my roof that has greeted me daily for over 2 weeks now. Another dreary day. Another 12+ hours of listening to kids moan about how boring their lives are. Another day of watching the mulch float out of my flower beds. (ARGH!) Another day of damp, dark, depressing RAIN.

And then, the most beautiful sight I have seen in almost TWO MONTHS appeared to me, and it looked like this:



I looked out the window in the living room, and I noticed that there was an odd dark spot on the ground under the swing...and another under the grill...and another casting a strange shape on the grass. And then it dawned on me...they were SHADOWS!! THE SUN WAS SHINING!! I promise you - I practically heard angels singing! I ran outside and just stood there, soaking in the warmth and joy that a ray of sunshine can bring. It was fantastic.

There is still rain in the forecast for at least the next 3-4 days...but I don't care. Today, I saw the sun. Today, I love Texas again.