Rain. It’s one of those things you don’t even realize how bad you need it until you finally get it.

I think I finally settled myself onto this brown and dry, cracked earth – a bit weary, a bit worn. Trying hard to keep things alive.

And then it came.

And now the grass coming up everywhere is such a vibrant hue of green it hurts my eyes. I haven’t seen color like that in months.

A fire in a fireplace that we didn’t have last winter puts me in a trance, and I don’t even think about the to-do list for a little while as I watch from under my blanket as it flickers and pops.

A reason to drink hot tea and play cards with the boys.

An excuse to go inside and answer long-neglected emails and letters.

The chickens are muddy, the pigs are muddy, the people and their feathers and fur are muddy too.

But the cover crop is in, the garlic is in, and the gutters are on.

And so I welcome it.

Where have you been Sweet Rain…