Summer Rain

One of my favorite smells is the rain in summer. It’s Memorial Day weekend, the start of summer, and sure enough it rained. It was a brief, passing shower that came out of nowhere. I was weeding and pruning when suddenly the sky turned dark. I thought, “Hmm, it smells like rain.” Then the wind kicked up and there it was – a downpour. I sought shelter on my screened-in back porch, where my kittens were lazily napping. I poured a glass of wine and enjoyed the fragrance and sound of the rain. The sun popped out and it became a sun shower. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Whenever it rains in summer like that, I think of the Johnny Rivers song, “Summer Rain.” The tune goes through my head, “Summer rain taps at my window / West wind soft as a sweet dream / My love warm as the sunshine / Sittin’ here by me, she’s here by me…” Johnny Rivers is probably more well-known for “Secret Agent Man,” but “Summer Rain” is a favorite of mine. 

Raindrops in motion. (Picture taken through the screen on my back porch.)

Not long after it started, the rain was gone. And I had to turn on the sprinkler to finish watering the garden. It was a fleeting, happy moment. 

If you want to hear “Summer Rain,” go here to see a taping of a live performance from 1973 (with the mustache, wavy long hair, and all the glamour of the 70s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLZt8rEfsF4