Sunday Serenity #196

It's been raining since Friday afternoon. Off and on but mostly on. I'm not complaining mind you. It's Oregon and it's September. I grew up in Washington on the Columbia river almost in smelling distance of the coast so rain has always been more friend than enemy. I find the sound of falling rain soothing. One of my earliest and fondest memories of Joy in joy is of jumping in a mud puddle in the neighbor's driveway ruts during an interlude between rain showers with the sun turning raindrops on flowers, grass and cars into diamonds. I was 4 or 5 and had mud from toes to nose including up inside my dress and inside my galoshes. It must have been summer because otherwise I doubt the joy would have remained connected in my memories to the hosing down with the garden hose Mom gave me before allowing me back in the house.

As they often do here in the Rogue Valley, the rains began with a thunder storm and a deluge. It was raining so hard it was difficult to see across the street. I was standing on the porch and thought hey this would make a cool picture for a post. But by the time I got back with my camera the rain had slacked way off and the river running down the lane towards the drain about half a dozen houses past us had halved in size and speed.



The sun came out for a minute or three but the rain continued. We heard screaming and were at first concerned but then suddenly there were three young boys ages 4 to 7 running barefoot down the lane in the middle of the stream. I tried but I couldn't get my camera up fast enough. I even had a second chance a couple minutes later when they came running back by from the other direction but missed again.