I’ve Changed My Mind — Rain Sucks!

I’m ready to build an ark

It’s Sunday. It’s July. That usually means a trip to a local beach or to a community pool. It means basking under the hot summer sun and sink90ing my toes into some warm sand. The problem is, it’s been raining almost every day since the beginning of the month.

I have a pile of books that need to be read. I have cute pairs of sunglasses to be worn. My summer outfits have yet to be put into full rotation. My sandals are collecting dust. I’ve been wearing pants, sneakers, and headwraps. I keep my umbrella in my bag and a backup in my car. The last time I saw the sun, I was shocked by its brightness.

A few weeks ago, I wrote an essay entitled, “The Soothing Qualities of Rain.” Rain can have a calming effect. It helps the plants in my garden to grow. My backyard is full of greenery. The leaves on the trees are a deep emerald color. Everything looks so lush and vibrant. It’s wonderful and terrible.

Back in June, we had several hot days. The heat was unbearable. The beaches and the pools in my city were packed with people trying to escape the heat. I should have realized that something was wrong. June in New England is a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s really warm and sometimes it feels like the middle of October. This June felt very tropical with temperatures well into the 90s. We were breaking temperatures records almost every week. Instead of being the jumpstart to a great summer, it foreshadowed the second coming of the Great Flood.

So here we are in the middle of July and another rainy Sunday. While we didn’t have downpours today, the sky was overcast. The sun didn’t make an appearance. It began to grow dark around 5 p.m. The humidity felt like July but the rain reminded me of April.

I was hoping after so much rain, the rest of July would be sunny. I guess I was wrong on that one. The forecast for the beginning of the workweek is more rain. It will be warm, but the weather calls for rainboots and sneakers. There may be some sun by midweek. My sandals and sunglasses are on standby.