Thunder and Lightning

Okay, so in my last post, I said I could do without summers on the East Coast. That isn't entirely true. I missed one little detail.

August is the best month of summer. Not because its baseball's stretch run, or back-to-school time, but for that moment of indescribable happiness that comes along on selected afternoons in August: the very moment the sun comes back out after a massive and violent (and most times mercifully brief) thunderstorm that brings sheets of rain and an impressive light show.

As the storm clears out, the sun emerges with brilliance and and smell (oh man, the smell) of fresh, moist, crisp air fills the lungs. Sometimes you even get a rainbow as icing on the cake. The temperature and humidity have both come back to within the 'habitable' range.

Man, I love a good thunderstorm.

But I'm realizing that it just isn't going to happen. It's Western Washington - rain capital of the country. Who could blame me for hoping, after the long and damp winters?

Where's the high humidity? 100 degrees anyone? Oppressive heat? Come on, summer, give me your best shot. Yet mother nature seems to have cried uncle before even lighting up the sky just once.

I miss my east-coast thunderstorms. They're like clockwork, happening at the same time (hence, the 3 o'clock shower) every day. It's the worst time of day for a run to the coffee shop two blocks over. It's the best time of day to stare out the window for a while. And it's always fun to see those poor corporate-types caught in the rain without an umbrella.

Mother Nature? A request. Thunder and lightning. Bring it.

Pleeeeeeeease.