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The Thunder Rolls...

"Might fine fireworks...if they weren't so dangerous." --"Kat" Katzinsky, during an artillery barrrage, from "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (IM WESTUNG NICHTS NEUES)" by Erich Maria Remarque.

Yesterday--from late afternoon to early this morning--a series of thunderstorms came through San Diego County. It brought much needed moisture to our area (I count it as the "first storm" of the rainy season, which usually strikes at this time of year), and showed the touristas that yes, it does indeed rain in Southern California.

Somehow, the sound of thunder is comforting to me. For my late wife Melanie, however, it was very terrifying...akin to being near a 155mm artillery battery going full fire five hundered yards away (she did enough time in the Army to catalouge that sound into her subconscious).

A good, full-throttle thunderstorm is a great way to relax and get much-needed rest. The sound of the wind-whipped rain hitting the pavenent and the roof of the apartment complex; the rolling crash of a discharging thunderhead; the backlighting of smokestack, forked, and ball lightning in the gloom--man, that's Heaven to me!

The thunderstorm that follows a heat wave is usually the sign that cooler weather is on the way...and the freeway accident rate is starting to rise now. The oils from the dry months of Spring, Summer, and Early Fall come to the surface with the first storm--along with the sickening crunch of one mass of metal striking another mass of metal at medium velocity.

Thank God for NCTD on days like that!

The storm is also a reminder that it would be best to crock-pot the evening meal. After all, my two Electrobachis might grill up a nice steak or a juicy pork roast...but when the rain comes, best find another way to cook dinner! Crock-potted meals are cheap, filling, and allow much room for experimentation.

It's easier to sleep during stormy weather...the sound of wind-and-rain is a great natural sleep-aid. Plays merry hell with baseball games and kids' outside playtimes, but for indoor activities, a rainy day is a blessing.

When the thunder rolls, I rarely think of Garth Brooks song of the same name. I think, instead, of the needed moisture, the grey sky light-show, and the rainbow that breaks out after a rainstorm. A sign of God's Promise and His Love, it makes even the heaviest downpour worth bearing with!

So, let the thunder roll...it's a harbinger of better things this way coming! --LPR

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"Might fine fireworks...if they weren't so dangerous." --"Kat" Katzinsky, during an artillery barrrage, from "ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (IM WESTUNG NICHTS NEUES)" by Erich Maria Remarque.

Yesterday--from late afternoon to early this morning--a series of thunderstorms came through San Diego County. It brought much needed moisture to our area (I count it as the "first storm" of the rainy season, which usually strikes at this time of year), and showed the touristas that yes, it does indeed rain in Southern California.

Somehow, the sound of thunder is comforting to me. For my late wife Melanie, however, it was very terrifying...akin to being near a 155mm artillery battery going full fire five hundered yards away (she did enough time in the Army to catalouge that sound into her subconscious).

A good, full-throttle thunderstorm is a great way to relax and get much-needed rest. The sound of the wind-whipped rain hitting the pavenent and the roof of the apartment complex; the rolling crash of a discharging thunderhead; the backlighting of smokestack, forked, and ball lightning in the gloom--man, that's Heaven to me!

The thunderstorm that follows a heat wave is usually the sign that cooler weather is on the way...and the freeway accident rate is starting to rise now. The oils from the dry months of Spring, Summer, and Early Fall come to the surface with the first storm--along with the sickening crunch of one mass of metal striking another mass of metal at medium velocity.

Thank God for NCTD on days like that!

The storm is also a reminder that it would be best to crock-pot the evening meal. After all, my two Electrobachis might grill up a nice steak or a juicy pork roast...but when the rain comes, best find another way to cook dinner! Crock-potted meals are cheap, filling, and allow much room for experimentation.

It's easier to sleep during stormy weather...the sound of wind-and-rain is a great natural sleep-aid. Plays merry hell with baseball games and kids' outside playtimes, but for indoor activities, a rainy day is a blessing.

When the thunder rolls, I rarely think of Garth Brooks song of the same name. I think, instead, of the needed moisture, the grey sky light-show, and the rainbow that breaks out after a rainstorm. A sign of God's Promise and His Love, it makes even the heaviest downpour worth bearing with!

So, let the thunder roll...it's a harbinger of better things this way coming! --LPR

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