Oh the Weather Outside Is Delightful...

...Let it Rain, Let it Rain, Let it Rain!

We don’t get much rain in our small part of the world so today we received a welcomed treat!
I do love the rains…..the ever so scarce ones~that is.
The everyday predictable ones, I can live without.

Since a gentle rain was falling, I felt compelled to do the one thing I love,
and rarely have the opportunity to do.
Take a walk in the rain!
*

I turned my face upwards as I left the eaves of the porch, allowing the pure waters, falling from above, to land on my cheeks. There was an immediate renewal in my heart.
The burdens resting on my shoulders this past month began draining from my mind with each footstep I took.
I walked down the drive not knowing which way my feet would take me.
Each step landing softly on the once crispness of fallen leaves, now gentled with moisture.
I witnessed the remaining leaves which once clung to their twining branches with life,
were now drifting and dripping to the ground.
They landed with a soft sigh of relief to have finally let go.

Beyond my reach, the once golden hills surrounding us, lay dormant.
They were quickly being freed from the weight of their dusty blanket.
The new wheat sprouts that have emerged in green hues can now welcome winter’s arrival without the burden they have carried on their tender blades.

I wandered to the bridge in our drive and rested my arms on the rail.
The creek below slipped quietly by, as I noticed three wild turkeys.
They were roosted high on a large willow branch and I followed their watchful eye.
Slowly padding along the soggy shores of the creek was a lone coyote, drinking from a shallow pool. He paused momentarily, probably catching my scent, glancing my way without fear and commenced to drink some more.

In the distance a red-tailed hawk floated aimlessly on the raindrops as if he were sailing.

The hushed calm of this rare moisture was soothing to all it fell upon.

Having lingered for better than fifteen minutes, I decided to wander up through a draw that I had yet to explore. Curiosities lead my way up the now muddy cattle trail.
I wondered what views may be awaiting me. With each step I left my own footprint.
I stopped glancing behind me, to compare the tread of my shoes to those hoof prints of the animals that crossed this path daily.
I felt as if I were intruding. I walked with a softer gait then, careful to not disturb their grounds.
Further up the trail, I scattered a family of quail and a field mouse dropped back into the earth.

Oh how peaceful this rain is.
It is not only a desperately needed cleansing rain, it is also a welcomed healing rain.

This country is comprised of many steep rolling hills. There is a vastness of unknowns beyond each rise. If a person is unable to read nature’s compass, becoming lost would be easy.
There are not the sounds of combines this time of year, yet once in awhile, one can hear the hushed drone of a lonesome tractor in the far distance making its way through the dusty valleys.

Today, there is only the touching sounds of raindrops as they slide down to the earths surface .....and only if one takes the time to listen!

I reached a crest, which is called “eyebrows” here, and noticed a rock outcropping that was beckoning me a few hundred yards away. Slowly and lightly, I made my way to them as the grasses that were now beneath my feet were slippery. The rain had become a light drizzle by now. I took off my coat and placed it as a pillow to sit on.

Stillness wrapped itself around me. There I sat, alone in this huge expansive land with the immense feeling of belonging to this earth, being so blessed to share in its bounty of nourishment and glory.
The dampness in the air filled my senses with newly uncovered aromas of the sage and the soil;
with a renewed awareness of the simplicity of my life.
My head floated in this quiet truth.
This is where my heart belongs, walking side by side with nature and wanting nothing more.

This is my home where the silence becomes my companion; the earth, my guide.

My eyes caught a movement far below my perch. Lying under the protection of a cottonwood’s fading canopy was a 5 point buck. His head was raised and uncaring.
Several feet to the north of him were 2 does at the creek side.
They were oblivious to my presence,
and if they were not, they knew I meant them no harm.
For I too, was enjoying this soft rain, cleansing the earth,
consoling the mind and encouraging the heart.

Upon reaching the steps to the backdoor, I noticed in the glare of the glass, that my hair glistened with moisture, my coat clung snugly to my shoulders and my shoes had left muddy footprints on the sidewalk behind me.

And the rains had stopped.

I loved my walk in the rain!

Tomorrow brings a clean slate;
beginning with a new day, a new month, and a new beginning of hopes.