Rainy Again

[rejectomorph]

Uncommonly warm for the middle of February, this storm has brought a thorough drenching to the forest without driving the birds into hiding. Several of them were flitting about my yard this afternoon, even splashing in the puddles now and then. The acorn woodpeckers took up their usual rainy day positions on the dryer side of the telephone pole, though, where they chuckled and squawked for an hour or so before moving on. Windswept rain patterned the street with dashing ephemeral lines, and the camellias dripped liked flushed, sweaty lovers. Overflowing gutters sent streams to erode the ground and build small deltas of sand on the driveways. All the while, the wind rushed and boomed, and the pines shook like great dogs flinging water from their coats. Indeed, so active was the day that I came indoors and put on the headphones and listened to calming music as I watched the wind-flung raindrops run slowly down my windowpane.