Rain

It rained tonight. Opened up and poured. The smell of wet soil and damp vegetation filled the air. I could almost hear the plants and trees sighing, melting into swaying, relaxed, relieved poses in the dusk.

The chickens stirred on their roosts, responding to the sound and maybe the smell. Safe and dry.

Tomorrow is September. Fall comes in September. And, the rain is here already. How did the summer go so fast? Didn't my poor fingers only just thaw and turn from the white cold stiffness of Reynaud's disease to healthy pink and warm? I don't think I am ready for the winter.

But, I love the fall. I get to hunt, to watch the leaves turn to yellow, to orange, to red, to brown. To find the perfect sweater. To wear cozy fabrics. But, my knees protest the confinement of pants and my toes grieve for flip-flops.

It is raining, less vigorously than before, but raining. Wait, summer, come back! I am not through with you!