Back by Popular Demand: Rain

Today, I'm not only celebrating my 200th Time to Be blog post, I'm celebrating the first rainstorm in I don't know when.  Our dry, arid countryside received a great gift of an honest-to-goodness storm last night -- real, serious rain with dashes of thunder and lightning.  It had been so long since I'd felt rain on my skin or heard it slashing against the windows that I stood in awe.  And I was not alone.  Facebook was filled with posts from ecstatic souls celebrating the return of rain, back by popular demand.  We take so many things for granted, including our verdant Wisconsin landscape, rainstorms and water tables that are usually on the abundant side.  Recently, there've been bans on outdoor cigarette smoking and talk about the pressing need to conserve water.  While no one wants to see our farms suffer as they have this summer, one possible blessing hidden in all of this severe drought may be that many of us who are used to having so much have now discovered a newfound appreciation for our water supply.  Rain, Glorious Rain.  Back by popular demand. What a wonderful thing to celebrate today!