The First Real Rainy Day of Spring

We've been a tad on the dry side the last couple of weeks in my region. The unbelievably hot weather over the weekend helped fuel the outbreak of a number of brush fires, and when it's been breezy, dust devils could be seen whirling across the road. So I was grateful for the promised rain that fell this morning. A pause this afternoon allowed me to go out and do a few necessary tasks, and now it's begun to rain again - this time with occasional rumbles and mutters of thunder; the first of the season. I used to be terrified of thunderstorms as a child, but not this kind - the deep, almost imperceptible drumroll that your ear picks up at intervals. A favorite children's book of mine, in describing a first spring thunderstorm, referred to the sound as "the good-natured roar of a well-fed lion". Well put. And a comforting, comfortable sound when you're indoors with a cup of tea.....