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Rain

Reader Contribution by Mel Boone
Published on November 15, 2016
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I ended up not going to one tractor show this year on account of rain. It was a four-day show that I normally attend as a spectator for one day, and it really wasn’t raining that much. However in the end, between the light drizzle and a van that was near its death, I decided to miss Boonville this year.

Rainy day at the library.

Water, like the sun, is essential. All living things need both to survive. We cannot live without them. Too much can cause a disaster to farmers. Too little can also be a disaster for farmers. Nobody wants a drought, nor do we want a flood.

But adults may be the only ones who think of rain in terms of disasters. How many reading this blog remember going outside as a kid to play in the rain? I know I did many times as a young girl. After every downpour I would be outside, ready to tackle every puddle that I came across. Nothing felt better than trying to see how big of a splash I could make.

More recently, Stubby, my Jack Russell terrier, used to love to run through the water puddles. I would laugh so hard it hurt. Sometimes I would be reminded of my own running though the puddles as a kid, and I would join him. The Jack that I have now, Jake, doesn’t like the puddles and will go out of his way to avoid them.

Now I sometimes dread seeing the rain, especially when I’m on my way to the farm. Since the last weekend of July this year it’s a daily trip out there to care for my grandmother’s cats. She can barely care for the ones in the house, so I have ended up with the daily ritual of feeding the outdoor cats. The three miles of blacktop road from the four lane highway to her house can be a nightmare to drive on when it rains. Puddles are all over the road. If not driving slowly and carefully, you can find yourself hydroplaning into a ditch. I had angels looking over me once, and that was enough for me to learn my lesson.

We can’t stop Mother Nature, but we all should be aware of our own actions, too. Pollution of any kind and discarding our trash and sewage into our lakes, rivers, and streams are man-made problems. I’m betting Mother Nature would be grateful if the humans here on earth cleaned up our bad habits.

Perhaps the next time it rains I should take the time to honor Stubby and my childhood by going outside to play.

Crane at the spillway, Long Branch Lake and State Park, Macon, MO.