Thunderstorms. Texas is famous for them. This afternoon the sky grew gray off to the west, and in a short time the wind picked up and the smell of rain was in the air. I barely had time to go across the street and retrieve the dogs from their play date with our neighbors’ beagle before the rain started falling down in sheets. Luckily, we have a big side porch where we can sit, watch and listen to these storms. The boughs of the oak trees shook from the wind, the rain drummed on the roof, thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, then water gushed from the gutters, splashing on the ground. It was quite a feast for the senses.

The dogs responded according to their breeds. Cordelia, the Welsh Corgi, stood right on the edge of the porch and enjoyed the rain. She is a herder, after all, and originally from Wales, where it rains and rains and rains. She has a double coat and is virtually water-repellent. She would have loved to have jumped off the porch and splashed in all the puddles. You could see the longing in her face. Sammie, however, being the Scottie that she is, trotted right in the house and burrowed under a pillow on the couch. She is bred to hunt badgers and she loves going under covers and pillows and anything that resembles a badger hole, I suppose. Also, we have shaved off her coat for the summer and the cool breezes were no doubt making her a bit cold. So, she had absolutely no interest in standing side by side with her otherwise constant companion. She was much happier cuddled up in a warm, dry place.

The rain pounded hard for about 45 minutes and then the storm moved on eastward. We could hear the thunder rumbling off towards Bells just a few minutes after it passed. A storm system with plenty of rain, and according to the weatherman, we may get several of those over the next few days. North Central Texas can use the rain so no complaints from anyone here. Flash flood warnings were in effect for several hours, but besides that, all was fine.

I watched the storm with Ray.  “We don’t have rain like this in California,” I said.

“Nope, it’s steadier. No sudden storms and almost never a thunderstorm.”

“What a shame,” was all I could muster.

This is one of my favorite aspects of Texas, these thunderstorms. They remind me that life is constantly changing and most of it is out of our control. Our only job is to decide if we want to sit on the edge of the porch and feel the rain on our face or go inside and watch from the safety of the couch. Either way, the storm will pass and blue skies will reappear.

Until that next storm forms on the horizon…