"A rain dance is a ceremonial dance that is performed in order to invoke rain and to ensure the protection of the harvest." (Wickepedia)
Growing up in Miami, we learned to plan for the rain. Most months it seemed to arrive in the afternoon just as school was getting out. The huge dark thunderstorm clouds would come rushing in, the lightening would fill the sky, and we would be soaked by the time we reached our destination. We didn't care. It wasn't until I was in junior high school that it seemed to be a problem. I'd have spent the evening before wrapping my hair around orange juice cans, come on.......it was the 60's, and my bangs would be taped down with pink tape. The next day I would head off for school with the perfect hairdo only to have it completely ruined from the rain. My friends and I were of course "too cool" to wear the little plastic bonnet that my mother seemed to always have tucked in the pocket of her London Fog.
Growing up in Miami, we learned to plan for the rain. Most months it seemed to arrive in the afternoon just as school was getting out. The huge dark thunderstorm clouds would come rushing in, the lightening would fill the sky, and we would be soaked by the time we reached our destination. We didn't care. It wasn't until I was in junior high school that it seemed to be a problem. I'd have spent the evening before wrapping my hair around orange juice cans, come on.......it was the 60's, and my bangs would be taped down with pink tape. The next day I would head off for school with the perfect hairdo only to have it completely ruined from the rain. My friends and I were of course "too cool" to wear the little plastic bonnet that my mother seemed to always have tucked in the pocket of her London Fog.
At Halloween we would use pillow cases instead of paper bags. This was pre-planning on our part....we had all been witness to the poor friends candy that ended up all over the street because their bag got wet and broke.
When it came time to start driving we had the additional worry of windshield wipers that wouldn't work in a downpour. Memories of my best friend Mary hanging out the right hand side of my 1958 Nash Rambler, pushing the wiper blade to make it go.
Now I enjoy the Nevada rain, so sparse - yet so welcome. The smell of sagebrush after a gently sprinkle. It lingers long after the rain has cleared. The thoughts of all the weeds that will come
It looks like we might get some rain this week. Let's all get out there and do the Rain Dance!
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