Monday, June 9, 2008

Rain in June

It's grey out today. Not the fierce grey that indicates a storm, but rather a dull grey that just washes everything else away. The vibrant greens of the city are dulled by the muddied sky. A fierce button of blue peeks out at the intersection of two clouds, but it seems more like a mistake, an accidental gap in the weaving of these rainclouds, than an optimistic sign of light to come.


I think I pile expectations too high onto summer's shoulders. In the winter, I expect the sodden pants bottoms, the dreary horizon, and the fatigue of overwork. "Just wait for the summer," becomes a mantra of sorts, on spin cycle in my head, along with with memories of my limbs, weightless in the waves and the taste of sweat on my lips.

But the sprawling windows that drew us to this apartment aren't sparkling. They are sprinkled with rain drops and smeared with dust. I've no longer been able to delude myself into thinking bare feet are reasonable, especially with artificial warmth seeping out of the slotted heater. 

So I check the weather website compulsively. When the seven day forecast doesn't look promising, I click over to the long-term forecast, hoping that the graph will provide me with a smidgen of sunny optimism.

And I wonder why rain is so much more upsetting in June than it is in January.

38 comments:

Princess of the Universe said...

Princess have we ever established where in Canada you are? Cause it's like you're describing the scene outside my window right now!

Crushed said...

Its ABSOLUTELY BAKING over here.

Seriously.

But then again, it did rain most of last week.

Anonymous said...

i love the rain. i wish it would rain tonight. it's over 100 degrees where i am.

Katelin said...

rain is so upsetting in june because it's supposed to be warm and sunny. stupid june grayness.

Anonymous said...

Sounds just like Seattle. :(

the frog princess said...

I would kill for some rain, rather than this oppressively sweltering heat that has rendered the more comfortable half of my apartment--bedroom and living room--unlivable.

However, I'm sorry it's getting you down... just remember what Jane Sibberry says, "It Can't Rain All The Time"...

(Quick! Name that movie!!)

Laurie Stark said...

I empathize with every single word of this post. I just lost it at one point last night and actually started yelling at the sky before I realized I looked like a crazy person. I am just so, so tired of the rain. We had the longest, hardest winter in recent history and I was promised sunshine.

Anonymous said...

Come over here to Maryland. It's friggin' 95 degrees outside!

Anonymous said...

That is lovely writing. Classical balanced prose captures the mood perfectly. Melancholy but beautifully written.

Chelsea Talks Smack said...

I kinda like rain in the summer.... :)

Yoda said...

Oh trust me, rain is better than this sweltering 100 degree weather we've been having in the north-east.

Ultra Toast Mosha God said...

It's baking here in Georgia, too. The swimming pool is like a lukewarm bath. I liked the line about the blue sky being accidental.

alexa @clevelandsaplum said...

i'm with yoda. it's been MISERABLE in ohio it's so hot

S'Mat said...

Junuary is what I've heard that phenomenon referred to in BC.

Anonymous said...

You've got your groove back on, Girly! Great post. Loved it.

P.S. Did you get my questions? I know you're busy, so I'm just checkin'

Melissa said...

It's raining here too. And it's about time. The last month has been suffocatingly hot. But then again, it hasnt rained since October out here.. And we had an unusually warm Christmas..

Brett said...

Gray here as well, and after such a lovely day yesterday.

Beth said...

If it makes you feel any better, we're getting torrential downpours, thunderstorms AND unbearable heat.
I think we're all going to have to change our expectations of what constitutes "normal" seasonable weather.
(But I am enjoying the bare feet thing...)

Marianne said...

Ah, my favourite topic - the weather! I hear you loud and clear. For me what's most upsetting is the seeming loss of our spring and autumn seasons - gone are the pleasant days of bright sunshine and moderate temperatures - in with the heat waves and the months of cold and rain.

Anonymous said...

We're having record breaking heat issues.. I wanna know what's up with Mother Nature!

Tina Poe said...

I don't like rain at any time of the year, but I guess I shouldn't say that since we need it so often in central Texas.

SMARTBuddy said...

Who-hoo! weather discussions; I feel nationality-bound to join in! Nice and sunny over here in rainy England at present. Our forecaster (well a forecaster -the BBC) has been very rubbish lately at predicting. Is it because we are on an island and its difficult, or do they all get it wrong?

Anonymous said...

Beautifully written.

And strangely, I'm not sure I've ever experienced that. We get the summer thunderstorms that alleviate the city from monotonous heat.

Anonymous said...

We've had storms, storms and more storms. When it isn't storming it's muggy and 80 degrees. We never win!

Nilsa S. said...

Oh I hear you. Grey winters are expected. Grey springs are unacceptable. We've had our fair share of rain and terrible weather in the Midwest. I'm ready for the weather gods to be nice. For more than a few hours at a time!

Dizzie said...

We do expect too much from the summer, and we're never pleased with what we get... I think that summer is a little like that thing we dream of getting when we have enough money - trip, designer purse, new computer, whatever - we long so much and we dream up what it'll mean to us, that when it finally arrives, there is no way for it to live up to our expectations.


We're living on the hope - and I blame Pandora!


...then again, where would we be without hope?

Unknown said...

I check the weather site all the time, but mainly to see where the fronts are coming from.

Then when I'm at a party I can say, "Yeah, the cold is from a front approaching from the Northeast."

Surprisingly, people are not impressed with my knowledge.

Yoda said...

The humidity is killing me!!

HALPPPP!!

Anonymous said...

I've sent it more than once...Please check your junkmail, ok?

Bayjb said...

Yeah it was super hot here this weekend and now it's cooling off a lot, phew. Sun is coming your way!

Anonymous said...

well said! we do have extremely high expectations of summer....especially with the crazy arse winters we get up here!! i, too, check the weather network compulsively.

Eleni Zoe said...

I love summer rain! Want to change countries?

Chris Benjamin said...

grey here too. but at least the flowers are blooming anyway. you're right though, rain is just a pisser at this time of year. t'ain't right.

Dizzie said...

Second day of downpour... it washes the ugliness of the world away... :)

EF said...

Maybe all those prayers for rain in Georgia were diverted? Doing my best Oliver, "Please Princess, might we have some more rain?"

Unknown said...

I am the EXACT ... SAME ... WAY. It drives me nuts when I don't get good weather in summer, and I'm constantly checking forecasts and long-term forecasts for any sign of hope. Lately, I'm feeling hopeless.

Anonymous said...

Probably cause it's not as expected in June than in January! I mean...winter you expect to be cold and dreary and possibly rainy (depending on your climate) but in June it should be warm and sunny and dry!

Hope you get some sunshine your way soon :)

Lisa said...

It always rains in June. Here, at least. I've never had a birthday when it didn't rain.